Apocalyptic Visions in Fritz Lang's Metropolis
Berlin, stop and think! You are dancing with death . Poster, Berlin, 1920s. This book is not of today or of the future. It tells of no place. It serves no cause, party or class. It has a moral which grows on the pillar of understanding: "The mediator between brains and muscle must be the Heart." Thea von Harbou, 1926 Abstract : The biblical book of Revelations - commonly known as the Apocalypse , or the Revelations of Saint John - is revealed as a significant source for scenarist Thea von Harbou and director Fritz Lang in developing the narrative structure and pictorial themes of their 1927 silent film Metropolis . An analysis of the film and accompanying novelisation is undertaken to identify biblical elements included in the director's original cut of November 1926. It is revealed that subsequent editing by an American team under the direction of scriptwriter Channing Pollock largely excised this material from the version placed on general release wo...