Similarities Between 1984 And Metropolis

I am writing to you to inform you about our new textbook entitles, Exploring Intertextual Perspectives: Ideas, Values and Attitudes. This textbook explores the different forms of totalitarianism including surveillance and total control. Throughout the texts Metropolis by Fritz Lang and 1984 by George Orwell. Totalitarianism is a political concept where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible. Loss of privacy is one of the main ideas that is conveyed in 1984 and Metropolis, as a form of surveillance set out by the totalitarianism government.

In 1984 totalitarianism was one of the events that were occurring to the government at that time after World War

metropolis was released in Germany which at the time was under the rule of the Weimar Republic, the metropolis is many ways reflects the tensions of the society. This is shown particularly through the dynamic between what the real Maria tries to accomplish and what the robot Maria attempts to do and the way that the workers react. Control throughout the film Metropolis is mostly shown by the workers as they have to walk into work in a certain way every day and they have no feelings almost like robots. The film techniques that are used in the film are long shots to show the works continually working lie machines. Fritz Lang has done this so that he can portray the control that their government has on their citizens. Metropolis highlighted the extreme divide between the working class and the upper rich under the dictatorship of Joh Fredersen. The high angled shot during the shift changing captured the two large assemblies of workers dressed in identical work uniforms, marching in a synchronised way and with also another close-up shot showing their expressionless faces, this allowed the workers to be venerable to anything and they had been told to do so. Following this, the psychological manipulation way mostly expressed through Freder as he soon resizes that he may have fallen in love with Maria but doesn’t know as he has been manipulated to having no feeling towards anyone or anything. The close-up shot showing the expression on Freder’s face showed that he didn’t know what to do, this had been a result of him being manipulated by Joh Fredersen and not ever having any feeling towards and thing. To conclude the film Metropolis shows psychological manipulation and control throughout as a result of Joh Fredersens “dictator” ways of controlling everything he