George Orwell’s Nineteen-Eighty-Four (1984) goes beyond simplistic tropes of science fiction to give a presentation of the future that is dominated by cynical fatalism. Orwell’s pensive approach to human potential has been shaped by his own contextual issues, and questions our ability to maintain functioning society without a descent into the kind of oligarchy that he represents. Conversely, Fritz Lang’s iconic 1927 sci-fi film Metropolis adopts an approach marked by the presence of idealism despite a defeated populace. In this way, Metropolis does not conform to a stencil of a typical dystopia that is often applied to both texts.
In 1984, Orwell makes clever use of Juvenalian satire to make a biting political statement regarding autocratic ideologies in his own …show more content…
For instance, the oppressed working class of Metropolis appears visually similar to 1984’s outer party, with the “blue overalls” common between both texts, acting as a symbol of lower-class conformity born out of a shared industrial context. The parallels similarly extend to the outlook of the populations as well. The robotic and collective movements of Metropolis’ workers between shifts emphasize their lack of individuality. Moreover, their marching in time with the film-score together with high-angle camera shots in the opening scene suggests that they are under the influence of a higher power. This controlled attitude is shared in 1984 by Winston’s obedient compatriots, whom Winston sees as “devoted drudges” to the Stalin-esque Big Brother, symbolically visually dominant in the text, acting in both texts as a criticism of the mindless patriotism present in their contexts. As a defining work of the dystopian genre, Metropolis played a large part in influencing 1984’s characterizations, giving rise to this intertextuality. Many of these characterizations have been born out of a shared post-war
In 1984, Orwell makes clever use of Juvenalian satire to make a biting political statement regarding autocratic ideologies in his own …show more content…
For instance, the oppressed working class of Metropolis appears visually similar to 1984’s outer party, with the “blue overalls” common between both texts, acting as a symbol of lower-class conformity born out of a shared industrial context. The parallels similarly extend to the outlook of the populations as well. The robotic and collective movements of Metropolis’ workers between shifts emphasize their lack of individuality. Moreover, their marching in time with the film-score together with high-angle camera shots in the opening scene suggests that they are under the influence of a higher power. This controlled attitude is shared in 1984 by Winston’s obedient compatriots, whom Winston sees as “devoted drudges” to the Stalin-esque Big Brother, symbolically visually dominant in the text, acting in both texts as a criticism of the mindless patriotism present in their contexts. As a defining work of the dystopian genre, Metropolis played a large part in influencing 1984’s characterizations, giving rise to this intertextuality. Many of these characterizations have been born out of a shared post-war