Metropolis

I need to explore more German cinema. So far the German films I have seen (e.g. Nosferatu, Der Architek) have shared a quality and rich texture which has fascinated me. I get the impression that Germans go for the look first and foremost, and then story is secondary and this held true for Metropolis. The production design was immense and I can well imagine that the inspiration for the world came way before any characters or story were created to populate that world. This is interesting because it conflicts with the basics we looked at with Zam, and have been taught by Richard, where Story comes first and style follows (something which I discovered Petra, our exchange classmate from the Czech Republic, disagrees with). I suppose this comes down to a fundamental contrast between the Americanised view of filmmaking and the more art-house stylistic method which is often seen in European cinema. In short, perhaps one is commercial and the other art? But I digress. Metropolis kept me wide-eyed and mildly entertained, though I did find myself laughing at moments which I’m certain were not intended to be funny, and all in all it was an innovative and inspiring visual feast. I am aware that most of my comment at this stage cannot merit more than mere speculation but I do intend to educate myself further if possible on German cinema in particular. My first step will be to watch another German film which has been recommended to me: Good Bye Lenin!