Metropolis
By Kit Macdonald
“The mediator between the head and the hands must be the heart.”
In a work full of famous moments, this line from Fritz Lang's Metropolis, now just two years away from its hundredth birthday, is one of the most notable and sums up in a few words the film's call for unity and empathy. Set in a futuristic dystopia, the film hinges on the stark divide between rich and poor,, with the former living in luxury above ground and the latter toiling below. Freder, the son of the city’s ruler, discovers the harsh conditions the workers endure and eventually meets Maria, a compassionate leader among the workers, and together they try to bridge the gap between the classes.
As the great Roger Ebert put it: "Metropolis is one of the great achievements of the silent era, a work so audacious in its vision and so angry in its message that it is, if anything, more powerful today than when it was made."