EPTFor instance, I think people usually admit their ignorance in term of painting and produce judgement that are more sensible because of that (even though the modern art debates happen), but the double status of cinema as a huge entertainment industry and as an art gives rise to an uneasy situation where everybody considers his opinion to be as valuable as any, which I don't believe is correct (yeah I'm elitist if you please, boohoo).
In this precise case, I don't feel like I am particularly qualified. Nevertheless, I love cinema and as said, I consider it as an art. That doesn't mean I only watch slovakian silent movies, I can enjoy blockbusters (some of them are well-made, and some contain genuinely great ideas), but I do consider Nolan a pretty bad filmaker or LoTR as an average movie at best. Anyway, I don't want to criticize films I don't like, I want to talk about films I love.
So, now that I made my position clear, I want to talk about one of my favourite director, the German Fritz Lang, and more specifically about two of his most well-known films, both from his German period : Metropolis and M. I have seen 2 other less well known film, which were excellent, but less groundbreaking and compelling in my opinion.
A bit of history first. Born in 1890, he started as a director in the 1920s. At that time, German cinema was flourishing, and one could argue that it was even more important than American cinema. Those film were mainly dark movies, about crime and horror, and heavily influenced by the Expressionist movement, which Lang was a part of. He fled Germany in 1934 (he was of Jewish ascension, and had to fear persectution, while his wife at the moment, Thea von Harbou, was a member of the NDSAP and would participate in nazi propaganda...). This date more or less marks the end of German cinema as it was, even though great movie will still be made there, after the unfortunate event that followed.
Metropolis
This 1927 movie is a silent black and white science fiction blockbuster. When I said German cinema was really huge in the 20s, I meant it : this was the costliest film ever made at the time. The decor were extremely impressive, and it contains around 35 000 extras.
It was lost for long, but the film is today almost complete again.
Onto the bad part : the scenario. Basically, lower classes are oppressed by the upper classes, but the son of the head of the city of Metropolis will discover the dramatic situation and aim at reconciliating the opposing classes. There's also a bit of Frankenstein mixed in, and a criticism of profit for profit, and human vanity, a bit more interesting, but overall, the scenario is a bit simplistic and a bit too influenced by Lang's wife, already interested by the nazi ideology (the idea of class collaboration here).
I think I'm being a bit heavy handed though, it really ain't that bad, but that's a pretty obvious weakness of the movie.
Now onto the good part : the film making. This film is a marvel to watch. Its esthetism is so influencial, that a lot of more modern "city of the future" are directly inspired by it. Here I'm thinking about the great Blade Runner (go watch it by the way, superb sci-fi movie and probably more accessible than Metropolis) and the not as good The Fifth Element (which I quite like though).
The city is superb, the machines are worrying and deshumanizing, and some special effects are simply incredible for the time. There are also some beautiful gothic settings.
This film pioneered the use of mirrors to get actors in small decor, a pretty cool idea if you ask me.
But what I like the most about this movie is the way Lang films the crowd, which is probably the true protagonnist of the movie.
It goes from obedient to revolted, scattered and terrified to united and terrifying. There's no other film I saw where it was quite like it, the 35 000 extras were well used indeed !
All in all, Metropolis is a pure pleasure for the eyes =)
M
One of my favourite movie =)
1931, first sound film shot by Lang starring the incredible Peter Lorre. A precurseur of film noir. An important story, about the hunt for a children killer, that terrifies a whole city, to the point that the local mafia itself decides to catch him, because the police is annoying them too much.
I don't want to tell the ending, but I'll say that it talks superbebly about justice, and that Lorre gives one of the best perfomance I've ever seen.
The film is probably less grounbreaking than Metropolis, but is still superbly shot. It is also very interesting as one of the first sound movie, because the acting still retains some of the aspect of silent movie (faces are extremely expressive, a lot is conveyed by the eyes...), which gives the movie a unique feel.
It still uses sound in a very beautiful manner, if you see this film, you'll probably remember it forever when hearing :
I'm a bit shorter on this movie, because I really hope to convince someone somewhere to watch it =) It really is an easy movie to watch, not a hipster art critic one, and the subject is more than compelling.
Next episode : Probably will talk about some French film from the 1930s =)
