Metropolis
Reviews
Gurre
Metropolis is one of the greatest films ever made. It's amazing set design, brilliant cinematography, groundbreaking special effects and futuristic story truly makes it one of the must-sees in cinema! It is set in the future, in a city called Metropolis where the citizens are divided into two groups: workers (who live under the ground and are working 10 hour shifts by enormous machines that keeps Metropolis working) and the royals (living in luxury in the great city on the surfice). And over them all, is the creator of Metropolis: Joh Fredersen (Alfred Abel). His son Freder (Gustav Fröhlich) falls in love with a woman of the working-class called Maria (Brigitte Helm) who preaches that a mediator will come and create peace and equality for both workers and royals. Joh Fredersen sees Maria as a big threat agains his "order", so he and the inventor Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) kidnaps her and copies her appearence onto a robot, which will destroy the workers faith in Maria. However, Rotwang secretly plans to programme the robot to make the workers destroy the city and crush Joh Fredersen, as an act of vengeance against Fredersen for a sin he committed in the past... Lang made this film in 1927, and it was a huge blockbuster event of that year. However, after the premiere, the US distributor heavily cut down the film, and thereafter the original version was considered lost for almost a decade. In 2008 they found the original version in Argentina (very damaged, but watchable), which became the basis for the most recent reconstruction (2010). If you are going to watch this movie (as I highly recommend that you do!) that's the version to watch! Overall, Metropolis is a REALLY REALLY great movie, that you, once again, MUST watch! I give it a 10/10
CinemaSerf
This has got to be the ultimate cinematic illustration of the strata of human existence. Whether it be a story of the survival of the fittest; the cleverest; the most devious; most beautiful - or a hybrid of some/all - it reflects poignantly how humanity always seeks to exist within a hierarchical structure (merited or otherwise, but perfectly epitomised here by the matriarchal, deific robot), but how much more effectively mankind can succeed if it accepts and values everyone and works together. It also clearly identifies the perennial problem of those with the brain always ending up far more successful, comfortable - and powerful than those who do the labour. Hence, this wonderful tale from Fritz Lang takes us to "Metropolis" - a totalitarian - though not necessarily intentionally malevolent - society, in which everyone has their place and role. Except, that is - for the son of the "Master". Like many a fickle youth; he has little to occupy his time and his meaningless existence leaves him ripe for new ideas. When he takes pity on a recently sacked employee of his father and shortly afterwards is exposed to a lifestyle he couldn't even have imagined, the story starts to gain a thought-provoking and unstoppable pace. The score magnificently guides us from the drudgery of day-to-day-life through the emancipating revolution that inevitably follows, with all of the ill-foreseen, largely devastating consequences - like a bottle of champagne that has been shaken, sooner or later the cork pops! It is also a story of love between the son and a woman way, way, way beneath his station. Yes, there is light on the sunlit uplands - and much like a forest fire that destroys all in it's path; this film clearly suggests at the end that hope and optimism will triumph and a green shoots of recovery starts to grow again... It also, as a piece of cinema, is clearly the inspiration for so many directors, cinematographers and story tellers that followed...
Movie Recommendation
M1931-05-11In this classic German thriller, Hans Beckert, a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt. Beckert's heinous crimes are so repellant and disruptive to city life that he is even targeted by others in the seedy underworld network. With both cops and criminals in pursuit, the murderer soon realizes that people are on his trail, sending him into a tense, panicked attempt to escape justice.More...
Metropolis2001-05-26In the midst of societal conflict in the futuristic city of Metropolis, Kenichi and his uncle Shunsaku Ban set out to uncover the mystery behind the first human-like robot, Tima.More...
The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog1927-02-14London. A mysterious serial killer brutally murders young blond women by stalking them in the night fog. One foggy, sinister night, a young man who claims his name is Jonathan Drew arrives at the guest house run by the Bunting family and rents a room.More...
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans1927-11-04A married farmer falls under the spell of a slatternly woman from the city, who tries to convince him to drown his wife.More...
Nosferatu1922-02-16The mysterious Count Orlok summons a happily married real estate agent to his castle, located up in the Transylvanian mountains, to finalise a terrifying deal.More...
