Wednesday, July 24, 2013

METROPOLIS: Style & Themes


Metropolis is a classic movie that has accumulated large amounts of praise and a cult following even today. The following essay will identify and discuss the themes and styles used in the movie. The mentioned points attribute to the movies success.

THEMES

Class division
The movie makes use of a number of themes to project its message across, one of which is class division. There is a division formed between the working people and the rich ones. The workers, who keep the machines in operation, have nothing to show for their hard labor. They all have the same clothing and their houses seem barren and dull.
It forms a great contrast when compared to the rich people of Metropolis who endlessly indulge in the nice things the city has to offer. While the workers toil in harsh conditions, the rich folk get carried away with the eccentric life and they are nicely dressed for the constant parties and entertainment that take place in the city. The aristocratic lifestyle they have adopted comes at the expense the workers who tend the machines every time.


The workers are divided from the rich people. The workers keep the machines in operation in harsh conditions while the rich people get carried away in the eccentric life by partying all the time. They are enjoying the fruits of the workers labor.

Urbanization


The city of Metropolis shows a lot of technological advancements. This can be seen in the city's architecture and the forms of transportation. There is a constant production from the machines to invent new technologies. 

Industrialization
This theme can be seen in the machines that are kept running by the workers. These machines keep going and those that are rich feed on the results.

Capitalism
Dehumanization

STYLE

German Expressionism was the style put to use. The set of Metropolis used abstract and disproportionate dimensions. The style is defined by a distinctive, heavily stylized, artificial aesthetic.

Expressionism- characteristically uses distortion and exaggeration, also non-realistic visuals, to emphasize the inner emotions.

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