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Metropolis


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General Information:
Year Released: 1926
Country: Germany
Director: Fritz Lang
URL: http://downloads.xoom.com/view.xihtml?MOVIE=Metropls.rm
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0017136
Literary Source: Thea von Harbou, Metropolis

Poster from the film.

The style and ideas of Metropolis were highly influential on science fiction films that came after it, especially the stylized underground city of the workers and the evil robot. Although it is highly unrealistic at times (the machines that run the overground city would hardly require the amount of physical labor put in by the underlings), it is both entertaining and successfully communicates its .

The Promise of Science: Robots

The creation in Metropolis is also an abomination, but not in the Frankenstein sense. The aristocracy creates it as a tool to further their own oppressive goals, and it is evil, as its designer intended it to be. Made in the image of the leader of the worker rebels, it is created and programmed to discredit the woman it emulates.


Movie poster from Metropolis, featuring the robot impersonator.

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. erika . erika+sf@monkey.org .
. last modified: Jul 20, 2000 .