Metropolis (1927) - Quotes

Conflict Over Machines and Blame in Metropolis

Grot - the Guardian of the Heart Machine: Who told you to attack the machines, you fools? Without them you'll all die!

Working Woman: It's the witch's fault!

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Class Struggle in a Modern City

Freder: [[Cities|city] Your magnificent ], Father - and you the brain of this city - and all of us in the city's light...And where are the people, Father, whose hands built your city?

Joh Fredersen: Where they belong...

Freder: In the depths...? What if one day, those in the depths rise up against you?

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Connection Between Generations and Humanity

Joh Frederson: What were you doing in the machine halls, Freder?

Freder: I wanted to look into the faces of the people whose little children are my brothers, my sisters...

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The Creation of a Perfect Machine

Man at Nightclub: [[seven deadly sins] For her, all ]!

C.A. Rotwang - the Inventor: She is the most perfect and most obedient tool which mankind ever possessed! Tonight you will see her succeed before the upper ten thousand. You will see her dance...

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A Warning About Society's Downfall

The Machine Man: [disguised as Maria] Let's all watch as the world goes to the devil!

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A Call to Action Against Machines

The Machine Man: [disguised as Maria] Women and men, let no one miss today! Death to the machines!

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A Call to Reject Machine Domination

The Machine Man: [disguised as Maria] Who is the living food for the machines in Metropolis? Who lubricates the machine joints with their own blood? Who feeds the machines with their own flesh? Let the machines starve, you fools! Let them die! Kill them - the machines!

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Recognition of Shared Humanity

Maria: Look! These are your brothers! Look! These are your brothers!

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The Divide Between Planner and Laborer

Maria: [[dreams; [Tower of Babel] We shall build a tower that will reach to the stars!" Having conceived Babel, yet unable to build it themselves, they had thousands to build it for them. But those who toiled knew nothing of the ] of those who planned. And the minds that planned the ] cared nothing for the workers who built it. The hymns of praise of the few became the curses of the many - BABEL! BABEL! BABEL! - Between the mind that plans and the hands that build there must be a Mediator, and this must be the heart.

The Dream and Reality of Babel

Maria: Today I will tell you the legend of THE TOWER OF BABEL... "Come, let us build us a tower whose top may reach unto the stars! And the top of the tower we will write the words: Great is the world and its Creator! And great is Man!" But the minds that had conceived the Tower of Babel could not build it. The task was too great. So they hired hands for wages. But the hands that built the Tower of Babel knew nothing of the dream of the brain that had conceived it. BABEL. BABEL. BABEL. BABEL. One man's hymns of praise became other men's curses. People spoke the same language, but could not understand each other...