Lang and Orwell’s seminal texts both express their concerns of the imbalance of power in totalitarian regimes. In Fritz Lang’s German expressionist film Metropolis (1927) the totalitarian control is from the industry. Whereas, the novel 1984 (1948) by George Orwell focuses on the extremes of political power. The dystopian worlds Lang and Orwell create through a range of literary and film techniques though, differ in response to their respective contexts.
Both composers are critical the way totalitarian regimes suppress individuality to maintain power. In Metropolis, Lang’s dislike of unrestrained capitalists and their disregard for the masses is established in the subterranean city opening scenes. In a shift change the large mass of workers …show more content…
The proles, for instance let the government dictate their thoughts and Orwell’s use of the simile “they needed only to rise up and shake themselves like a horse shaking off flies” sums them up as just a mindless, rejected mass that lack self-sufficiency. Similarly, Parsons possesses a sort of “saving stupidity” thus is overlooked by the Party. Orwell employs personification, describing Parsons as an “eyeless creature with a quacking voice” to show his reliance on the state to dictate thoughts for them him. The verb ‘quacking’ implies that as a result of their acceptance of party values, the state gains psychological power and people become natural inferiors, viewed like animals. Orwell represents the ordinary portion of society and rejects the romantic belief that Lang portrays that the masses will rise up against the regime, showing that it is easy for people to put up with the horrors. The atmosphere of paranoia is also an effect for those who have the intellectual ability to recognise the deceptive claims made by the state. The metaphor “your worst enemy was your own nervous system” is indicative of Winston’s distrust in his own body and fear that some involuntary gesture will give him away. The effect of totalitarian regimes Orwell reflects, is the internal conflict it causes and the loss of individual
Both composers are critical the way totalitarian regimes suppress individuality to maintain power. In Metropolis, Lang’s dislike of unrestrained capitalists and their disregard for the masses is established in the subterranean city opening scenes. In a shift change the large mass of workers …show more content…
The proles, for instance let the government dictate their thoughts and Orwell’s use of the simile “they needed only to rise up and shake themselves like a horse shaking off flies” sums them up as just a mindless, rejected mass that lack self-sufficiency. Similarly, Parsons possesses a sort of “saving stupidity” thus is overlooked by the Party. Orwell employs personification, describing Parsons as an “eyeless creature with a quacking voice” to show his reliance on the state to dictate thoughts for them him. The verb ‘quacking’ implies that as a result of their acceptance of party values, the state gains psychological power and people become natural inferiors, viewed like animals. Orwell represents the ordinary portion of society and rejects the romantic belief that Lang portrays that the masses will rise up against the regime, showing that it is easy for people to put up with the horrors. The atmosphere of paranoia is also an effect for those who have the intellectual ability to recognise the deceptive claims made by the state. The metaphor “your worst enemy was your own nervous system” is indicative of Winston’s distrust in his own body and fear that some involuntary gesture will give him away. The effect of totalitarian regimes Orwell reflects, is the internal conflict it causes and the loss of individual