Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927)

Yesterday, I showed Metropolis to my History of Photography and Graphic Design students. I find it instructive in terms of seeing how film geniuses like Lang were being influenced by modern art movements; in this case, Art Deco, Futurism, Surrealism, and German Expressionism. The design of the sets and special effects as well as the cinematography are stellar as well. It's interesting to see the craft and skill that it took at such an early time in the history of cinema. If you haven't seen it, here is the French trailer for the DVD:



I have to agree with the person who posted the following clip on YouTube....It is one of my favorite scenes as well:



Another great film ahead of its time by Lang is the film M, in which Peter Lorre plays a compulsive child killer. The film was made in 1931--well before missing and exploited children were a major social cause. The end of the following opening clip is chilling in its sparseness in what it merely alludes to: