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With "Metropolis" Fritz Lang took German Expressionism to epic proportions, creating spectacular set-pieces that exploded the claustrophobic mindscapes of its stylistic precursor "The Cabinet of Dr Caligari".

The film portrays a dystopian vision of a society divided into two tiers. Above ground the indulgent leisure class lives in relative ease, while in the bowels of the city hoards of faceless grunts operate grotesque machines. John Frederson, son of the Master of Metropolis, crosses this boundary and witnesses not only the suffering beneath, but also a virginal oracle named Maria who preaches to the workers.

Meanwhile, the evil scientist Rotwang has built a robot (an iconographic screen first) that he recreates in Maria's likeness in order to foment rebellion. This leads to spectacular crowd scenes amid biblical floods. Lang's religious imagery is as prominent as his interpretation of modernity. In one of the most astonishing scenes we witness the Tower of Babel being built, and later the seven deadly sins do a funky skeletal turn.

The social polemic is ambiguous. No amount of heartfelt mediation between the brain and the hands is likely to alter the tiers into which the city is divided. As science fiction, however, it is essential viewing.