Considered by many to be the father of science fiction movies, this work was far ahead of its time. Due to political debate regarding the theme of the film, much of the original footage was cut and ultimately destroyed. The complete version was released to DVD after lost reels were found in an Argentinian museum in the early 2000s. Today, the film is almost 95% complete. I suppose if you can recover any scraps from history it can be considered a win.
If you can put your 1920s hat on, you’ll see a movie depicting robots and massive cityscapes. It was epic in scale. And how was it done? Mirrors. Stage tricks. Camera angles. Forced views. Translucent screens. Many of these effects influenced future films, notably Star Wars and Blade Runner. So, if you like these movies thank Fritz Lang.
Notes:
- And no, the picture isn’t from a movie. This metropolis is a rainy day in Paris.
- One can play around with similar movie techniques at home using simple glass.
