Topic > Intertextual Perspectives in Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" and George Orwell's "1984"

In a modernistic age, we assume that human freedoms and fundamental rights are uninhibited and that social structure is built to create order and peace. Fritz Lang's Metropolis outlines the futility of riots and the use of force to solve a problem within the system, as well as the need to come together and address the problem at its root. While George Orwell's 1984 focuses on preventing a totalitarian and fascist system from taking power and its invasion of human freedoms. Although their context and implementation of perspectives are very different, both Lang and Orwell explore the flaws found within social constructs while convincing their contextual audiences to become aware of the problems they produce. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In an age of capitalist machines, Fritz Lang's Metropolis reflects manipulation and control at the top, through the employment of social constructs. In the opening scenes of Lang's Metropolis, the clock and siren symbolized the surveillance system and the systematic flow within the city, where as soon as the clock struck ten, the proletarians organized themselves for the shift change. This scene contrasts with Lang's contextual setting during the Weimar Republic, where riots, anxiety, and dissatisfaction plagued Germany. After this scene, we could see the workers moving together synchronously, staring at the ground as they trudged inside the tunnel. This entire shot reflects the loss of their sensitivity and unique individuality as they learn to discipline themselves and behave in the expected way. Although Metropolis reflects an entirely different realm than the contextual period of the Weimer Republic, Lang emphasizes the importance of human emotions but also emphasizes the need for law and order. The exclamatory language “Kill them - the machines -!!” reflects how proletarians are blinded by social constructs as they are embedded in their lives. By creating an inversion of his environment, Lang attempts to persuade and connect with his audience to make clear that the problems created by the system cannot be solved by force but must be addressed through social constructs. Similar to Lang's Metropolis, Orwell's dystopian film 1984 reflects the transience of happiness and freedom in its characters to provoke fear into the inner machinations of the contextual audience. The juxtaposition “If you loved someone, you loved them, and when you had nothing else to give, you still gave them love” highlights the passion Winston once had, as a confrontation with a totalitarian regime strips away his humanity. The repetition of “love,” being a universal emotion, allows the audience to connect with Winston as they experience his perspective. Orwell's experience and vision of the Spanish Civil War is recreated through the nightmarish atrocities committed by the Party and its regime as they establish absolute control and authority over the masses. The hyperbole “every sound you made was heard and, except in the dark, every movement was carefully scrutinized” induces a sense of permanent visibility and control by the totalitarian government. This institution of supervision limits action and deteriorates someone's mental strength, privacy without freedom is nothing but an illusion. The metaphysical paradox “until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until they have rebelled they cannot become conscious” underlines the futility of rebellion since totalitarian government control is fine.