Similarities Between Metropolis And 1984
Texts are fundamentally expressions of the composer’s contextual concerns, where differing perspectives upon similar issues provide insight into the values prevalent in the composer’s time. Fritz Lang’s expressionist film Metropolis (1927) and George Orwell’s dystopian satire novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) (1949) are linked by their shared exploration of technological advances and social structures that restrict individual autonomy. Lang is optimistic about societal reform whereas Orwell completely rejects the possibility of a cohesive world, revealing the shift in context from Weimar optimism to post-war nihilism. Therefore, a thorough study of the conceptual connections between these texts ultimately allows us to attain an enhanced appreciation
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Lang’s depiction of German expressionism in Metropolis displays the extensive disparities of class that occurs due to the existence of autocratic power. Set in a dystopian future world, “Master” Joh Frederson’s complete control of the capitalistic Metropolis is exemplified through the juxtaposition of the underclass labourers in “the Depths”, a subterranean workers’ city while the aristocratic, wealthy industrialists “high in the heavens” rule over them tyrannically, symbolically representing the oppression of the inferior lower class. This notion parallels the social inequality in 1920s Germany where hyperinflation induced by the Weimar Republic’s poor economic management led to immense social disparity. Furthermore, the hedonistic behaviour of the upper class in the Golden 20s is epitomised in the privileged life of Freder, depicted by the extreme long shot of the “Eternal Gardens”. In contrast, the mise-en-scene coupled with the slow, uninspiring body language of the worker’s during shift change illustrates the lack of individuality within the working class. Thus, Lang skilfully allows the audience to empathise with the workers by highlighting this perspective, allowing for insight into how totalitarian regimes necessitate conformity as shaped by the
Lang’s depiction of German expressionism in Metropolis displays the extensive disparities of class that occurs due to the existence of autocratic power. Set in a dystopian future world, “Master” Joh Frederson’s complete control of the capitalistic Metropolis is exemplified through the juxtaposition of the underclass labourers in “the Depths”, a subterranean workers’ city while the aristocratic, wealthy industrialists “high in the heavens” rule over them tyrannically, symbolically representing the oppression of the inferior lower class. This notion parallels the social inequality in 1920s Germany where hyperinflation induced by the Weimar Republic’s poor economic management led to immense social disparity. Furthermore, the hedonistic behaviour of the upper class in the Golden 20s is epitomised in the privileged life of Freder, depicted by the extreme long shot of the “Eternal Gardens”. In contrast, the mise-en-scene coupled with the slow, uninspiring body language of the worker’s during shift change illustrates the lack of individuality within the working class. Thus, Lang skilfully allows the audience to empathise with the workers by highlighting this perspective, allowing for insight into how totalitarian regimes necessitate conformity as shaped by the