October (Ten Days that Shook the World)1928-05-11Sergei M. Eisenstein's docu-drama about the 1917 October Revolution in Russia. Made ten years after the events and edited in Eisenstein's 'Soviet Montage' style, it re-enacts in celebratory terms several key scenes from the revolution.More...
The Jazz Singer1927-10-06A young Jewish man is torn between tradition and individuality when his old-fashioned family objects to his career as a jazz singer. This is the first full length feature film to use synchronized sound, and is the original film musical.More...
Woman in the Moon1929-10-14A scientist discovers that there's gold on the moon. He builds a rocket to fly there, but there's too much rivalry among the crew to have a successful expedition.More...
It1927-02-05A flapper shopgirl woos her rich boss with animal magnetism -- the captivating personal quality otherwise known as "it."More...
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari1920-02-27Francis, a young man, recalls in his memory the horrible experiences he and his fiancée Jane recently went through. Francis and his friend Alan visit The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, an exhibit where the mysterious doctor shows the somnambulist Cesare, and awakens him for some moments from his death-like sleep.More...
Un Chien Andalou1929-06-05Un Chien Andalou is an European avant-garde surrealist film, a collaboration between director Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali.More...
The Seventh Seal1957-02-16When disillusioned Swedish knight Antonius Block returns home from the Crusades to find his country in the grips of the Black Death, he challenges Death to a chess match for his life. Tormented by the belief that God does not exist, Block sets off on a journey, meeting up with traveling players Jof and his wife, Mia, and becoming determined to evade Death long enough to commit one redemptive act while he still lives.More...
City Lights1931-02-06A tramp falls in love with a beautiful blind flower girl. His on-and-off friendship with a wealthy man allows him to be the girl's benefactor and suitor.More...
Citizen Kane1941-04-17Newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane is taken from his mother as a boy and made the ward of a rich industrialist. As a result, every well-meaning, tyrannical or self-destructive move he makes for the rest of his life appears in some way to be a reaction to that deeply wounding event.More...
Man with a Movie Camera1929-05-12A cameraman wanders around with a camera slung over his shoulder, documenting urban life with dazzling inventiveness.More...
The Passion of Joan of Arc1928-04-21A classic of the silent age, this film tells the story of the doomed but ultimately canonized 15th-century teenage warrior. On trial for claiming she'd spoken to God, Jeanne d'Arc is subjected to inhumane treatment and scare tactics at the hands of church court officials. Initially bullied into changing her story, Jeanne eventually opts for what she sees as the truth. Her punishment, a famously brutal execution, earns her perpetual martyrdom.More...
Wild Strawberries1957-08-28Crotchety retired doctor Isak Borg travels from Stockholm to Lund, Sweden, with his pregnant and unhappy daughter-in-law, Marianne, in order to receive an honorary degree from his alma mater. Along the way, they encounter a series of hitchhikers, each of whom causes the elderly doctor to muse upon the pleasures and failures of his own life. These include the vivacious young Sara, a dead ringer for the doctor's own first love.More...
Invasion of the Body Snatchers1956-02-05A small-town doctor learns that the population of his community is being replaced by emotionless alien duplicates.More...
Andrei Rublev1966-12-16An expansive Russian drama, this film focuses on the life of revered religious icon painter Andrei Rublev. Drifting from place to place in a tumultuous era, the peace-seeking monk eventually gains a reputation for his art. But after Rublev witnesses a brutal battle and unintentionally becomes involved, he takes a vow of silence and spends time away from his work. As he begins to ease his troubled soul, he takes steps towards becoming a painter once again.More...
The Leopard1963-03-27As Garibaldi's troops begin the unification of Italy in the 1860s, an aristocratic Sicilian family grudgingly adapts to the sweeping social changes undermining their way of life. Proud but pragmatic Prince Don Fabrizio Salina allows his war hero nephew, Tancredi, to marry Angelica, the beautiful daughter of gauche, bourgeois Don Calogero, in order to maintain the family's accustomed level of comfort and political clout.More...
