----------------------------Original message---------------------------- From: Tony Williams English SIUC Lang's former wife Thea Van Harbou (I beleive she divorced him after he fled from Nazi Germany) was an ardent supporter of Hitler and a Party member. Much of the naive politics and sentimentalism stems from her screenplay and interests. I believe that she published METROPOLIS as a novel following the film's release. The book was actually translated into English and circulated in the 1930s (copies may still be available in second hand bookshops both sides of the Atlantic). Actually, the book is far more sentimental and reactionary than the completed film. I guess Lotte Eisner or any of the critical work on Lang may provide further information concerning his reaction to both METROPOLIS and his former spouse. Bound up with this question is a tendency to regard directors as people who should be above falling into the dangerous political currents of their era and thinking more about the implications of their work. Unfortunately, many directors (and stars) are as fallible as the majority are in a particular historical era in making the "wrong" choice. Also, if you note Lang's comment about the purpose of making M being to warn mothers to look after their children better you'll see a gap between stated intention and the wider implications of a work. (This is a particular instance and I don't want to verge into the complicated nature of the production debate going on in another mailing). Basically, it is so easy to be correct in hindsight less difficult at certain times to really evaluate the implications of the material used in any creative process. Finally, despite its "classic" status, I don't think Lang regarded METROPOLISas being among his major achievements. Possibly, in hindsight, he may have been embarrassed about some of its features as most contemporary viewers are today. Tony Williams, SIU Carbondale.