Metropolis by Thea Von Harbou, Science Fiction - Softcover

Harbou, Thea Von

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1592249787 ISBN 13: 9781592249787

Publisher: Wildside Press, 2003

Synopsis

This is Metropolis, the novel that the film's screenwriter -- Thea von Harbou, who was director Fritz Lang's wife, and a collaborator in the creation of the film -- this is the novel that Harbou wrote from her own notes. It contains bits of the story that got lost on the cutting-room floor; in a very real way it is the only way to understand the film.

Michael Joseph of The Bookman wrote about the novel: "It is a remarkable piece of work, skilfully reproducing the atmosphere one has come to associate with the most ambitious German film productions. Suggestive in many respects of the dramatic work of Karel Capek and of the earlier fantastic romances of H. G. Wells, in treatment it is an interesting example of expressionist literature. ... Metropolis is one of the most powerful novels I have read and one which may capture a large public both in America and England if it does not prove too bewildering to the plain reader."

About this title

From the Back Cover:

This city of the future encompasses two worlds: that of the hedonistic ruling class and that of a segregated subculture, toilers in a mechanized underworld who labor to provide the rich with their pleasures. When a charismatic leader arises, she seeks a savior to unite the disparate social orders. "Between the brain that plans and the hands that build," she declares, "there must be a mediator―the heart."
Thea von Harbou, creator of the screenplay for Fritz Lang's iconic 1927 film, wrote this novel to expand upon the movie's ideas and concepts. Vivid in description, rich in characterization and symbolism, the story draws upon ancient myths to form a compelling vision of the future. Noted science-fiction authority Forrest J. Ackerman hailed the book as "a work of genius," and a century after its initial publication Metropolis continues to captivate readers.
Dover (2015) republication of the edition originally published by Ace Books, New York, 1927.
See every Dover book in print at
www.doverpublications.com

About the Author:

Thea Gabriele von Harbou (1888 - 1954) was a German screenwriter, novelist, film director, and actress. She is especially known as the screenwriter of the science fiction film classic Metropolis and the story on which it was based. Harbou collaborated as a screenwriter with film director Fritz Lang, her husband, during the period of transition from silent to sound films.She was born into a family of minor nobility and government officials, which gave her a level of sophisticated comfort. As a child prodigy she was educated in a convent by private tutors who taught her several languages as well as piano and violin.

About this edition

• Publisher: Wildside Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1592249787
• ISBN 13: 9781592249787
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 236