Metropolis (1927)

Country: Germany
Director: Fritz Lang
Screenwriter: Thea von Harbou
Stars: Alfred Abel, Brigitte Helm, Gustav Frohlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge

Considering how awe-inspiring Fritz Lang's science-fiction classic Metropolis is today, one can only imagine how drastically minds were blown back in 1927, when the film debuted as the most expensive German movie production to date.

Every dollar is right there on the screen, with full-scale riots, dazzling laboratory experiments, and dystopian landscapes that look better than most of today's higher-priced and more technologically advanced sets and effects. Bluntly put, you can't call yourself a film lover if you've never seen Metropolis. —MB