Set Design and Models

The city shots of Metropolis were a combination of both two and three dimensional elements, consisting of matte drawings and paintings, flat wooden relief models, and three dimensional models scaled to 1/16th of the simulated heights. All matte drawings of the cityscape were scaled to a height of 1/100. The man responsible for most of the film’s models was Walter Schuzle-Mittendorf. The set designers- Otto Hunte, Erich Kettelhut and Karl Vollbrecht- first created a number of concept drawings for the imagined city of Metropolis, following Lang’s plan for the city to be divided into several sections. The emphasis was on the verticality of the structures, intersected by roadway systems and aircraft. The dominating architectural feature is the so-called New Tower of Babel, the largest building located centrally in the city. The building, like most of the buildings in the film, is a model.

Costume Design

Mittendorf was also repsonsible for much of the makeup and some costuming in the film. The figures of the Seven Deadly Sins, including Death- which was played by Brigette Helms- were actors wearing masks made from a new malleable wood material that had just been developed. The material could be sawed, grated, filed or planed. The same material was used for the construction of the robot, Futura, also played by Helms.The actress had to be able to sit, stand and walk in the costume. A plaster mold of the helmet was constructed, onto which the body was directly attached, which had several jointed, moveable segments as in knight’s armor. Much like a knight’s armor, however, the costume was very uncomfortable and Helms suffered greatly during the filming, enduring cuts and bruises from the edges. Mittendorf, who is one of the few remaining Metropolis crew members still living, continues to own the copyright for the robot’s design.