Joh Fredersen is the city of Metropolis’ master. His son, Freder, becomes fascinated by a young teacher, Maria, and goes to the lower levels to find her. In the machine halls, he witnesses a huge machine kill and injure numerous workers. Freder hurries to tell his father about the accident. Grot, foreman of the Heart Machine, brings Fredersen secret maps found on the dead workers. After seeing his father’s cold indifference towards the harsh conditions faced by the workers, Freder returns to the machine halls, where he trades places with a worker who has collapsed from exhaustion. Fredersen takes the maps to the inventor Rotwang to learn their meaning. Rotwang shows Fredersen a robot he has built to “resurrect” Hel, a woman he loved who married Fredersen. The maps show a network of catacombs beneath Metropolis, and the two men go to investigate, eavesdropping on a gathering of workers, including Freder, all addressed by Maria, prophesying the arrival of a mediator who can bring the working and ruling classes together. Freder believes he can fill the role and declares his love for Maria. Fredersen orders Rotwang to give Maria’s likeness to the robot so that it can discredit her among the workers, but is unaware that Rotwang plans to use the robot to destroy Metropolis and ruin both Fredersen and Freder. Rotwang kidnaps Maria, transfers her likeness to the robot and sends her to Fredersen. The false Maria unleashes chaos throughout Metropolis, driving men to murder and stirring dissent among the workers. They follow the false Maria from their city to the machine halls, leaving their children behind. They destroy the machines, triggering a flood in their city deeper underground. The real Maria rescues the children with help from Freder and Josaphat. Grot berates the celebrating workers for abandoning their children in the flooded city. The hysterical workers capture the false Maria and burn her at the stake. Rotwang chases the real Maria to the roof of the cathedral, pursued by Freder. The two men fight, and Rotwang falls to his death.
Description Joh Fredersen is the city of Metropolis’ master. His son, Freder, becomes fascinated by a young teacher, Maria, and goes to the lower levels to find her. In the machine halls, he witnesses a huge machine kill and injure numerous workers. Freder hurries to tell his father about the accident. Grot, foreman of the Heart Machine, brings Fredersen secret maps found on the dead workers. After seeing his father’s cold indifference towards the harsh conditions faced by the workers, Freder returns to the machine halls, where he trades places with a worker who has collapsed from exhaustion. Fredersen takes the maps to the inventor Rotwang to learn their meaning. Rotwang shows Fredersen a robot he has built to “resurrect” Hel, a woman he loved who married Fredersen. The maps show a network of catacombs beneath Metropolis, and the two men go to investigate, eavesdropping on a gathering of workers, including Freder, all addressed by Maria, prophesying the arrival of a mediator who can bring the working and ruling classes together. Freder believes he can fill the role and declares his love for Maria. Fredersen orders Rotwang to give Maria’s likeness to the robot so that it can discredit her among the workers, but is unaware that Rotwang plans to use the robot to destroy Metropolis and ruin both Fredersen and Freder. Rotwang kidnaps Maria, transfers her likeness to the robot and sends her to Fredersen. The false Maria unleashes chaos throughout Metropolis, driving men to murder and stirring dissent among the workers. They follow the false Maria from their city to the machine halls, leaving their children behind. They destroy the machines, triggering a flood in their city deeper underground. The real Maria rescues the children with help from Freder and Josaphat. Grot berates the celebrating workers for abandoning their children in the flooded city. The hysterical workers capture the false Maria and burn her at the stake. Rotwang chases the real Maria to the roof of the cathedral, pursued by Freder. The two men fight, and Rotwang falls to his death.
