I see where you’re coming from, but I disagree. Dystopia is about a society flawed into thinking its perfect for eveybody. Metropolis, like Wells’ The Tine Machine clearly shows a class divide where one class knows it’s getting royally screwed. But they feel powerless to stop it. Dystopias are like Demolition Man where the society accepts the state of things as perfect with theexception of those who fight against it. Resistance is a factor of dystopian legends because if no one fights it, then the society by definition is perfect.
For the vast majority of Metropolis is about class struggle between the Proletariat and the Ruling class. Definitely not a dystopian concept, but a Socialist one. Remember the movie ends with a Socialist Utopian society being created. As Movieguy notes, in a dystopian siciety, everyone accepts the world they exist in, much like in say 1984, or Animal Farm, or the world of the Air Marshalls in Shape of Things To Come.
One of my favorite dystopias is Gary Ross’ underrated classic Pleasantville. That is a movie that I keep coming back to when I want both intellectual stimulation and a feel-good movie.
Almost forgot about that one.
Anyone else?
Added a poll - select the movies you think the Crue should cover!
I would get so into a Mad Max arc. I’d dress up and everything!
Photonutz, thanks for the arc suggestion. I would quibble with your definition of dystopia as requiring a capitalist economic underpinning. The dystopia genre is generally defined as including works in which a society is highly structured in order to create a more perfect human experience, essentially in pursuit of utopia, with bleak, soul crushing results because of the high level of state control and extreme undermining of the individual that ultimately degrades citizens’ humanity.
I would argue that there are dystopias in which the economic system is highly socialistic and others in which the economic system is highly capitalistic, but the commonality is that the social pressures that contribute to shaping the economy have a devastating impact on people’s ability to live and (most frighteningly) think autonomously, free of the limitations imposed by their overly structured way of life.
For example, in Lois Lowry’s The Giver, the economy is highly socialistic. Everyone works at the jobs that the state assigned them and their consumption of necessities and additional goods relies entirely on the allocations of the state. The state has tried to create a utopia by ending war and human conflict and giving everyone what they needed to live comfortably, but the price is that people have lost all emotion and all ability to see and feel the wonder of the world. They can barely think, let alone think independently, because of the ways that their worldview is limited–they don’t have any sense that human potential contains multitudes.
What is particularly dystopic about The Giver, which is a YA novel, is that it is written so that the reader (particularly the YA reader) doesn’t realize how terribly limiting and soul-crushing Jonah’s society is until he himself begins to realize it through his lessons with the Receiver.
On the other hand, the dystopia portrayed in in 1984 is highly capitalistic. Of course, the human labor required to produce globally competitive goods and services means that George and his peers are essentially cogs in a great machine–with no more personal freedom or ability to “think outside the box” than Jonah’s friends Fiona and Asher in The Giver.
Finally, we tend to forget that socialism and capitalism are not the two economic systems that have dominated forever. There are also dystopias that feature other systems–I would say that the dystopia portrayed in The Hunger Games trilogy has a colonialist economic system.
Although this post is getting long and overly academic, I want to return to Metropolis before I’m done:
I haven’t made it all the way through the 1928 Fritz Lang masterpiece, I admit. From what I have seen and the reading about it that I’ve done, I think you’re right that it’s a story about classic socialist-theory class warfare: the proles revolt against the ruling class. However, I think that the spark that lights the revolution is the dystopia that people find themselves living in. They participated in or were brought along on the ride to build a utopia but discovered, as the ruling class had known all along, that sustaining a utopia for some requires unbearable sacrifices and labor from others, who are unable to share in the joys and profits of the more perfect society that has been created.
I have watched (at least 10 times…) the Japanese remake of Metropolis (2001, I think?) and I highly recommend it. There, economics are subordinate to militarism. The ruling class is the military and the businesses they employ to provide what they need and want. The military provides security from a dangerous outside world and in return they demand privileges and obedience. The development of cheap slave labor in the form of semi-intelligent (think dolphins) robots that do all the non-intellectual jobs of society. This means that the vast majority of people live in restricted areas without jobs, because no one will pay them when they can buy a robot for cheaper. The robots, too, spend all time not on the job in restricted areas and when they get worn out they are discarded like trash, despite their obvious, though limited, intelligence and spirit.
Because they are responding primarily to inequality, the proles revolution is based in socialist rhetoric, but their anger targets the robots more than the ruling class. It takes the intervention of outsiders to unite the people and robots in the end–and the outsiders’ defeat of the military’s secret ultimate weapon. It’s a much less positive ending because it seems clear that the society would not have advanced without the assistance of outside forces. Also, it’s kind of heartbreaking that human and robot love are such destructive forces. Of course, that is a heartbreaking truth of human history as a whole. Our love drives us to do terrible things sometimes.
Anyhow, here it is Thanksgiving day and I’ve just written an essay on different economic systems in post-war and post-modern dystopias. I’m going to go make cranberry sauce now.
There are many definitions for dysopias, but in no way is Fritz Lang’s Metropolis is in now way o be considered one. The Japanese version has nothing in common with Fritz version beyond he name. The maker of the anime was inspired by a poster for the Lang version, but he never has watched Lang’s version. The anime is a film noir, with a robot revolt, while Lang’s version has nothing in common with it. I have both and like both. The Japanese Anime however does match the criteria for a dystopia, it’s a very bleak resolution.
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Damn Gattaca, A Clockwork Orange, 1984, Brazil, and THX-1138 seem to be the ones to beat right now. No love for Alphaville or Animal Farm
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Gattaca is in the lead, with THX-1138 in second and a tie for third between A Clockwork Orange, 1984, and Brazil! Vote more people, the poll ends soon!
Just voted, though I’m pretty good with almost all of the choices that are available - all would be great in this arc.
Nice line-up. I totally support a distopian arc. Gattaca is one of the best under-rated movies out there. Combine that with 12 Monkeys, Clockwork and Escape from New York and that is a mighty fine arc.
Surprised Children of Men didn’t make it on there. Ah well. Guess we will have to do a Clive Owen arc.
Thanks guys 
Right now Gattaca leads with a tie for second between Brazil and A Clockwork Orange, and a tie for third between 1984 and THX-1138. Vote people!
Morevotes people! Have your voice heard!
Dystopia, dat-topia…
I can’t think of too many places besides the GWC to find in depth, passionate, yet still friendly debates on actually interesting subjects like the true definition of dystopia. (or dyspepsia or dyslexia as spell check would have it)
I love this place.
I must agree
Wow! Gattaca has taken a commanding lead with ten votes, but second place is now a four way tie between A Clockwork Orange, 1984, THX-1138, and Brazil! Keep on voting folks!