Similarities Between Metropolis And 1984
Politics and people: Revolutionary Ropes and Contextual Confines
Welcome all to the 2015 Annual Festival of Intertextual Insights.
Humans cannot operate efficiently within a society which consists of complete totalitarianism. Texts which explore this are two of the most influencing pieces of our society, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) and George Orwell’s 1984 (1949). These two texts, when studied in comparison, I believe, enrich our understanding of the significant values presented in each due to the intertwining themes; and the differences between texts arise from the differing perspectives of both composers. I believe Authority & power and Sex are two of the most dominant themes explored in the in the texts, because even 87 years after …show more content…
one of our chosen texts was created, these themes are still considered the inherent flaws of humanity.
The first concept I am requestion you to consider is why? Why did Orwell and Lang choose to create these texts? Was it a warning for the future generations? Were they simply reflecting their own world or even their private life?
The linkage between these two texts in the form of revolution reflects the time that both of these texts were composed in. Change in the world was occurring at this time, ad this influenced Metropolis dramatically. All Germany’s dignity following World War I was lost and this created an opportunity to focus on the present- a rise of modernity. Optimism was still alive after WWI for Germany with a hope for a better future; yet after WWI & WW2, Orwell’s publication of 1984 was particularly dystopic as it could be seen that humanity in the world was completely abolished. These Great Wars in themselves influence both composers choices of values and attitudes presented in each text.
Metropolis is a film in which revolution can be looked at as a win. I personally believe that the revolution by the workers created a meeting point between social classes and an understanding. 1984 explores a similar theme of revolution; an uprising of the ‘brotherhood’ created in order to rebel against the government within Oceania. It can also be argued whether this rebellion was successful- you can ponder on this yourselves.
Now, let’s talk about sex.
SEXUAL POLITICS:
I believe sex is an act which interconnects people in a society- it is something in which all humans can relate to; whether you are black, white, old, young (over 16 tears) Hispanic, Australian, homosexual or heterosexual. It can also be considered controversial, hence why it is so popular and universal. It can be devious or can be an act which can enhance or form relationships; both of which we see in Metropolis and 1984. Sex is a colossal influence when considering 1984 and Metropolis- the male protagonists in both texts, it can be argued, are controlled by the strong willed women they love.
The context influencing Fritz Lang’s influence of women was the opening behaviours in the 1920’s. Women were allowed to smoke and drink in public, dresses became shorter and they could opening express their sexuality.
In both texts, women’s roles become dominant and women juxtaposed the patriarchy of men. This initially influences sex and is accentuated by Robot Maria, who can control the men residing within the city due to pure seduction. Elite men worship Maria in this female form, yet it is purely lust; there is no consideration of personality – or no personality in this case.
In 1984, sex is considered a political act that only occurs for procreation. The party controls sexuality and they state that ‘mere debauchery did not matter so long as it was furtive and joyless, and only involved the women of a submerged and despised class.’
The sexual act, successfully performed, was rebellion. Desire was thought crime.
“She would lie there with shut eyes, neither resisting nor co-operating, but submitting.” In this quote, as an audience we get an insight as to how sex is conceived by followers of Big Brother who is, in this case, Katherine. Yet when Winston is in a safe place with Julia sexually, we witness a different end of the spectrum as Julia is devious and cannot tally how many times she has participated in sexual activity. “Hundreds of times- well, scores of times, anyway”. These ‘scores of times’ are much enjoyed and initiated by Julia, contrasting Winston’s Katherine.
Similarly in Metropolis, Robot Maria is again, like Katherine & Julia, a double. Yet this time, she is a doppelgänger of herself, Virgin Maria. Robot Maria thrives off the power of seduction; this is represented in the film through the montage of eyes from the men at Yoshiwara. This montage is a characteristic of the German Expressionism occurring at the time of production of Metropolis and this expressionism arises throughout the film in various forms.
AUTHORITY/POWER: In 1984 and Metropolis, another key intertextual theme is Authority and power. “In the end the party would announce that two and two make four, and you would have to believe it.”
In my opinion, mathematics is considered a rather straight forward subject; there is always a definite answer and a justifying equation supporting your reasoning. The fact that the party have enough authority to change realistic maths emphasises how much power & control they must have our individual minds in society. 1984 explores the struggle and the abuse of power throughout the storyline. Power is exhibited through Telescreens, thought police, Big brother himself, Goldstein, and children. The paradox of children being more powerful than their parents represent the power of the party- the fact that they can get inside children’s heads to the point of being more loyal to them than to their own parents.
The authority and power in Metropolis distinguishes the class system physically.
