Metropolis

Being the first silent film I have ever seen in black and white, Metropolis was quite clear in distinguishing the barriers and differences between the working class (the hands) and the elite/wealthy (the head). I found it interesting that the city of Metropolis was divided into two parts: the city above ground where the elite lived, and the city below ground where the workers lived. In a sense, this metaphorically represents the connection between the working class and the high position jobs of CEO's in real life. It often occurs that there is little communication between the two, and the film portrays that the lack of communication obviously creates problems between the classes. In the film, Maria, one of the worker’s daughter, portrays peace and innocence throughout the film. She seeks to find a mediator (the heart) between the workers and the elite of Metropolis, and this where Freda Frederson comes in. Freda, the son of John Frederson (Master of Metropolis), falls in love with Maria and in the end he helps Maria achieve a better balance of communication between the head and the hands. Ultimately, the moral of the story is that communication is key for everyone. And I have to say that the ending definitely got a chuckle or two out of me, partly due because of how the film portrayed the workers as complete idiots during the entire revolt, but once the classes came to an agreement the worker and John Frederson shake hands and the screen showed a sudden "THE END". Definitely the old fashioned way of ending a film.