When Fritz Lang crafted this German silent science fiction epic in the late 1920s, it cost over five million deutschemarks and nearly bankrupted the film's production company. It was worth it. ""Metropolis"" is an unqualified masterpiece and easily one of the greatest films of all time.
Modern viewers turned off by black and white films—much less silent ones—should not write this one off. ""Metropolis"" is a thrilling combination of expressionistic sci-fi, eye-popping effects, bizarre acting and still-relevant themes of proletariat vs. bourgeoise, mind vs. heart.
The film's opening sequences are some of the most chilling in cinematic history. Workers are herded like cattle into factories, which Lang presents as demon-machine-gods that rich people sacrifice poor people to in order to maintain their detached, idyllic lifestyle. It's heavy stuff, but it's lightened by exciting action sequences and brilliantly rhythmic camera editing.
Not to mention Brigitte Helm's crazed, unforgettable dual-performance as the saintly Maria who helps the workers but is replaced with a cyborg clone who then strip-teases for the rich boys. Helm's robot-Maria performance is the weirdest combination of erotica and insanity conceivable.
Aside from being essential viewing, ""Metropolis"" is crazy-good fun.
