In Metropolis Examined: German Expressionism in Film, get behind the camera and explore the roots of the film’s striking set design, its brilliant use of light and shadow, its hallucinatory characters, and its piercing social critiques. High and low, dark and light, nature and machine—enjoy interpreting these cinematic contrasts in this fascinating lecture on a fascinating film.
"Metropolis" Examined: German Expressionism in Film
Go behind the scenes of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and uncover how this masterpiece of German expressionism and science fiction transformed cinema forever.
01: "Metropolis" Examined: German Expressionism in Film
What does contemporary cinema owe to the world’s first feature length sci-fi movie, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis? Gain a greater appreciation for this bold, operatic masterpiece of German expressionism with a detailed look at its rebuttal of visual realism, its piercing social critiques, and its lasting influence on filmmakers like Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan.
7 min
Overview Course No. 200004
About
Eric R. Williams is a Professor of New Media Storytelling and Emerging Technologies at Ohio University, where he oversees the cinematic virtual reality arm of the Game Research and Immersive Design (GRID) Lab. He has written for American Movie Classics, Universal Studios, and Fox Interactive and has received the Best New Screenplay award from the Writers Guild of America, East. He has also written five books and three podcast series on storytelling in film, television, and new media.
