Metropolis And 1984 Analysis

Composers such as, Fritz Lang, Metropolis, and George Orwell, 1984, demonstrates how a government’s repressive values can induce turmoil within societies, to subsequently cause an individual to begin to search for meaning. Lang’s melodrama, silent film reflects on the consequences of rapid industrialisation in the Weimar republic of Germany post WW1, whilst Orwell’s, dystopian satirical novel is inspired by the rise of communism and fascism, as he warns against the advent of totalitarian societies. Both composers, through different inspirations, depict oppressive regimes that cause an individual to question original values and ultimately allows them to search for a sense of meaning and purpose in regaining their individuality.
Both Lang and
Orwell utilise their text as an allegory for the political and social climate of their respective times, to capture the dissatisfaction and chaos in a powerless society under oppressive regimes. Drawing influence from hyperinflation during Weimar Germany, which lead to societal unrest and revolt, within a severely disadvantaged middle class, Lang portrays the debilitating sense of anxiety that pervaded society under unjust governmental control. Lang illustrates this through a lengthy montage of rigid formations of workers in multiple high angle shots, contrasted to the stadium and eternal gardens, to immediately portray the disparity of values between the upper and lower classes. This notion is reiterated in the uplifting non-diegetic music juxtaposed with melancholic music to further represent how the upper class values prevents them from caring about the working class. The endless oppressive values of money, control and power created by Jon Fredersen inspires helpless workers to uprise and find their own meaning within the world, due to the values of unison and compassion created by Maria. This is reiterated in the repetition of the uplifting music, as the workers triumph as they lose all sense of powerlessness. Lang uses this to reveal to the oppressed, a way that searching for a meaning in their life, will create a solution to a society full of unrest and unjust control, which can ultimately result in powerless individuals. Power vs powerlessness is symbolic of a fascist duce and reflective of widespread fascist ideals, regarding the formation of a Volkgemeinschaft, or community, where class division are abolished. Lang then ultimately impacts both Germany’s future and also the controversial oppressive regimes and values still shown in modern times. This consequently assists in diminishing the idea of powerless personas and improving the values of the once oppressive society. Similarly in 1984 state power and control suppresses individuality, choice and freedom, which reflects Orwell’s time of absolute political authority, during the age of advanced technology specifically which he witnessed in Spain, Germany and the Soviet Union. The idea of heightened oppressive values causing a loss of power is exemplified through repetition and the satirical tone in, ‘to dissemble your feelings to control your face, to do what everyone else was doing was an instinctive reaction.’ Orwell’s novel, serves as a powerful medium to convey his concerned perspective, that a person no longer cares to find personal meaning, as they have succumbed to oppressive regimes. The symbolism of ‘2+2=5’ represents both the physical oppression of O’Brian’s torture and the mental oppression of losing his love, which then leads him to reject his individual meaning and submit to the party’s ideals. This defeat, allows Orwell to stress the dangers of oppressive regimes within an individual’s life, due to strict political ideologies. It is then evident that, when analysing both texts, composers force readers, through the exaggerated idea of power, to analyse totalitarian values and the inevitable loss of individuality.
Composers capture the negatives of manipulation, to present the need for an individual to find purpose and meaning within unjust societies.
Lang uses the manipulation of the workers faith in Maria, to ensure the social hierarchy is maintained. The frontal lighting is utilized to depict Maria’s pure values, which is contrasted with black lighting and shadows to construct Robot Maria as deceptive and conniving. Thus, alluding to the malevolent nature of the elites and their power to manipulate and corrupt society by hijacking faith. The use of Chiaroscuro, exemplified how manipulation is used to stop the search for meaning among the oppressed community. This keeps the nature of a totalitarian society, thus creating a lack of values among the individual. This image of Maria is furthered in the transitioning shot of Freder sick in bed to Maria’s erotic dance. This demonstrates how the falsly advertised immoral values of Maria is able to generate a sense of meaning, as they begin to reflect and question whether within their lives, they are being oppressed through unknown advertised manipulation, which reflects the rise of the 1920’s ‘mass media’ idea within Lang’s time. This juxtaposition in scenes, puts emphasis on the effect oppressive regimes has as they destruct values of generosity and love. Orwell also portrays this as Mr Charrington’s unsympathetic values deceive Winston, due to the manipulation from the parties. Lang’s use of the eye-level shot of the lustful men, invites the audience to understand how manipulation formed by oppressive regimes has caused a lack of relationship values. Lang has used the naïve nature of relationships particularly between Maria and Freder, to stress the negative impacts of manipulation for personal findings; which is reflective of Germany’s sexual restriction, due to the Weimar republics conservative values. These composers, then force the individual to search for their own relationships, rather than aimlessly following government
regimes. Orwell conversely in 1984, warns against a government that abolishes civil rights by manipulating the individual through perpetual propaganda. As a result of the two composers’ different use in textual form, Orwell is able to analyse manipulation through the use of language, to reflect his attitudes towards fascism and communism. Opposing the social cohesion sought by Lang, Orwell’s totalitarian regime, seeks the absolute defeat of the individual, to emphasise the need for a continuous search of meaning within an individual. Orwell presents the repeated abuse of language by the government and media to demonstrate its potential for political manipulation, ultimately resulting in oppressive regimes. This manipulation of the human psyche, is shown through the verbal irony of ‘Freedom is Slavery. Has it ever occurred to you that it is reversible? Slavery is freedom’. This twist in language reinforces how oppressive regimes occur, when values created by totalitarian society’s impact a humans right for individual search for meaning. This notion is reinforced through the irony of ‘The ministry of Truth’, which facilitates deception, and as Winston becomes obsessed with the need to discover the meaning of ‘truth’, the understanding of how oppressive regimes can force an individual to become obsessed with finding purpose outside of totalitarian ideologies. Through the complications of manipulation, both composers provide an understanding of the importance of finding individual purpose, as common held values such as freedom, diminish.
Through the comparison of these texts, the responder is able to achieve a deeper understanding of the overwhelming oppressive regimes achieved when individuals aim to find the meaning of life for themselves. By analysing how powerless individuals and manipulation has affected both dystopian societies, there has been a deeper understanding of oppressive natures, that inspire individuals to delve into their own personal purpose.