Boundaries + Hierarchies

Class System + Hierarchy

Clear class systems separating different worlds are apparent in films such as Metropolis 1927 and 2001. The emphases of these boundaries are not only evoked by the height of the architecture and the level of distress or chaos in the urban form, but also by the darkness that creeps in as the levels of existence descend.

The above ground worlds in Metropolis 1927 and 2001 are dominated by high density, vertical towers of wealth and power, with the apex of the city occupied by the highest powers; Joh Fredersen in the Tower of Babel and Duke Red in the Ziggurat. At the other extreme, the worker's city, full of bland industrial architecture, sits at the bowels of the metropolis; and the underground Zones: Zone 1 occupied by humans, and Zones 2 and 3 by robots, are submersed in darkness with Zone 1 lit mainly by artificial lights recalling imagery from the decaying city of Blade Runner.

The lively upper-world of Metropolis 2001, with its bright colours, fade into darkness as the Zones descend further underground. At a turning point in the film, the darkness of the lower levels where the revolt has been planned creeps up into the utopian world above ground to reveal the true character of the worlds that have been built over, the roots on which the Ziggurat and the whole metropolis has been built on, an environment of darkness, decay, fear and oppression. With the corruption of the governing powers revealed, the utopia of the upper-world is unmasked as a hazy, dark, and gloomy dystopia.

A similar division in class can be seen in Fritz Lang's original 1927 Metropolis. To contrast the upper and lower levels of Metropolis, he utilized variations in lightness and darkness. The opening scenes of the movie reveal a world bathed in light. The Club of the Sons, the Pleasure Garden , and the towers of Joh Fredersen are lit with utopian glow. Darkness prevails in the bowels where the workers slave over the machines and where their dwelling places exist. Day and night are indistinguishable for them, as they are constantly in the shadows. Even their “holy” gathering place is located in the catacombs where darkness dominates. The revolt of the workers against the machines introduces the world of darkness seen only in the lower levels into the upper level of the city and the dystopic underground emerges from the bowels into the utopian upper-world.

Divider + Marker + Boundary

Darkness not only acts as an indicator of separation between the class structure and different levels of hierarchy of a city, it can be used a simple divider between scenes, or a physical marker between parts of a city.

The ominous darkness shown in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in a blue tint distinguishes the scenes that happen in the night with those in the day. The extra filter adds an emphasis on the evils that only take place at night, also contributing to the nightmarish atmosphere generated in the film. The mansion in the Black Cat is kept in darkness not giving any hint of the time of day; the creepiness of the interior is contrasted against the bright and cheery glimpses of the outside when the policemen visit the house. The darkness in the city of Blade Runner , unlike the gradual descent of levels as in Metropolis, lies within the depths of the city. A swift shift between the Tyrell Corporation buildings basked in light, the narrow slit of sun that is seen while in hovercrafts high above the city, and the deep dark city streets themselves show a stark contrast between the new parts of the city and the old on which it is built. Along with other futuristic films such as the Fifth Element and Akira, parts of city and sometimes the entire city is in endless night.