Metropolis

Perhaps the greatest silent film of all time, Metropolis takes place in a dystopian future where the wealthy live a life of luxury above the clouds while the poor masses strive and toil underneath to support them. Until this point science fiction had hardly any influence on film which Metropolis changed forever. With pioneering special effects, powerful vision, and revolutionary achievements, it is easy to see why Metropolis remains as one of the all-time greats.

Production

Directed by Fritz Lang

Produced by Erich Pommer

Screenplay by Thea von Harbou, Fritz Lang (uncredited)

Based on Metropolis (1925 novel) by Thea von Harbou

Starring Alfred Abel, Brigitte Helm, Gustav Fröhlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge

Music by Gottfried Huppertz

Cinematography by Karl Freund, Günther Rittau

Production company: UFA

Distribution & Stats

Distributed by Parufamet

Release date: 10 January 1927

Running time: 153 minutes (original), 116 minutes (1927 edit), 105–107 minutes (1927 US),128 minutes (1927 UK), 118 minutes (Aug. 1927), 91 minutes (1936), 83 minutes (1984), 124 minutes (2001), 148 minutes (2010)

Country: Germany

Language: Silent film, German intertitles

Budget: 5.3 million Reichsmarks (estimated) (equivalent to 18 million 2009 €)

Box office: 75,000 Reichsmarks (estimated)