Culture Night 2024 @ Enfield Community Hall

EDG Arts- Presents

Drive In Cinema Echo

Metropolis by Fritz Lang (1927)

Curation by Frank Hughes, Marcus Moore, Sean Gromail.

Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) has had a profound influence on both literature and cinema. In film, its portrayal of dystopian futuristic cities and class struggles inspired movies like Blade Runner (1982), which echoed its depiction of a futuristic, stratified society and advanced technology. The robotic character Maria directly influenced the design of iconic cinematic robots, such as C-3PO in Star Wars (1977), while dystopian films like The Fifth Element (1997) and Elysium (2013) reflect Metropolis' vision of societal divides.

In literature, Metropolis' influence is evident in George Orwell’s 1984 (1949), where themes of class oppression and totalitarian control mirror those in Lang’s film. Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (1932) similarly explores a future society dominated by technology. Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968), later adapted into Blade Runner, delves into human-machine relationships, much like Metropolis. J.G. Ballard’s High-Rise (1975) also echoes Metropolis in its examination of social breakdown within urban architecture.

In the 1950’s and 60’s Enfield had its own outdoor cinema in the courtyard stables of the Bianconi horse drawn carriage network 1815-to the 1850’s on the site which is now Supervalu.

This showing is to celebrate that creativity and adaptation to new technology that Enfield has consistently demonstrated. Its next urban chapter is eagerly awaited.