Similar Movies
The King of Comedy
1982-12-18Aspiring comic Rupert Pupkin attempts to achieve success in show business by stalking his idol, a late night talk-show host who craves his own privacy.Contempt
1963-10-29A philistine in the art film business, Jeremy Prokosch is a producer unhappy with the work of his director. Prokosch has hired Fritz Lang to direct an adaptation of "The Odyssey," but when it seems that the legendary filmmaker is making a picture destined to bomb at the box office, he brings in a screenwriter to energize the script. The professional intersects with the personal when a rift develops between the writer and his wife.Breathless
1960-03-16A small-time thief steals a car and impulsively murders a motorcycle policeman. Wanted by the authorities, he attempts to persuade a girl to run away to Italy with him.Ronia: The Robber's D...
1984-12-14Ronia lives happily in her father's castle until she comes across a new playmate, Birk, in the nearby dark forest. The two explore the wilderness, braving dangerous Witchbirds and Rump-Gnomes. But when their families find out Birk and Ronia have been playing together, they forbid them to see each other again. Indeed, their fathers are competing robber chieftains and bitter enemies. Now the two spunky children must try to tear down the barriers that have kept their families apart for so long.The Shawshank Redempt...
1994-09-23Imprisoned in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. During his long stretch in prison, Dufresne comes to be admired by the other inmates -- including an older prisoner named Red -- for his integrity and unquenchable sense of hope.Terminator 2: Judgmen...
1991-07-03Ten years after the events of the original, a reprogrammed T-800 is sent back in time to protect young John Connor from the shape-shifting T-1000. Together with his mother Sarah, he fights to stop Skynet from triggering a nuclear apocalypse.Strange Days
1995-10-13Former policeman Lenny Nero has moved into a more lucrative trade: the illegal sale of virtual reality-like recordings that allow users to experience the emotions and past experiences of others. While they typically contain tawdry incidents, Nero is shocked when he receives one showing a murder.The Apartment
1960-06-21Bud Baxter is a minor clerk in a huge New York insurance company, until he discovers a quick way to climb the corporate ladder. He lends out his apartment to the executives as a place to take their mistresses. Although he often has to deal with the aftermath of their visits, one night he's left with a major problem to solve.High Noon
1952-06-09Will Kane, the sheriff of a small town in New Mexico, learns a notorious outlaw he put in jail has been freed, and will be arriving on the noon train. Knowing the outlaw and his gang are coming to kill him, Kane is determined to stand his ground, so he attempts to gather a posse from among the local townspeople.Casablanca
1943-01-15In Casablanca, Morocco in December 1941, a cynical American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.Desert Hearts
1985-10-01While waiting for her divorce papers, a repressed literature professor finds herself unexpectedly attracted by a carefree, spirited young woman named Cay.Terminator 3: Rise of...
2003-07-02It's been 10 years since John Connor saved Earth from Judgment Day, and he's now living under the radar, steering clear of using anything Skynet can trace. That is, until he encounters T-X, a robotic assassin ordered to finish what T-1000 started. Good thing Connor's former nemesis, the Terminator, is back to aid the now-adult Connor … just like he promised.Meet Joe Black
1998-11-12Bill Parrish has it all - success, wealth and power. Days before his 65th birthday, he receives a visit from a mysterious stranger, Joe Black, who soon reveals himself as Death. In exchange for extra time, Bill agrees to serve as Joe's earthly guide. But will he regret his choice when Joe unexpectedly falls in love with Bill's beautiful daughter Susan?The Celebration
1998-06-19The family of a wealthy businessman gather to celebrate his 60th birthday. During the course of the party, his eldest son presents a speech that reveals a devastating secret that turns the night into a battle of truth and denial.Once Upon a Time in A...
1984-05-23A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan over thirty years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.Mystic River
2003-10-08The lives of three men who were childhood friends are shattered when one of them suffers a family tragedy.The Lost World: Juras...
1997-05-23Four years after Jurassic Park's genetically bred dinosaurs ran amok, multimillionaire John Hammond shocks chaos theorist Ian Malcolm by revealing that he has been breeding more beasties at a secret location. Malcolm, his paleontologist ladylove and a wildlife videographer join an expedition to document the lethal lizards' natural behavior in this action-packed thriller.Night on Earth
1991-12-12A quintet of cabbies in five cities and their remarkable fares on the same eventful night.Eyes Wide Shut
1999-07-16After Dr. Bill Harford's wife, Alice, admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings -- and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.Seven Samurai
1954-04-26A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.