Metropolis Questions (Film Studies)

1. You have the workers city and the rich people’s city. In the workers underground world they are very strict about working. Everyone goes in at one time, and leaves at another time. They all give their lives for the machine. In the rich people’s city, it is almost a haven. It is a paradise compared to the world of the workers. All the elite just enjoy their day having fun and playing games.

2.The real Maria wants peace in the city. She saves the children. The robot Maria wants chaos. She causes destruction and especially makes men desire her.

3. Freder is the mediator between the two cities. Also, when he was in the workers city, he saved the workers children. When he was in the church underground, the statues were actually asking who will be the savior, and the light landed on Freder.

4. The children represent the weak and the powerless. I think the movie could have not been as easily and successfully filmed without their presence. They just seem to be a younger, weak, powerless class and this makes real Maria look pure. They also represent the upcoming worker class.

5. Rotwang is the inventor who creates a robot after his dead wife Hel, who left him for Johhan Fredersen. His house is right in the middle of Metropolis and has a very rough exterior. Its design contrasts with the futuristic design of the city. Also, in his basement, he has a trap door that leads to catacombs. His relationship with Johhan Fredersen is one of revenge but Fredersen has no clue. He believes that the robot of Hel is working in his favor, while in fact Rotwang is going to get revenge on Ferdersen.

6. With the special effects they used in the 1920’s is spectacular at the time. Now, science fiction movies mirror that idea, and use lots of special effects in their films. The image of the city is used in many films, Batman for example. Also, the robot Hel looks very similar to C3PO in Star Wars. The use of the catacombs is seen very similarly in many horror and science fiction movies. Or even the idea of being trapped or in a maze.