As Franz Biberkopf is released from prison in Fassbinder’s Berlin Alexanderplatz (part 1) the sight is not one of a (reformed?) murderer being unleashed unto society, but rather of the Metropolis unleashed upon the individual who was removed from it for a time.
The functioning Metropolis, along with its sounds, bustle, characters and colours immediately proves overwhelming for the fragile individual. As Simmel puts it, the “intensification of nervous stimulation” is too great to be taken in and ultimately leads to the crumbling of the character. The influence of the Metropolis is omnipresent and the protagonist is exposed to it even in his supposedly safe, private residence. The Metropolis looms through incessant blinking lights or sounds, never leaving Franz at peace.
Relationships and feelings suppressed by the Metropolis eventually “break into hatred and fight at the moment of closer contact, however caused” and in Franz’s case, murder.
The film finishes on a positive note with Franz’s decision to be good and to strive to make a better society. With that he starts his doomed fight against the mighty Metropolis, which ultimately leads to his own destruction as an individual.
No comments:
Post a Comment