The sprawling dystopian city of Metropolis is populated by two distinct classes, with the working classes toiling slavishly in the bowels of the city to support the lifestyles of the elites, who live in the towering skyscrapers above.
When Freder, the pampered son of citymaster Joh Fredersen, becomes enchanted with a social activist, Maria, it leads him to uncover the truth about the stark inequalities of the lives of Metropolis’ inhabitants.
Meanwhile, deranged inventor Rotwang is building the Maschinenmensch, an android with which he intends to use to destroy the city.
Meeting a mixed critical reception on its release in 1927, Metropolis has gone on to become one of the most revered films of all time. Startlingly ambitious, its huge, modernist sets and gargantuan cast of extras would lead to an epic 170 day shoot, a spiralling budget and fired producers. Only finally restored to its full glory in 2010, it is described by Luis Buñuel as ‘a captivating symphony of movement’, and has gone on to influence a host of other masterpieces, from Blade Runner to Star Wars.