Religious Symbolism

The most obvious symbols in Metropolis are religious symbols. There are enough religious symbols in the film to devote pages to pointing them out. However, the most obvious ones are those involving Freder and Maria. The film parallels the story of

Adam and Eve in the Bible, particularly the fall of man. Freder is in the Miracle of Eternal Gardens and is very happy (like Adam), chasing girls around a beautiful fountain. Maria appears and gives him knowledge of the underground workers; this causes him to "fall" from his blissful existence into a more knowledgeable and sympathetic state. The upper world is a utopian society where no one works, much like the idea of heaven, but this society depends on the workers of the underground to keep their city going. The underground is comparable to the idea of hell. The workers are forced to sacrifice themselves for...