Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

One of the most ambitious movies of the silent era, Metropolis has often been called the first great science fiction film. The sets, cinematography, and special effects have influenced countless films, and are still very impressive today.

However, time has dated the campy acting, exaggerated characters and muddled themes of capitalistic oppression and class struggle. To call Metropolis 'great' is to ignore its flaws. As is the case with Sunrise, another silent era classic from 1927, the problems with plot, characters and direction cannot be dismissed despite the groundbreaking technical achievements.

Set in the year 2000, society has been reduced to two major classes. The elite live in comfort and luxury in the city. Meanwhile, the uneducated and unthinking masses live deep underground as slave laborers, forced to tend to machines.

Metropolis is controlled by Fredersen (Alfred Abel), a cold-blooded man whose only spark of humanity is his love for his son, Freder (Gustav Froehlich). Sheltered from the harsh realities of life, Freder may look like an adult, but he is really an innocent, overgrown child.

Freder wanders into the factory, and witnesses for the first time the deprivation and abuse of the workers. Freder becomes their advocate, along with Maria (Heinrich George), a saintly missionary to the workers.

Fredersen is assisted by Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge), an inventor who claims that a robot army can be produced that can replace the workers. Now that they are disposable, Fredersen plots against them. He commands Rotwang to build a robot in the image of Maria, which is then sent below to stir a riot among the workers.

Our heroes, Freder and Maria, must overcome the evil schemes of Rotwang and Fredersen. Rotwang, the prototype for all mad scientists in all science fiction movies that followed, has an uncanny physical resemblance to the middle-aged Marlon Brando. Meanwhile, the 'bad' robot Maria looks like Madonna during her 'Material Girl' stage.

The characters are extreme because they are intended to represent abstract concepts. We learn at film's end that Freder is 'the Heart', Fredersen is 'the Brain', and the burly foreman is 'the Hands'. Maria in her dual role represents both good and evil. Along with the heavy-handed pro-socialist themes, the simplistic symbolism often makes for unintentional comic relief.

The plot is sometimes confused, partly because about thirty minutes of footage has been lost. The original showing of Metropolis was over two hours, but over the years distributers had hacked the film to more a convenient running time. Further confusion over the runtime of existing prints is caused by the nature of silent films, which can be played at various speeds.

Many lost scenes were restored in 1984 by Giorgio Moroder, who also color-tinted the film and added a synthesizer-based rock soundtrack. Fortunately, television set remotes have a mute button.

Most silent films have never had a soundtrack, but there are exceptions. For example, Charlie Chaplin composed a score for The Circus, City Lights, and Modern Times. If no original score exists, it isn't tampering to replace it, but the replacement should at least feature instruments that were available when the film was made. In other words, a classical or operatic score is more appropriate for a silent film from Europe.

Despite the mistakes made with character and story development, Metropolis is still memorable because of its sets, special effects, and cinematography. The factory, the city, the robot, the caverns and the laboratory are all marvelous sets. Thousands of extras were hired to add authenticity to the crowd scenes.

Metropolis was based on a novel written by Thea Von Harbou, who was the wife of the director, Fritz Lang. Allegedly, Lang was inspired to make the film after a visit to New York City, where he marveled at the skyscrapers then new to the skyline.

The film was a German production, and a financial debacle that nearly bankrupted the studio. As was the case with D.W. Griffith's Intolerance (1916), it was an extremely expensive and ambitious film without broad appeal to film audiences of the era. Both films are now among the most famous silent films, however, with Metropolis still having great influence today. (68/100)

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Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8