Directed by Fritz Lang, the silent film Metropolis (1927) served and still continues to serve as an inspiration to many successful filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers alike. The techniques and editing skills used for this film pretty much lead to the development of the skills and techniques used today. Other notable people who helped make this film a success include Lang’s wife, Thea Von Harbou as the screenwriter and author of the book, Metropolis, Karl Freund and Günther Rittau as the cinematographers, Otto Hunte, Erich Kettlehunt and Karl Volbrecht for their remarkable set design, Gottfried Huppertz for the music, and Walter Schultze- Mittendorf as the sculptor. The major characters in this film include Alfred Abel as Joh Fredersen, Gustav …show more content…
Parallel editing was present in the film wherein it was edited in a way that two scenes were alternating to make it appear that they were happening simultaneously (Lorber, 2010). High and low angled shots were also present, and panoramic shots as well. The editing that I liked the most was in the scene when The Machine Man was made to look like Maria. The surge of electricity in this particular scene and the orbits going up and down The Machine Man was what amazed me. It is shocking that in order for this to happen, the people responsible for editing had to film this frame by frame so imagine the hours, days, weeks or even months that were put into this particular scene. I would also like to commend the background music used in the film, for it was appropriate for the scenes.
Another thing that caught my attention was how the title cards were arranged at the start of the film when they were talking about how life was in both Metropolis and in Worker’s City. When the title cards were explaining the latter, the words looked like they were descending while when it was about Metropolis, the sentences formed an arrow pointing up. It’s not much, but I found it very clever for some sort of signs to be present (Dirks,
For example, what I found very different from the play was that when the interviewer asked:”What would you say to Mckinney if you see him again?” and the reaction of people was obvious, they were angry and saying that “I would definitely shake him, and ask him why would you do that!”. Through the layering of different scenes, it created more of a tense mood and strong emotions because we can see the reactions being put together instead of one after one. The directing of the movie was impressive, especially the scene where Aaron Kreifels talked to Amanda about how he found out that Matthew’s body was against the fence.
3. Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927) Metropolis is an important example of German Expressionism and of early science fiction. A great inquiry on future of humanity, a critique of society, a prominent dystopian film. Fritz Lang’s remarkable work has dazzlingly designed sets, costumes and unpredictable characters.
Fritz Lang’s M is a combination of a social film and a murder mystery—directed in 1931, in the midst of the Nazi movement’s takeover of German goverment, the film chronicles the public’s congregation to catch an infamous serial killer. Beckert, the child murder himself is presented to the audience several times throughout the film; he is shown to be involved with a constant internal struggle between allowing the darkest parts of his mind to overcome him and remaining sane. However, this film is, in some respects, making a statement less about murder and more about society at the time in which the film was released. More specifically, the film warns against and even mocks the competency and ability of the police to perform their jobs. There is a scene within the film involving an organization of beggars with the common goal of catching the child murderer.
Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionistic science fiction film, directed by Fritz Lang. Much of the plot is established following influences of the first world war, and the culture of the Weimar Republic in Germany. Although criticised for its allusions to communism in the resolution of the film, Lang explores mostly themes of industrialisation and mass production, which, coincidentally, were two developments that provided a large influence in the First World War. Lang also explores themes of the Weimer view of American modernity, communism and fascist rule. Politically, this film was shot after WWI, meaning many of its influences were extracted from the horrors of the First World War.
Ruttman, in contrast with Vertov’s political motivations, was more motivated by the aesthetic value of filmmaking in capturing the spirit of a city, stating that “since [he] began in the cinema, [he] had the idea of making something out of life, of creating a symphonic film out of the millions of energies that comprise the life of a big city”¹. While Ruttman’s enamorement focused solely on
It brought in great interviews, whether they were that of townspeople or official representatives, the interviews were solid and differed enough to make each one stand on it's own. The filmmakers found a way to follow the narrative with it's statistics and interviews blending in a way to keep my attention without me wanting to shoot myself in the face due to boredom, which is great. The way ethos, pathos, and logos weaved together for the end product was certainly admirable. I wasn't concerned with the issue at all when going into the interview, but if I'm going to be honest, I still don’t really care. I understand the issues and what they're doing to both the world and it's inhabitants, but I think bottled anything has become so integrated into society.
