Episode 103: Megalopolis & Metropolis

Cinema in Context

Mega-city grand vision films. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Megalopolis (2024) and Metropolis (1927), films by Francis Ford Coppola and Fritz Lang. We begin by sharing our experiences watching Metropolis, including the first time watching it and our experience watching it more recently. We talk about the music in Metropolis, how it's drawn from music before it and influenced music after the film. We start our conversation about Megalopolis by questioning the film's logic and figuring out what the film is trying to do. We praise and dissect the work of Aubrey Plaza, Talia Shire and Kathryn Hunter, as well as critique the work of the cast as a whole. We consider the film regarding other films and filmmakers' work, trying to figure out what could have made Megalopolis a better film. We discuss the performances from Metropolis, especially the work of Brigitte Helm. We finish by discussing the themes, ideas and politics of Metropolis and whether it is still relevant to us today.