If you are wealthy, you live in areas of high-rise buildings with interiors which are spacious. You have freedom of speech, you don’t have to work, you have a lifestyle where anything is possible. Yet, the underground workers of the lower class are only differentiated by numbers, they have no individuality and the areas in which they reside in are cold and style-less. This is represented by the long shot at the beginning of the film; the workers’ faces are not shown, the bars keeping them in represent prison walls and restriction, and they can be merely be perceived as …show more content…
robots.
The workers are controlled by the Upper Class yet, individually, they are controlled by the machines. They live and die by the machines, which is shown when Freder visits the underground and how the movements of workers are in sync and almost robotic. Scale is a technique focused on by Fritz Lang of comparison between men and the machines. Men are viewed as smaller than the machines at which they are working at, which exaggerates the negative impact of the machines on humanity.
So, let me ask you. Are they contributing to their own oppression by working so hard on these machines? This can also be said about Winston Smith, who wants to revolt against the party due to their power to change the past, yet his job consists of literally altering the facts of history and he works so hard for this.
DYSTOPIA/ UTOPIA: 1984 and Metropolis both share dystopic versions of the future, yet these texts also differ in these aspects.
In metropolis there is a shimmer of hope after the revolution has occurred and there is an understanding between the elite and the lower class. This is represented by the meeting of hands between Grot and Joh Fredersen, yet this reconciliation between classes is only possible with the assistance of a mediator (Freder). This meeting occurs at the conclusion of the film and creates the feel of a possible utopian world.
How easy is that? A bit of hand holding and the differences in social disorder are fixed and the complete destruction of the underground working-class is justified.
In 1984 however, the conclusion of the novel could not be more dystopic and juxtaposes everything Winston said about Big Brother leading up to the revolution that Julia and himself created. “He loved Big Brother” as opposed with the previous statement of pure hate, “Winston’s hatred was turned against Big Brother, the Party and the Thought Police and his heart went out to the lonely derided
heretic”.
Humans cannot operate efficiently within a society which consists of complete totalitarianism. Totalitarianism is complete control, and it is generated by the Inner Party, Big Brother and the Elite Class. If there is injustice present between social classes, the future will be dystopic, and if issues that represent freedom, such as sex are pressurised in a totalitarian way, humans cannot operate efficiently or connect with each other. The two texts I have explored enrich our understanding of the significant values presented in each due to the intertwining themes, power and sex; which can be considered the inherent flaws of humanity.
As Winston Smith says, “What mattered were individual relationships, and a completely helpless gesture, an embrace, a fear, a word spoken to a dying man, could have value in itself.”
Welcome all to the 2015 Annual Festival of Intertextual Insights.
Humans cannot operate efficiently within a society which consists of complete totalitarianism. Texts which explore this are two of the most influencing pieces of our society, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) and George Orwell’s 1984 (1949). These two texts, when studied in comparison, I believe, enrich our understanding of the significant values presented in each due to the intertwining themes; and the differences between texts arise from the differing perspectives of both composers. I believe Authority & power and Sex are two of the most dominant themes explored in the in the texts, because even 87 years after …show more content…
one of our chosen texts was created, these themes are still considered the inherent flaws of humanity.
The first concept I am requestion you to consider is why? Why did Orwell and Lang choose to create these texts? Was it a warning for the future generations? Were they simply reflecting their own world or even their private life?
The linkage between these two texts in the form of revolution reflects the time that both of these texts were composed in. Change in the world was occurring at this time, ad this influenced Metropolis dramatically. All Germany’s dignity following World War I was lost and this created an opportunity to focus on the present- a rise of modernity. Optimism was still alive after WWI for Germany with a hope for a better future; yet after WWI & WW2, Orwell’s publication of 1984 was particularly dystopic as it could be seen that humanity in the world was completely abolished. These Great Wars in themselves influence both composers choices of values and attitudes presented in each text.
Metropolis is a film in which revolution can be looked at as a win. I personally believe that the revolution by the workers created a meeting point between social classes and an understanding. 1984 explores a similar theme of revolution; an uprising of the ‘brotherhood’ created in order to rebel against the government within Oceania. It can also be argued whether this rebellion was successful- you can ponder on this yourselves.
Now, let’s talk about sex.
SEXUAL POLITICS:
I believe sex is an act which interconnects people in a society- it is something in which all humans can relate to; whether you are black, white, old, young (over 16 tears) Hispanic, Australian, homosexual or heterosexual. It can also be considered controversial, hence why it is so popular and universal. It can be devious or can be an act which can enhance or form relationships; both of which we see in Metropolis and 1984. Sex is a colossal influence when considering 1984 and Metropolis- the male protagonists in both texts, it can be argued, are controlled by the strong willed women they love.
The context influencing Fritz Lang’s influence of women was the opening behaviours in the 1920’s. Women were allowed to smoke and drink in public, dresses became shorter and they could opening express their sexuality.