This essay will discuss the uses, strategies and the meanings that are generated by editing in cinema. The films that this essay will be focusing on are Psycho and Singin’ in the Rain. Both of these films are very different to each other and therefore use editing in varying ways in order to give the audience a different perception of the characters as well as the setting that these characters are involved in. Psycho focuses on building suspense for the audience throughout the film using editing, camera work and sound. This essay will be primarily focusing on editing with the discussion of camerawork where relevant.
During the 1920s, American society began to adopt values that threatened the traditional values that remained from the 1800s. Many of these changes were a direct result of the youth culture of the time and how their uncertainty of who they were helped contribute to these changes in values. Throughout the decade, the struggle between modern and anti-modern values was exemplified in literature, drama and silent film of the American culture. “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” represents the conflicting modernist and anti-modernist sentiments of the time through its use of cinematography and characterization. “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans”, the 1927 film by F.W. Murnau, is a shining example of the struggle between modern and anti-modern values that
Over the fifteen weeks of the first semester of film school, we were taught many interesting types and styles of early world cinema which were extremely informative and influenced the filmmaking style of the whole class and made us better filmmakers instantly. One such ‘ism’ which inspired me the most was German Expressionism which is a unique characteristic of Weimar Cinema. In this essay I am going to talk about the history of this ‘ism’, its impact on cinema, some significant works and how it inspired me and influenced my filmmaking style. German Expressionism is one of the earliest artistic genres to influence filmmaking, and one that ostensibly prepared for some other cutting edge artistic styles and techniques. It is an artistic genre
The editing here is reminiscent of Russian montage editing and creates a panicked feeling in the audience. The second edit I will look at is when ray drives out to a field and buries Ray alive which through the use of editing becomes one of the most suspenseful moments in the movie due to the shorts being much more drawn out. The camera also switches between being at Marty’s perspective and Rays perspective. The final edit
Citizen Kane by Orson Welles is a cinematic classic, released in 1941. Citizen Kane challenged traditional narrative and technical elements of classic Hollywood cinema. Kane was narrated by several people that include their take on Kane’s life. The story unfolds by many flashbacks and is told by different perspectives over the years through different narrations. Charles Foster Kane was a millionaire, head of newspapers and died saying “rosebud”.
Two films, although created years apart yet have a lot in common, including their content of it’s narrative techniques. Both films, even though black and white with strokes of genius of cinema offer a vast stretch for study. I will be looking at Sir Orson Welles “Citizen Kane” (1941) and Akira Kurosawa’s “Rashomon” (1950). We see in Citizen Kane he values for the American life. The three abstract themes that constantly follow through Citizen Kane are Wealth, Power and Love.
Baz Luhrmann is known world wide for his eccentric and flamboyant film-making style. Luhrmann’s signature bright colours, fast-paced camera-cuts and zooms, and bold costumes are all key characteristics of his films and assist Luhrmann in putting forward the themes and motifs he regards as essential in each of his works. However, Luhrmann still receives much criticism for not staying true to the original source material of the stories he introduces to the big screen. One fails to realize the fact that, “Luhrmann’s films are not so much adaptations as re-imaginings” (Vogue Magazine) and through analysis of his various techniques, as well as his overall cinematic language in his films, “Strictly Ballroom” (1992), “Romeo + Juliet” (1996) and “The Great Gatsby”, one can see this clearly, through Luhrmann’s evolution as a director. Luhrmann makes his films his own from the start, the opening scenes of all three of these films implement post-modern techniques which instantly informs the audience that they are entering into Luhrmann’s
The film Metropolis ends with the Foreman and Joh Fredersen shaking hands and making peace, after a clash between capitalists and workers. However, that ending doesn't lead us to a clear conclusion and leaves many questions unanswered. This paper seeks to analyze if this peace is a rational one and if the end of the movie is a moment of totalitarianism. Metropolis is an indicative film of class and social issues. It is based on Marx’s class analysis, with the bourgeoisies at the top of the economic hierarchy, managers in the middle and workers at the bottom of the financial scale.
Baz Luhrmanns contribution to the art of film, brings about a flamboyant and revitalizing side to the industry. Through the use of cinematic language, his story telling techniques and belief in the theatrical cinema come to life. Baz Luhrmann has a very distinctive directing approach with particular techniques that define his style. He presents his films as if he were telling a story, which he invites you into. His stories are simple and he tends to give away the ending at the beginning of the film, which intrigues you to find out more about what had taken place.