Metropolis (1927 film)

From Oneiropedia

Metropolis is a 1927 science fiction film directed by Fritz Lang, among the first dystopian films and among the greatest sci-fi movies ever.

Plot

The general idea is that the title metropolis is a city with strict class distinctions: the lower-class proletarians dwell underground in poor working conditions, while the upper-class elite dwell in towers on the metropolitan skyline. However, then there's class warfare, and Maria gets involved. She teaches the proles about the Tower of Babel. But then a mad scientist makes a diabolical robot clone.

Influence

For one thing, sexy robot clone. That's a lasting influence right there- that startlingly expressionistic and powerful image of the robotic woman standing there. Man's ultimate triumph. Then that skyline, influencing everything from Just Imagine three years later to Bladerunner sixty-five years later. The idea that in the future, we would live in these Coruscant-like all-encompasing cities that are an acrophobic's nightmare. It pretty much set the stage for all the dystopian sci-fi to come. Oh, and it helped inspire the manga and later the film Metropolis in 2001.