There is no singular formula for the successful creation of an environment of fear or dystopia: the films discussed each use a unique combination of techniques and effects to present the character of the urban environment, appropriate to their intended purpose. The style of the architecture and the validity of forms presented create distinct visual impressions, in support or opposition of the characters and the plot.
“The frown of a tower, the scowl of a sinister alley, the pride and serenity of a white peak, the hypnotic draught of a straight road vanishing to a point – these exert their influences and express their natures; their essences flow over the scene and blend with the action.”
- Scheffauer, 1920
As a character, the urban environment may be primary (as in Caligari) or secondary (as in A Clockwork Orange) to the creation of fear or dystopia in the film. Traditional architecture may represent places of reconciliation with the ills of the modern world (as in Metropolis 1927) or the slums of the future (as in Metropolis 2001), just as modern architecture may be be portrayed as sinister (as in The Black Cat), oppressive (as in Alphaville) or simply boring (as in True Stories). The urban environment of a film may be deliberately real (as in Andalou) or unreal (as in Sin City), an exaggeration (as in Brazil) or a parody of the contemporary city (as in Akira). The city of the future may be a projection of architecture's wildest dreams, worst nightmares (as in Blade Runner), or a combination of both (as presented by several of the films discussed).
The urban environment must indeed act (Mallet-Stevens, 1929). To create fear or dystopia, it must support the reality or unreality which the film endeavors to present, whether contemporary or futuristic. The presentation of the urban environment is a projection of the plot into built form, and its credibility is directly related to the convincing development of the characters and the plot.
Man with a Movie Camera (Vertov 1929) is a documentary of the city without any consistent main characters, presenting various urban environments in great detail. There is no specific character development, but the city and its inhabitants together drive a sort of diurnal ‘plot’ - despite the attention paid to architecture, the film focuses on the life of the city more than the city itself. The film does not attempt to create fear, nor is Vertov’s film intended to propose the city as a dystopic environment, thus its intended purpose sets it apart from the other films discussed here.