Fritz Lang was a visionary German director who established many science fiction tropes with his silent masterpiece Metropolis (1927). From a technologically advanced but nightmarish future to mad scientists and the first robot in a feature, Metropolis has influenced so much of what we see on-screen today. At two hours and 33 minutes, it was also one of the longest films ever made at the time. Critics were sceptical at first, but it’s now considered groundbreaking, particularly for its production design and costumes. Those two elements have inspired C-3PO in Star Wars, Kylie Minogue’s robotic stage costumes and the futuristic city in Blade Runner. If that wasn’t enough, Lang’s seminal crime drama M (1931) was an early progenitor of psychological thrillers and serial killer films.
Conversation with Fritz Lang by William Friedkin. Video via YouTube.
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Collection
In ACMI's collection
On display until
16 February 2031
ACMI: Gallery 1
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
P180327
Curatorial section
The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Pictures → MI-04. Materiality → MI-04-C01
Object Types
2D Object
Exhibition Prop
Photographic print/Pictorial
Materials
graphic