Viewing Metropolis

One of the film’s central themes is how technology affects the lives of both the upper and lower classes. The wealthy enjoy a life of luxury above, while the workers below are bound to a relentless cycle of repetitive tasks. In one powerful scene, we see a man searching for a woman named Maria. In his search, he stumbles upon a factory filled with workers operating a massive machine. Although the purpose of the machine remains unclear, the conditions of the workers are painfully visible. They move in unison, almost mechanically, appearing more like cogs in a machine than people. One worker, exhausted and struggling to pull levers in a precise rhythm, fails to relieve the machine’s pressure in time, resulting in an explosion. To our protagonist, the machine seems to morph into a monstrous entity devouring the workers, a visual metaphor for the dehumanizing effects of industrialization.

In another scene, we witness a scientist preparing to transfer the essence of Maria into a robot. With Maria strapped to a table and hooked up to an intricate machine, the scientist flips switches and turns knobs, initiating an intense sequence of electrical surges and bubbling beakers. As the experiment nears its climax, Maria’s face gradually appears on the robot. When the process completes, Maria lies lifeless on the table, while her robotic double opens its eyes. This suggests that for Maria and her lover, technology is the only means by which they can transcend the boundaries imposed by their dystopian society.