City_Above

As with many other parts of the anatomy of the dystopic cities of films, the idyllic city above finds its roots in the rendition of the urban environment of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. Its obvious centre is the location of the ‘New Tower of Babel’, re-renderedd as tower that can transform itself into a weapon in Osamu Tezuka’s Metropolis. This image of central wealth and power is doubled in two matching edifices in both Blade Runner and Appleseed. Integral to the original tower of Metropolis, are the isolated gardens, reserved only for the use of the elite. This image of ‘pure nature’ itself becomes an immensely valuable commodity. Though never featured in the final film, the original design of the two Tyrell Pyramids in Blade Runner called for natural gardens at their cores. In much the same way, greenery fills the space of the two enormous arched structures of Olympus in Appleseed. These features suggest, then, that wilderness itself has become so valuable, and only the supremely rich may enjoy or live within nature, but further shows the absolute control and domination such apparent utopias attempt to maintain over biological life.

Common to many of these films depicting the future metropolis, is a world of synthetic light and activity; idyllic places of great energy. As one can see in these images, a fantastic light emerges from the darkness that fills the voids of these future urban settings. The fundamental play of light and darkenss gives immediate insight and context to the multiple role reversals that take places in these realms.

The dependence on the realms below the upper metropolis is best emphasized by the growth of the city above the earth, as in Brazil and Dark City, where the growth of the city becomes a frightening realization, and the city itself becomes a growing, horrific biological/constructed entity, emerging from the ground.

The importance of energy and its production is a central theme in many of these films, as we find it is, absurdly, those below supporting the ‘lightness’ that is above. This translates itself into the permeation of the light of the cathode ray tube, filling the city in Videodrome. This virtual realm of projected light, showing images of an idealized, or alternate reality, is seen again within the Matrix, wherein, the energy drawn from human bodies is converted to power the machine city, emanating a haunting yet spiritual glow.