Post by klep on Apr 30, 2018 6:34:34 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 4/30: Metropolis
SIGHT & SOUND POLL WEEK!
"The mediator between head and hands must be the heart"
That's the mantra that runs several times throughout Fritz Lang's Metropolis. It's set in a world that Ayn Rand - in her early 20s at the time - would have found appealing. A gleaming metropolis, towers reaching to the sky and roads spanning the empty air between. A world where titans of industry sit in the heavens while the working class toils in the depths and lives even deeper. It is a gilded age, one many viewers at the time probably saw reflected in their existence and one which still feels relevant today.
At the top of the head is Joh Fredersen (Alfred Abel), the industrialist responsible for the construction and operation of his city. As the film starts, his son and only family Freder (Gustav Frölich) is a naïve waif, blinded to his privilege and living in hedonistic luxury. But a chance encounter with a young schoolteacher for children of the lower class Maria (Brigitte Helm) starts him on a path to what amounts to a socialist revolution.
Lang's film - which was primarily written by his wife Thea von Harbou - is strikingly aware of the nature of labor disputes and class struggles. Maria leads a movement which preaches a peaceful way forward - looking for the "mediator" mentioned in the mantra. The problem as she sees it is primarily one of communication - the laboring class doesn't get to partake of the fruits of their labor, and the ruling elite don't grasp the extent of the sacrifices that are being made on their behalf. The workers themselves are willing to try her non-violent path first, but they warn that their patience is wearing thin.
For his part, Fredersen believes the workers stuck in the depths are where they belong; he sees no equivalent in them to his brilliance, nothing worth raising up to the bright skylines of his city. And in order to keep things that way, he's willing to use intimidation and thuggery, including inciting violence among the workers to discredit any reform movement.
It all blows up in his face, of course. The problem with inciting and unleashing a mob is that the mob can't be controlled, and you don't know what the collateral is going to be. It's only by the grace of God that Freder makes it through and Fredersen doesn't lose everything he values, but it's a shock that leads him to let Freder mediate between himself and the workers.
I've gone this far without talking much about the science fiction aspects of the film, because any good science fiction film is always rooted in an examination of society. But that doesn't mean they aren't worth discussing. The titular metropolis is a brilliant construction of miniatures, matte paintings, and careful compositing. We see massive buildings, great machines, a subterranean city, and yes, of course, one of the very first portrayals of a robot (also Brigitte Helm, in a marvelous costume) on film - a being which would later inspire C-3PO.
Lang's compositing work does a lot of heavy lifting in bringing the future to life. Not only does it put cars and people in the midst of sprawling cityscapes, it also puts text onto computer screens, enables the Machine-Man's stunning and iconic transformation into a doppelganger of Maria, and also allows seamless transitions between reality and Feder's occasional fevered visions. Lang's mastery of the medium (and his wife's skill with the pen) is such that even now, 90 years later, Metropolis remains one of the greatest works of film - and science fiction - in history.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 5/7: Z
CONSPIRACY WEEK!
For Conspiracy Week we'll be watching Costa-Gavras' Best Picture nominee Z. Come down the rabbit hole with us into a tale of secrets, intrigue, murder, and betrayals as we dive into this heralded film next week. Z is available on Filmstruck's Criterion channel and for rent on Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 5/1: Close-Up
The first part of this week's podcast focuses on the blurred lines between documentary and fiction in Abbas Kiarostami's Close-Up. Join us on Wednesday for a discussion; Close-Up is available on Filmstruck's Criterion channel and for rent on Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
SIGHT & SOUND POLL WEEK!
"The mediator between head and hands must be the heart"
That's the mantra that runs several times throughout Fritz Lang's Metropolis. It's set in a world that Ayn Rand - in her early 20s at the time - would have found appealing. A gleaming metropolis, towers reaching to the sky and roads spanning the empty air between. A world where titans of industry sit in the heavens while the working class toils in the depths and lives even deeper. It is a gilded age, one many viewers at the time probably saw reflected in their existence and one which still feels relevant today.
At the top of the head is Joh Fredersen (Alfred Abel), the industrialist responsible for the construction and operation of his city. As the film starts, his son and only family Freder (Gustav Frölich) is a naïve waif, blinded to his privilege and living in hedonistic luxury. But a chance encounter with a young schoolteacher for children of the lower class Maria (Brigitte Helm) starts him on a path to what amounts to a socialist revolution.
Lang's film - which was primarily written by his wife Thea von Harbou - is strikingly aware of the nature of labor disputes and class struggles. Maria leads a movement which preaches a peaceful way forward - looking for the "mediator" mentioned in the mantra. The problem as she sees it is primarily one of communication - the laboring class doesn't get to partake of the fruits of their labor, and the ruling elite don't grasp the extent of the sacrifices that are being made on their behalf. The workers themselves are willing to try her non-violent path first, but they warn that their patience is wearing thin.
For his part, Fredersen believes the workers stuck in the depths are where they belong; he sees no equivalent in them to his brilliance, nothing worth raising up to the bright skylines of his city. And in order to keep things that way, he's willing to use intimidation and thuggery, including inciting violence among the workers to discredit any reform movement.
It all blows up in his face, of course. The problem with inciting and unleashing a mob is that the mob can't be controlled, and you don't know what the collateral is going to be. It's only by the grace of God that Freder makes it through and Fredersen doesn't lose everything he values, but it's a shock that leads him to let Freder mediate between himself and the workers.
I've gone this far without talking much about the science fiction aspects of the film, because any good science fiction film is always rooted in an examination of society. But that doesn't mean they aren't worth discussing. The titular metropolis is a brilliant construction of miniatures, matte paintings, and careful compositing. We see massive buildings, great machines, a subterranean city, and yes, of course, one of the very first portrayals of a robot (also Brigitte Helm, in a marvelous costume) on film - a being which would later inspire C-3PO.
Lang's compositing work does a lot of heavy lifting in bringing the future to life. Not only does it put cars and people in the midst of sprawling cityscapes, it also puts text onto computer screens, enables the Machine-Man's stunning and iconic transformation into a doppelganger of Maria, and also allows seamless transitions between reality and Feder's occasional fevered visions. Lang's mastery of the medium (and his wife's skill with the pen) is such that even now, 90 years later, Metropolis remains one of the greatest works of film - and science fiction - in history.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 5/7: Z
CONSPIRACY WEEK!
For Conspiracy Week we'll be watching Costa-Gavras' Best Picture nominee Z. Come down the rabbit hole with us into a tale of secrets, intrigue, murder, and betrayals as we dive into this heralded film next week. Z is available on Filmstruck's Criterion channel and for rent on Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 5/1: Close-Up
The first part of this week's podcast focuses on the blurred lines between documentary and fiction in Abbas Kiarostami's Close-Up. Join us on Wednesday for a discussion; Close-Up is available on Filmstruck's Criterion channel and for rent on Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.