Summer Film School
Directed by Fritz Lang
With Alfred Abel, Brigitte Helm, Gustav Fröhlich
Not Rated, 126 minutes, Blu-ray

This silent film classic remains beloved and, as audiences have repeatedly shown, rings new and true — even if in different tones — to each new decade it encounters. In the 21st-Century, a dehumanized proletariat labors non-stop in a miserable subterranean city beneath a luxurious city of mile-high skyscrapers, flying automobiles, palatial architectural idylls, tubes, and tunnels. With stunningly inventive special effects, director Fritz Lang's allegorical narrative and architectural vision create a highly stylized vision of a not-so-unlike future that became central to various futurists and films (e.g., The Matrix). As the elite frolic above the clouds, thousands of miserable workers toil night and day inside the belly of the gigantic machine that runs the entire city. Metropolis is controlled by a sinister authoritarian whose son, Freder, rejects his father's callous philosophy and attitude towards laborers. Meek though they are, the workers are encouraged by Maria, a wistful young woman who wills her comrades to embrace patience and silent strength. She becomes the linchpin in a plot to undo the city.

Those enrolled in Summer Film School should arrive at 6:30 p.m. for a lecture, screening at 7 p.m., and discussion after the film.