In both texts, women’s roles become dominant and women juxtaposed the patriarchy of men. This initially influences sex and is accentuated by Robot Maria, who can control the men residing within the city due to pure seduction. Elite men worship Maria in this female form, yet it is purely lust; there is no consideration of personality – or no personality in this case.
In 1984, sex is considered a political act that only occurs for procreation. The party controls sexuality and they state that ‘mere debauchery did not matter so long as it was furtive and joyless, and only involved the women of a submerged and despised class.’
The sexual act, successfully performed, was rebellion. Desire was thought crime.
“She would lie there with shut eyes, neither resisting nor co-operating, but submitting.” In this quote, as an audience we get an insight as to how sex is conceived by followers of Big Brother who is, in this case, Katherine. Yet when Winston is in a safe place with Julia sexually, we witness a different end of the spectrum as Julia is devious and cannot tally how many times she has participated in sexual activity. “Hundreds of times- well, scores of times, anyway”. These ‘scores of times’ are much enjoyed and initiated by Julia, contrasting Winston’s Katherine.
Similarly in Metropolis, Robot Maria is again, like Katherine & Julia, a double. Yet this time, she is a doppelgänger of herself, Virgin Maria. Robot Maria thrives off the power of seduction; this is represented in the film through the montage of eyes from the men at Yoshiwara. This montage is a characteristic of the German Expressionism occurring at the time of production of Metropolis and this expressionism arises throughout the film in various forms.
AUTHORITY/POWER: In 1984 and Metropolis, another key intertextual theme is Authority and power. “In the end the party would announce that two and two make four, and you would have to believe it.”
In my opinion, mathematics is considered a rather straight forward subject; there is always a definite answer and a justifying equation supporting your reasoning. The fact that the party have enough authority to change realistic maths emphasises how much power & control they must have our individual minds in society. 1984 explores the struggle and the abuse of power throughout the storyline. Power is exhibited through Telescreens, thought police, Big brother himself, Goldstein, and children. The paradox of children being more powerful than their parents represent the power of the party- the fact that they can get inside children’s heads to the point of being more loyal to them than to their own parents.
The authority and power in Metropolis distinguishes the class system physically.
If you are wealthy, you live in areas of high-rise buildings with interiors which are spacious. You have freedom of speech, you don’t have to work, you have a lifestyle where anything is possible. Yet, the underground workers of the lower class are only differentiated by numbers, they have no individuality and the areas in which they reside in are cold and style-less. This is represented by the long shot at the beginning of the film; the workers’ faces are not shown, the bars keeping them in represent prison walls and restriction, and they can be merely be perceived as …show more content…
robots.
The workers are controlled by the Upper Class yet, individually, they are controlled by the machines. They live and die by the machines, which is shown when Freder visits the underground and how the movements of workers are in sync and almost robotic. Scale is a technique focused on by Fritz Lang of comparison between men and the machines. Men are viewed as smaller than the machines at which they are working at, which exaggerates the negative impact of the machines on humanity.
So, let me ask you. Are they contributing to their own oppression by working so hard on these machines? This can also be said about Winston Smith, who wants to revolt against the party due to their power to change the past, yet his job consists of literally altering the facts of history and he works so hard for this.
DYSTOPIA/ UTOPIA: 1984 and Metropolis both share dystopic versions of the future, yet these texts also differ in these aspects.
In metropolis there is a shimmer of hope after the revolution has occurred and there is an understanding between the elite and the lower class. This is represented by the meeting of hands between Grot and Joh Fredersen, yet this reconciliation between classes is only possible with the assistance of a mediator (Freder). This meeting occurs at the conclusion of the film and creates the feel of a possible utopian world.
How easy is that? A bit of hand holding and the differences in social disorder are fixed and the complete destruction of the underground working-class is justified.
In 1984 however, the conclusion of the novel could not be more dystopic and juxtaposes everything Winston said about Big Brother leading up to the revolution that Julia and himself created. “He loved Big Brother” as opposed with the previous statement of pure hate, “Winston’s hatred was turned against Big Brother, the Party and the Thought Police and his heart went out to the lonely derided
heretic”.
Humans cannot operate efficiently within a society which consists of complete totalitarianism. Totalitarianism is complete control, and it is generated by the Inner Party, Big Brother and the Elite Class. If there is injustice present between social classes, the future will be dystopic, and if issues that represent freedom, such as sex are pressurised in a totalitarian way, humans cannot operate efficiently or connect with each other. The two texts I have explored enrich our understanding of the significant values presented in each due to the intertwining themes, power and sex; which can be considered the inherent flaws of humanity.
As Winston Smith says, “What mattered were individual relationships, and a completely helpless gesture, an embrace, a fear, a word spoken to a dying man, could have value in itself.”