Silent Sci-fi Comes Alive at the Drwm
Answer honestly, which group would you be? Are you a Worker or a Thinker? In the towering futuristic city of Metropolis, set in 2026, there is no middle ground. Above the clouds, in the lap of luxury, enjoying all the indulgences of wealth the Thinkers live. Their Eden-like existence contrasts with the anonymous masses of stoop-shoulder Workers below the city streets, enslaved by the shift whistle and Metropolis' ten-hour clock. Leading completely separate existences, all remains stable until one "thinker" dares visit the Underground...Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927) is the most famous and influential of all silent films and one of the first examples of a science-fiction feature. Lang is considered the founding father of the genre, a visionary ahead of his time. One critic noted "If you think "The Matrix" is cool, check out this one - and remember, Lang made it in 1927. Perhaps the most influential sci-fi movie ever made".
As such The National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales, at the Drwm, are hosting a screening of the film, as it was meant to be enjoyed, with live piano accompaniment. Paul Shallcross will be accompanying the film, and, as the original film score was lost, Paul will be composing the work himself. Mirroring one of the cornerstones of the science-fiction genre, this is a chance for the audience itself to time travel, to experience cinema as it would have been experienced when Metropolis was brought to life in the 1920s.
There are as many as five versions of the film. Lang's original German version no longer exists, lost in time, and therefore the Drwm will be screening the subsequent American silent version. There is even a 'musical' version of the film as 1980's director Giorgio Mororder set the film with contemporary music using artists like Bonnie Tyler and Freddie Mercury. Although many critics despised Mororder's version of Metropolis it was a proven success and introduced a new audience, a new generation of moviegoers to the film.
Lang skillfully portrays a robot-like society controlled by an evil controlling superindustrialist. Metropolis is a city where the people are either of the privileged elite, or of the repressed, impoverished masses. The workers run the machine, yet the machines run the lives of the workers. All is kept in equilibrium until the youthful Freder, the privileged son of the city's controller, delves into the Underground City, in search of a worker girl Maria, with whom he becomes infatuated. As Freder roams the Underground City, Lang's former architectural and artistic training becomes evident as lavish elaborate sets unfurl before us, showing zigzagged buildings exemplifying a bustling city.
Lang's vision has since been replicated in many contemporary science fiction films such as Ridley Scott's Bladerunner. Lang was ahead of his time; many of Metropolis' scenes have reached iconic status, like the creation of the evil robot Maria, one of the pinnacles of the silent movie era.
Notes:
- Silent Sunday: Sunday 26th September - Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927, A) 7.30pm
- Tickets: £5 / Box Office: 01970 632 548
- Press Contact: Llinos Medi Jones 01970 632 548