PROPAGANDA IN

METROPOLIS

BY TING, SANDY AND LIV

 INTRODUCTION
Metropolis was produced in 1927, and is a German Expressionist
science-fiction film dir. Fritz Lang.

Propaganda - is the spreading of information in support of a

cause. It’s not so important whether the information is true or
false or if the cause is just or not — it’s all propaganda
Agitprop - appears to be art but is actually political
propaganda. A movie that embraces an extreme political
position could be called agitprop.
COMMUNIST PROPAGANDA
■ Communist propaganda can represented in the film by the divide of
the two cities and the struggle between the working class and the
rulers.
■ This is also reflected in the male characters of the film. The working
men are presented with their heads drooping and having a zombie
style walk, which also shows their sense of unhappiness and dread. Figure 1 – Metropolis ( 1927)
However, the citizens of the above city are presented a lot more
prestigious especially their ruler, Jon Fredersen. These characters are
the typical representations of the divide between the two classes in
Germany during the 1920s.
■ Fredersen’s emotions and attitude gives him the reputation that he
is unreliable, as the common fascist belief claimed that intelligence
within society can not be trusted. Therefore, only when the two
characters display emotion to one other, are they able to create this
‘volkgemeinschaft’ (people’s community) .
Figure 2– Metropolis (1927)
NARRATIVE PROPAGANDA
■ “There, capitalist social
relations — the gaping maw
of the factory; the literally
subterranean slums where
the workers live; the
mansions and gardens of the
ruling class — are
nightmarish and, somewhat
paradoxically, beautiful ”
(Scott,2008)
Figure 3. A poster of the film Metropolis (1927)
“The boiler room, where the machines
run, is massive, billowing steam and
continuously running, as if to
emphasise the monotony of the
workers’ existence. Notice carefully and
the machine takes on the form of a wide Figure 4. Heart Machine 1 (2012)

open, monstrous face, like a gigantic

evil demon presiding over the
robotic activity. In a supreme twist of
irony, it is called the Heart Machine”
(Bhatia,2017)
Figure 5. Heart Machine 2 (2012)
NAZI PROPAGANDA
■ Metropolis contains elements that would go along with the pro-worker yet anti-
communist message of the Nazi Party. Meaning that the Nazis were socialists
and primarily anti-Semitic. This would go hand in hand with Metropolis’ message
concerning the Head and the Hands working together, mediated by the Heart,
rather than the Head controlling and abusing its power over the Hands or the
Hands trying to tear off the Head.

■ When Freder desires to argue on the workers’ behalf, he must go to his father:
there is no other man he can appeal to. Rotwang, even though Fredersen is the
one who took from him the woman he loved, is still compelled to work for him
and do as he says, only daring to conspire against him in secret.
■ The notion of the Herrnvolk, one of the principles of Nazi ideology is completely
absent from the film, which, though it clearly possesses an entirely white
audience, never attempts to bring ideas of race or nationality into the mix when
spreading its message of general equality and cooperation between the social Figure 6 – Workers, Metropolis (1927)
classes.

■ The Nazi concept of Utopia was built upon the notion of the ‘war’ with the Jews
being ‘won’ and Germany thus being a Jew-free nation, a nation free of the
‘corrupting influence’.
CONCLUSION

■ The characters within the film, represent how the classes were divided during the
1920’s and represent German Communist Propaganda.
■ The narrative and use of set design of the film reflects the society and attitudes
towards Nazism and divide of class also.
■ The Head and Hands concept shows people’s emotions and how it is in contrast to
the Nazi’s belief of power.
 Illustration List:
Introduction Poster: N/A. (N/A). Metropolis. Available: https://www.allposters.com.au/-sp/Metropolis-posters_i7619195_.htm.
Last accessed 27th September 2018.\
Figure 1: Metropolis (1927) [image] https://www.rawstory.com/2015/08/jeff-bezos-denials-about-exploitation-at-amazon-sound-
like-libertarian-sociopathic-ceo-speak/
Figure 2: Metropolis (1927) [image] https://chimaeraspeaks.wordpress.com/2010/12/05/review-metropolis/
Figure 3: A poster of the film Metropolis (1927)[Poster] At: https://thewire.in/film/ninety-
years-fritz-langs-metropolis-still-power-unnerve (Accessed on 26 September 2018)
Figure 4: Heart Machine 1 (2012)[Screen Cut] At:
https://abbieplouff.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/why-you-should-watch-metropolis (Accessed
on 27 September 2018)
Figure 5: Heart Machine 2 (2012)[Screen Cut] At:
https://thefilmcricket.wordpress.com/2012/03/08/top-10-intertitles/ (Accessed on 27
September 2018)
Figure 6: Workers 1 (N/A) At:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Tg2NDh71eis/TEcqXxkL_FI/AAAAAAAAAK8/yvJOGqYH0Jk/s400/metropolis1.jpg
Bibliography:
Definitions: N/A. (N/A). Propaganda definition . Available: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/propaganda. Last accessed 27th September 2018.

COMMUNIST:

N/A. (2013). Is the film Metropolis of the German culture during the 1920's. Available: https://ufilmanalysisfall13.wordpress.com/2013/09/05/is-the-film-
metropolis-a-reflection-of-the-german-culture-during-the-1920s/. Last accessed 27th September 2018.

NARRATIVE:

Bhatia Sidharth. (2017). Ninety Years on, Fritz Lang's Dystopic 'Metropolis' Still Has the Power to Unnerve. Available: https://thewire.in/film/ninety-years-
fritz-langs-metropolis-still-power-unnerve. Last accessed 26th Sep 2018.

Scott, A.O. (2008). “Metropolis Now” In: The New York Time Magazine 08.06.2008 [online] At:
https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/magazine/08wwln-lede-t.html (Accessed on 27th September 2018)

NAZI PROPAGANDA:

Teater, Emily. “Volksgemeinschaft: The Rise of Nazi Ideology .” Undergraduate History Symposium. Bowling Green State University, March 26, 2012.

Goebbels, Joseph. (1944). “The Jew as World Parasite.”. Available: http://research.calvin.edu/german-propaganda-archive/weltparasit.htm.. Last accessed
27th September 2018.

MacGregor, Robert R. (2001). The Avenging Sword: An Analysis of Technology in Nazi Germany.. Available:
http://drbobguy.freeshell.org/papers/sword/sword.shtml.. Last accessed 27th September 2018.