Close Analysis Of A Key Scene In 'Metropolis'

ETERNAL GARDENS SCENE AND THE INTRODUCTION OF MARIA

Engrossed in a sexualised pursuit of suggested prostitutes, the young, privileged Freder provides an obvious contrast to the previously introduced, mechanical workers for spectators during the 'Eternal Garden' scene of Fritz Lang's 1927 Metropolis. 

Dressed in white and fine fabrics, Freder prances around the Eternal Gardens with a slight predatory manner due to his hunched body language as he peruses a young, lady dressed scantily in eccentric, modern clothing to attract Freder like a magpie. The Garden itself is bright, open, with glittering fountains, artificial trees and elegant women waltzing slowly around dripping in jewels, as if to display themselves like sculptures on a podium. The women are viewed strongly with Laura Mulvey's 'Male Gaze' theory, as the women are positioned on screen for the pleasure of male viewers, the previous shots of them moving in a slow circle for a conductor as he paints them like objects, stresses to audiences to sexual nature of the women, the fact that they are objects to be lusted after and that their individual nature (like the workers) has been eroded in service for capitalism. 

Lang additionally uses an establishing shot of the gardens with a slight high angle to introduce spectators to the scene whilst additionally suggest the corruption and moral decay that has infested the place, adding to the irony as there is a clear parallel to the Biblical Garden Of Eden (one of the first allusions to the strong religious themes that run through the epic and also the opening of the discussion surrounding 'the utopia' and whether this immoral, yet aesthetically beautiful place, could be considered that). Lang also uses a slide fade around the edge of the screen to suggest it all to be dream-like, far from the hard-focus reality of the workers.

Clearly, initially in the scene Freder is positioned as a young, careless man with little concern (or perhaps knowledge) of the cruel oppression faced by the huge number of workers who have been alienated from their identities and arguably become part of the modern, industrial machines they spend so long working on. Freder is far more concerned with the attraction of the artificial young ladies placed in the Garden for his pleasure, linking to the theme of inequality and class in the film, as Freder is not concerned with either but over the course of the film will become educated and seek to change the inequalities concerning class.

The contrast between Freder and the workers through The Eternal Gardens scene parallels Claude Levi-Strauss' theory of 'binary oppositions' such as space vs. enclosure, freedom vs captivity, bright vs. dark, individual vs. collective. The scene gives spectators the opportunity to truly see the stark, unsettling dialectics between the two worlds and naturally, as the spectators positions with the workers, take a disliking to Freder who (perhaps without being truly conscious of it) is contributing to the taking away of humanity from the workers.

Meanwhile the depiction of gender is especially interesting, Freder obviously takes a dominant, predatory position against the women, and when he finally finishes playing a somewhat immature 'chase' game he is seen to lean over the prostitute in an intense medium-close up, his head titled towards the camera so the spectators focus remains on him and not on the woman whose face is mostly covered by an eccentric hat. The body language between the two characters suggests his power and her submission, she looks longingly towards him and with a greedy smile he returns the gesture. The woman is even seen to refuse his advances and spectators are able to see Freder whisper something and pull her closer, a series of actions flooded with negative connotations. The artificial nature of the interaction between Freder and the woman and the presentation of the women earlier provide a further contrast between the nature that surrounds them and the unnatural circumstances that have been constructed.

For spectators at the time of release this would not have been an uncommon image as culturally men were seen to be dominant in all aspects of life, whereas a modern spectator questions the morals behind the actions and perhaps takes an even stronger disliking to Freder.

Suddenly, this corrupt, uncomfortable setting in infiltrated by swelling, angelic music and the cutting to doors opening slowly, spectators are eager to see what has interrupted the immoral exchange between Freder and the woman and what has caught his attention so strongly yet Lang resists giving little more than a wide shot, keeping the figures distant to engage spectators and provide more visual interest as it contrasts with the medium close ups of Freder. Tentatively, Freder pushes away the woman to stare longingly at what appears to be a young woman surrounded by young children clothed in rags without shoes to depict their poverty. Lang uses vignetting around the lens to establish Maria as an important character whilst it also gives her a dream-like, angelic quality. Maria moves very little during the sequence, staring almost directly down the camera and rarely blinking, intoxicating spectators and Freder alike whilst the children move around her, pointing inquisitively at their surroundings - once again her angelic nature is depicted through her stillness.

The cross-cutting between Maria and Freder establishes some kind of connection between the characters and the increasing movement closer between the two characters each time there is a cut suggests an intensity to it. However whilst the cross-cutting occurs the framing of Freder is invaded by multiple more prostitutes, again offering a contrast to spectators between Freder and the multiple women dressed wildly, and Maria dressed plainly with less makeup, surrounded by innocent children, constructing her as a motherly figure and clear educator (foreshadowing her role as teacher later). Furthermore the shock of the arrival of Maria, stealing the attention of all those present in the Garden, illuminates to audiences her importance.

Freder's pushing away of the prostitute signals to spectators the emotional, moral change within him, there is a snarl of distaste on his lips as she continues to hold onto his shoulder, desperately seeking attention and affection. The gesture depicts the spectators the possibility of moral redemption for Freder, constructing him now, perhaps, as a character of hope, perhaps he will change in multiple ways.

An intense close-up of Maria's angelic, innocent face is then used which then cuts to Freder who is now grasping his heart, suggesting romantic potential to audiences. 

A binary opposition of love vs. lust used again here and in terms of Joseph Campbell's 'Hero's Journey' theory, Freder now understands his quest - to find Maria. Campbell refers to this moment as the 'call to adventure' where the hero begins in a mundane situation - their normality - when information is received that acts as a call to head off into the unknown. For Freder the presence of Maria and the children act as this new information, this moment of realisation, and the unknown parallels the 'depths' and worker's city where Freder must now travel in search of the beautiful, mysterious, angelic Maria.