METROPOLIS

„Metropolis” (1927), dir. F.Lang
Time: 91 min

Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionist science fiction film directed by Fritz Lang. The screenplay was written by Fritz Lang and Thea von Harbou, whose novel Metropolis, published in 1926, was primarily written for the film. The monumental work presents a dystopian vision of the city of the future, whose society is divided into two castes: a narrow and privileged group of intellectuals (reason, brains) and the workers who keep the city alive (hands) living in underground settlements.
Upon its premiere in Germany, the film evoked mixed feelings among critics. The public appreciated the visuals, but drew attention to the naive story. The film was not a big success, which, combined with the huge budget (the most expensive German production of the time), brought the UFA label to the brink of bankruptcy. Criticism and censorship requirements forced the filmmakers to remove about half an hour of footage, mainly scenes related to the occult, and the fate of side characters with less impact on the plot. The original film was destroyed, while the lost material was only found 80 years later in Buenos Aires, in very poor condition. The copy was made on 16mm film, smaller than the original, so that parts of the image on the left and top of the frame were cut off. The completed version premiered on 12 February 2010, during the 60th Berlinale
The message of the film, mentioned in the board at the beginning and at the end, is the words: Between reason and hands there must be a heart(original: Mittler zwischen Hirn und Händen muss das Herz sein).
Source: Wikipedia