The Thin Man was a traditional evil henchman character, but the fact that this film was both black and white and a silent film definitely impacted how the actor's presented themselves. Gone is the typical villain banter that is now expected from these almost filler characters. The actor has to rely on his movements specifically, and while they can be seen as over the top, they are the best way to relate his motives to the audience. He is tall and physically threatening, but it is apparent that he is not the typical strong yet dumb henchman. His actions in stalking the fake Freder show that he is also cunning, and I agree that the combination is refreshing.
Because the role of the henchman is not one that requires much screen time or back-story, the Thin Man was not a prominent character. However, like many other aspects of Metropolis, this character had a huge influence on modern day films. The character role of the henchman definitely did not originate in this film, but you can see it in a lot of more recent movies, with Charlie's Angels for an example. The character in this film is actually also called the Thin Man, and while his motives differ slightly form Metropolis' Thin Man, the influence is unmistakable.
Charlie's Angels Thin Man
Metropolis Thin Man
The makeup used on the original Thin Man also adds to his menacing attitude; his brows are darkened and lowered to appear more sinister, and his eyes have dark makeup to create shadows, allowing his eyes to pierce the audience. This was necessary for the cinematography of Metropolis, but you can also see this costume translate to the modern day Thin Man. Because Charlie's Angels Thin Man has the added benefit of talking, his makeup is not as dramatic. His appearance does change his eyebrows, lowering them and keeping them furrowed to keep his face threatening.
The character of the Thin Man in Metropolis is a very interesting one. His role is not particularly large, and he is constricted to conveying his scenes through purely his body movements and costume/makeup. However, his performance in doing so was very influential on even the "talkie" films of today's times, seen through Charlie's Angels.
I think the similarities between the two "thin men" is hysterical. It shows that the world's definition or idea of "creepy" has defied cultures and time periods. American and Australian writers and film makers from the twenty first century created the same character as German writers and film makers from the 1920's. A man; tall, thin, dark slicked back hair, in a nice suit, with furrowed eyebrows, and sharp facial features, still meets the criteria for what people understand to be a 'creepy' or 'eerie' person. Was the thin man from Metropolis one of the first portrayals of a creepy character that has gone on to influence creepy characters of today's society? And if so I wonder how much of an influence it has had on our perceptions of such characters.
ReplyDeleteLooking at our portrayal of evil villains now, we think of them to be much like the Thin Man, as described above. If we look at the show Phineas and Ferb, their evil villain Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, first of all had a German name, second of all he is awkward, kind of smart, gawky, and has a somewhat grim like smirk at all times. In this instance, the authors of Phineas and Ferb have combined the Thin Man and Dr. Rotwang which I believe to be a more common situation in movies post Metropolis. Overall this catch was entertaining and eye opening and shows how even the smallest of characters has shaped movies for the rest of time.
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