CLASSIC FILM CHOICE

Metropolis (1927) PG Monday, 12.55am, Film4 Fritz Lang’s silent classic epitomises the director’s flair for bridging the gap between German expressionist cinema and popular entertainment, which he would later bring to Hollywood film noir. In a future city of vertiginous scale, conditions for workers are brutal while the upper classes live in luxury. A woman stirs the workers into revolt, but her image is appropriated in robotic form (above, right, with Rudolf Klein-Rogge as ‘her’ inventor) in an effort to restore order. The film didn’t immediately win over critics. H.G. Wells even called it ‘bunkum’, claiming it ripped off one of his stories. While that may be true, Metropolis was the first time a film had explored futuristic city life – plus the tension between workers and rulers, man and machine – with such ambition and artistry. Its influence lives on in many sci-fi films, from Blade Runner to Elysium. SA