German Expressionism: Vol.1

The German Expression movement began before WWI and gained momentum in the 20’s and 30’s. It influenced architecture, painting and cinema. This movement gave surrealistic shape and structure to forms that reflect psychological states. This is evident in the extreme contrast of light and dark, the use of reflective surfaces and abstract optical tricks and even anthropomorphism.

Vol. 1 – Metropolis (1927) – This story takes place in a futuristic city in which the divide between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ could not be more stark. The working class is completely subservient to the city planners. Freder, the son of the city’s highest ranking planner falls in love with a Maria, a prophet from the underground workers. Maria strives to join the “hands” – the workers with the “head” – those who have the power. All she and the city needs is a mediator between the two, someone to act as a heart.

There is a reason that I wanted to start this new series after I finished with my last Neo-Noir of the 90’s series. And more specifically, I wanted to talk about this film after “Dark City”, my last entry into that series. As I mentioned, “Dark City” is very highly influenced by this film. In truth, the entire Noir movement as we know it from the American films of the 40’s and 50’s are highly influenced by the German Expressionism films from earlier in the century. In fact, some of the most highly respected filmmakers of the American Noir films were German directors that fled here when Hitler took control of the cinematic industry such as Robert Siodmak (“The Killers”), Billy Wilder (“Double Indemnity”) and the director of this film, Fritz Lang.

 This is definitely considered one of the quintessential films of the German Expressionism movement… and for good reason. The art direction and set design is a whole lot of things. Subtle is not one of them. In this story, Lang has constructed a future that is as oppressive aesthetically as it is thematically. The buildings and roads of the upper city stare down dauntingly with sharp corners and sharp eyes at the lower subjects. The cogs and wheels of the machinery in the lower depths do even more to oppress its inhabitants like an insolent child constantly demanding attention. The cinematography uses abstract angles accenting the structural weight of the set and the editing style bring a chaotic feel to some of the more surreal dreamlike scenes.

This has been one of my favorite films for a long time. A few years ago, a more complete version of the film was found in Buenos Aires with an additional 25 minutes of footage thought to have been lost forever. Kino released this version in 2010 as “The Complete Metropolis”. If you’ve never seen it, I suggest you watch this one. It’s currently available on NetflixWatch Instantly. Restorations like this make me very thankful to live in a time that an 85 year old piece of art can be preserved forever and is so easily accessible. This is a landmark film, not only for its movement but for the entirety of cinematic history and it’s a must watch for those who are interested in learning the complete back story of the films that move them today.

Enjoy.