Welcome to the first installment of Silent Sunday! (Canned applause) What’s that? But Betty, Sundays are part of the weekend, and weekends aren’t usually silent let alone quiet? Yes, yes, I know. In this case, however, dear reader, I am referring to the silent era of films.
After seeing my first silent film many moons ago, I have held a special love for the genre. I am a sucker for the cinematography of these films. The lighting, the acting, the set design; it’s all what makes these films works of art.
To set this series off on its maiden voyage I have chosen one of the first silent films I ever saw: Metropolis.
Metropolis is a science-fiction, German expressionist film released in 1927, directed by Fritz Lang. The film is set in a future city where there is a division between the working-class people who live in the underground, and the well-to-do owners, or “managers,” who live in the city. The workers toil away daily to make sure the city is in top running order. Without the workers, the city would not function, and yet, they are treated poorly and kept underground where they cannot be seen. The workers are duped by a specially-made machine to rebel against the managers of the Metropolis, causing chaos and death before learning the truth and vowing to unite with each other and the managers and begin a period of peace.
Want the longer explanation? Keep reading!
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
The city is where we meet our protagonist, Freder Fredersen, the son of Joh Fredersen. Joh is the founder and builder of the great city, and his son Freder has never worked a day in his life, enjoying a life of luxury like all sons of the manager class. One day, as he is goofing around in the Eternal Gardens, Freder spots Maria, a beautiful girl who is with a group of children from the working class. She and the children are sent away, but Freder decides to follow Maria into the underworld.
He is immediately struck by the horror of the workers’ lives, especially appalled by the giant M-Machine. The environment is hot and dirty and the work is very hard and labor-intensive. The workers are almost robot-like in their actions, meticulous and rhythmic. There is no talking, no looking around, no one even giving orders. Just work.
Suddenly, the M-Machine explodes, killing many workers. As the machine smokes after the accident, Freder envisages the M-Machine as Moloch, a monstrous deity to whom the hapless workers are sacrificed. Freder is disgusted and returns to the city to confront his father about the plight of the workers.
Joh Fredersen works in the New Tower of Babel (pretty telling name, don’t you think?), a huge skyscraper also owned by him. Freder goes there and tells his father about the working conditions in the underground, as well as the horrific M-Machine accident. Afterward, Joh is informed that strange maps have been found in workers’ pockets.
Curious, Joh decides to confer with Rotwang, a crazy, but genius, scientist with whom he used to be friends. We find out Joh and Rotwang both fell in love with a woman named Hel, with Hel choosing Joh. Hel died while giving birth to Freder, and Rotwang has hated both men ever since. While there, Rotwang shows Joh the Machine Man he has created and will give the likeness of Hel. Regarding the maps, Rotwang tells Joh they are of the 2,000 year-old-catacombs.
Rotwang and Joh immediately venture into the catacombs and come to the meeting place where Maria is preaching to the workers. She tells the workers about the Tower of Babel and that they must wait for the coming Mediator. “The heart must be mediator between the head (the planners) and the hands (the workers).” Freder, who has gone back into the underground and swapped clothes with a worker, is among the crowd listening to Maria.
When she is done, Freder goes to her and reveals his true identity. Rotwang sees this and he and Joh decide to give Rotwang’s Machine Man Maria’s likeness in order to thwart the workers’ plans. Rotwang, however, has an ulterior motive. He will use the machine to destroy Fredersen and the city. Rotwang captures Maria, also trapping Freder when he runs after them trying to rescue her.
In an epic and now-iconic scene, Rotwang gives The Machine the likeness of Maria. When he is done, he sends it to Joh. He then encounters Freder and tells him that Maria is not here but with his father. Freder goes to the Tower and sees his father with Maria in his arms. Freder passes out and dreams of images from the Book of Revelation.
Rotwang decides to demonstrate the power of The Machine by dressing it as an erotic dancer and sending it to tempt the young men of the city. It drives the sons of the owners into homicidal fits of sexual jealousy, causing fights and murder among men who were once best of friends, and even suicide. The body count grows as the faux Maria provokes them.
Joh tells his “thin man” (spy) to let the workers do what they will that night, knowing the Machine will visit the underground city in order to induce chaos. Rotwang is with Maria, still captive, and tells her, “Joh Fredersen wants to let those in the depths use force and do wrong so that he can be justified in using force against them . . .” Maria despairs at the information, and Rotwang continues to tell her of the plan to incite rebellion against Joh and that the Machine obeys Rotwang’s’ will, not Joh’s.
The Machine indeed visits the underground city and encourages the workers to rebel. Freder arrives and tells the workers that this Maria is a fraud, but the workers recognize him as Fredersen’s son and attempt to kill him. During the fight, Georgy, the worker who exchanged clothes with Freder, tries to defend Freder and is stabbed. Meanwhile, Maria, after Joh Fredersen confronts Rotwang about the events of the night, escapes and makes her way to the workers’ city.
The workers follow the fake Maria into the city and encourage even more workers and their families to join the fight. Maria and the workers go up in elevators and break the gates to enter the machinery area. They rush to the Heart Machine to destroy it, only to have the heavy doors closed on them by the machinist. Joh receives a message from the man and calls him, giving him instructions to open the doors and let the workers in. The machinist reluctantly does so, but not without first trying to appeal to the workers by reminding them the city will flood without the machine working. The workers disregard this, attacking the man and watching with delight as the machine is destroyed. The city’s reservoirs overflow and inundate the workers’ city to the brim, threatening to drown the children the workers left behind, blinded by their newfound hatred. However, the children are saved by Maria, Freder, and a worker named Josaphat in a heroic rescue.
The workers, realizing what they have done, and believing that they have killed their children, blame Maria. They go to the city to pursue the real Maria and run into the reveling crowds of the owners’ sons, led by the machine Maria. In the ensuing confusion, Maria escapes and The Machine is tied to a stake and burned. The flames burn off the likeness of Maria and reveal The Machine’s true form to the stunned crowd.
Meanwhile, Rotwang, who has broken down completely and believes her to be Hel, corners Maria in a cathedral. Freder climbs up to the roof and battles Rotwang as Joh Fredersen watches in horror. Rotwang falls to his death, and Freder and Maria return to the street. Freder takes his first step as a mediator, overcoming mutual reluctance to join hands, thus beginning a period of unity and reform.
Betty’s Quick Review
The story, imagery, and underlying tone and message of Metropolis struck a chord with people at the time of its release and is still quite relevant today. The design of The Machine is freaking iconic, and I think actress Brigitte Helm did a marvelous job of portraying the dual roles of Maria and Machine Maria. I find it to be a beautifully shot and designed film and hope the photos I have added in here help illustrate both. If you are interested in silent movies, or in this period of film history at all, this film is a great one to start with.
The design of The Machine is freaking iconic!!!
