The Representation of the Working–Class in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis Shaping of the Shapeless Crowds

In Metropolis, a classic in the history of cinema, Fritz Lang carefully builds his idea of crowds. The working class, in particular, is portrayed with great force. Through well-studied choreographic movements, the masses give shape to monumental architectural structures and to geometrical patterns. Above all, the geometrical shape of the pyramid is a crucial visual theme in the film. This study aims to analyze the ambivalence of Lang’s portrayal of the working class masses and the exploitation of artistic creativity perpetrated by the Nazi propaganda in order to transform the shapeless crowds into a coherent political force.