Fritz Lang's Metropolis

When we study texts comparatively, the influence of context on various forms of speculative fiction allows us to gain a greater insight into humanity. Through this comparison, we begin to better understand the deindividualisation of society that occurs under corrupt economic and political systems. In other words, we better comprehend how humans lose their sense of self at the hand of oppressive governments who wish to unify society as one. Fritz lang’s, Metropolis, composed in 1927 aims to warn Germany's middle-class society not involved in political or economic affairs of the poverty, conflict and fears of the future. Lang harnesses German expressionism throughout the film to portray a futuristic reality in which the ending conveys positive
Therefore, individuals are unable to develop clear individual thoughts and revolt against the party. A fellow citizen named Syme draws our attention to this fact in his rhetorical questioning; “Don't you see that the whole aim of newspeak is to narrow the range of thought?”. Thus, Orwell is provoking us to consider the ways in which individuals were robbed of their own opinions during and after the Second World War. And in some ways, maybe we are being robbed of such opinions even now. Hence, we can see how texts such as Metropolis and 1984 assist in broadening our view of humanity.

Both Lang’s film and Orwell's novel reflect each government’s prioritisation of authority over individual freedom. As a repercussion of this, human rights are exchanged for the state's maintenance of control, security and stability. In Metropolis, this is seen where we first glimpse the underground power plant, with the workers struggling to move the hands of a clock. Symbolism is used to draw our attention to how they too are controlled like the hands of a clock. Would you exchange your humanity for
Metropolis reflects how for the sake of capitalists holding onto their own money, behaviours such as breaching the average ordinary citizen’s privacy are completely acceptable. Similarly, in 1984, Orwell points out how during WW2 it was regarded as necessary for governments to survey individuals for the sake of national security in times of conflict.

All in all, we can see how both Metropolis and 1984 depict how turbulent times can lead to the sacrifice of common human values such as individuality and freedom of thought. Both mediums are used to warn us and audiences of each time of imminent government oppression. The influence of contexts on the authors has impacted their texts developing my knowledge of the importance of individuality to maintain