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Karl Marx's Influence in Films of the 1930's


While the conditions of the workers are far from ideal, there doesn't seem to be a call for revolution of any kind. Clair's use of music and singing also help create an ambiance of relative peace between labor and capital. The ending of À Nous la Liberté deviates from Marx's belief that change would come from the workers. The big change came from Louis, the capitalist, as he decided to give his factory to the workers.
             In contract to À Nous la Liberté , Metropolis carries Marx's themes throughout the entire movie. There is a clear divide between labor and capital, with no social mobility to speak of. The underground workers seem to be stuck in their position regardless of how hard they worked. Their existence is completely separated from the upper class. There is obvious animosity between the two groups, highlighted by Joh Fredersen telling his son that the workers were "In their proper place". Both sides behave in accordance with Marx's philosophy. The capitalists not only see the workers as robots or something less than human, they would prefer to have robots instead. Not only are robots easier to control due to their lack of an independent will or ideas, they would never get tired. This is reinforced within the movie by the actual robot created by Rotwang. Although he built it to remind him of a woman he lost, Joh Fredersen uses it to undermine the workers. Given time, Joh Fredersen would have mass produced the robots to eventually replace the workers. This exemplifies Marx's quote from Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts, "Since the worker has sunk to the level of a machine, he can be confronted by the machine as a competitor." .
             The ending of Metropolis deviates from Marxism due to its biblical references. There are particular references to the robot Maria being the "Whore of Babylon" to support this notion. After the destruction of the Heart Machine, robot Maria quietly escapes the workers and joins in a celebration at Yoshiwara with the upper class, where she tells them, "Let's all watch as the world goes to the devil".


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