Essay on Metropis by Fritz Lang and Modern Times by...

Discuss Fritz Langs Metropolis and Charlie Chaplins Modern Times Very few movies portray the relationship between the government and civilian masses during trying moments such as Fritz Langs â€Å"Metropolis†, and Charlie Chaplins â€Å"Modern Times†. These are two critically acclaimed films made in the late 1920’s and mid 1930’s. The time period captured is the great depression, and examine the role of the governing authorities in relation to those governed. â€Å"Metropolis† simply passes as one of the original science fiction movies in the world, and it has vivid imagery in it. Its’ main themes revolve around cultural exploitation and political issues facing the citizenry. It is set in Germany and tells the story of a metropolis where there are†¦show more content†¦It concentrates on the effects of know-how on the society and how human beings are living side by side with them. They effects of mechanization are evident from the opening scene of this film where workers are being monitored by machines in a factory lending credence to his view of human enslavement by technology. At the time of making the film, America was going through high unemployment rates, and corporate downfall as a result of the great depression. Hence, the idea of saving money and time so as to amass huge profits came up hence the introduction of machines to work on behalf of humans. Many film critics have argued that these two films resemble each other even though they were produced almost a decade apart. Both are about the suffering of the ordinary person in the hands of a ruthless upper-class. The ordinary man is seeking to live in a normal environment where there are no controls, and work is not mechanized. They all talk about a future where machines take over from human beings and do all the work. The machines even subdue the humans. In both films machines are at the centre of businesses as they make work easier, and increase profits for the elite. Governments in a capitalistic society do not control businesses. Furthermore, in both films the government is unable to take care of the masses as the elitist control all the resources available. In â€Å"Metropolis†, it represents a capitalistic society where only those with the means