Metropolis Essay

“Metropolis”: A futuristic view of an industrialized capitalist society
A mix of great special effects, futuristic settings, outstanding actors’ performances, and, of course, multiple themes are found in the silent movie Metropolis. The film entails Marxist critics, anti-capitalist, as well as anti-religious positions. There is a clear distinction between rulers and oppressed people. Besides, religion is seeing as a hope-seller for those who have nothing to lose.
In an industrialized city as Metropolis, the working class is been oppressed by the ruthless wealthy capitalist John Fredersen. Wealthy people lived, literally, at the top of the city, simulating a Roman coliseum. A Marxist critic can be inferred from several events in the movie. First, it starts presenting “automat” humans working at a huge machine. Then, workers are sick of their situation, and it’s exemplified when they argued to María that they will not wait that much for the mediator to come. The working class in the movie is presented as hopeless people, whose daily work consumes their energies. Once they finished working, they have not that much to do, but to go to the
“Church” and hear promises for a better future that hasn’t come. Throughout the movie the discontent workers complain of their situation, this will eventually led to a revolt against all machines. They had the power to keep everything going on or to destroy it at once.
Besides, an anti-capitalist position is taken when referring to the industrialized city.
The monopoly of Fredersen over the economy is shown as a prophecy of what may happen in the future. Fritz demonstrated with the film that Capitalism destroys all hopes of having a more equal and descent society; he actually presents the decaying situation in which the majority of people live in the movie. And that reality is reflected nowadays where around 90% lives with the 10% of the world’s wealth, and 10% with the remaining. The anti-capitalist critic is clearly seen throughout the movie, especially against the industrialization as a process that dehumanized the working class. And Freder, Fredersen son, felt how workers were exploited when he worked the ten hours in the clock machine, then he desperately ask when it’s going to finish
up.
However the critic goes beyond merely economic matters. The role of the church is also mentioned. The promise of a better world, that a holy mediator will come and save everybody, and that there exist the possibility for both classes to work together is sold by the Church in the movie. Fritz ironically adapted the role of the Catholic Church nowadays to the film’s context. The main objective of the spiritual sect in the film is to appease workers’ discontent, using faith for doping their heads. This critic is slightly seen, if the audience believe in the “Church’s power” the message may not be understood, or it can be tergiversated.
Fritz’s work deserves to be recognized as one of the most important contribution to cinema, specifically to the branch of science fiction movies. Its value is approved nowadays and will, probably, being so forever. The main concerns of this movie seem to be political, sociological and spiritual ones. A classist, and therefore Marxist, analysis can easily be done. Every single image, effect, performance and setting supports this theory. It is as easy as typing “Marxism and Metropolis” in Google and thousands of results are displayed. The Marxist analysis on this movie is not recent, and many other scholars, teachers, sociologist and, definitely, students have written and supported this statement. The anti-capitalist view, and the Religious critic are inferred from the plot of the movie, therefore by watching it once or twice any audience can understand Fritz message.