Metropolis

Metropolis represented the battle between good and evil. The main character(s) were Freder, Maria, and the robot. Freder represents a Jesus figure, Maria is much like Mary Magdalen, and the robot represents a demon. The inventor could be the devil, while Mr. Fredersen is God. However the analogies are not perfect. Even though Freder is the son of Mr. Fredersen, he never dies at the end and goes through a religious journey in order to be like a savior. He does save the children and the poor from annhilation. Maria or Mary Magdalen seemed like she was from the rich world, but had repented for being profligate and now reached out to help the poor. She seems like a saint in the film, preaching peace to the working class, and looking out for their children. She falls in love with Freder the Jesus figure, much like what is supposed to have happened between Mary Magdalen and Jesus. However, Maria did not have a questionable reputation, even though the robot made it appear to be so. The robot was a demon unleashed upon the city in order to cause chaos, destruction, and rampant vice by the inventor. Supposedly the inventor had lost his wife through an action of Mr. Fredersen's and he wanted him to pay. The inventor could be likened to the devil since the God figure Fredersen trusted him as his right hand man or clutch advisor when no advisor could solve his problems. However, the inventor falls from his status because of his envy for Fredersen near the end when he falls off the roof of the church. Mr. Fredersen represents God in Metropolis. Joh rules the city in the top of the tower of Babel with absolute power. He has a very ethical mindset, but somehow manages to forget the class imbalances (the less than perfect part). His son eventually causes him to realize these imbalances, and allows poor people to rise to the rich level, or heaven. Freder/Jesus becomes the mediator between God and the working class, living in toil and rising like the ascension for the poor.
Why would Fritz Lang create such a movie? If we look at the time period, anti-trust suits were being brought about to break up the monopolies started in the industrial era of history. Unions were beginning to be formed, in order to improve the working class's situation. Communism and socialistic movements were somewhat popular back in that time period. Germany was going through a hard period in history, as a result of the armistice and tariffs/penalties that western Europe imposed on them. Perhaps Lang was making more of a propagandizing movie. The analogies for Christian religion were not perfect, suggesting a different motive. However, religion and socialism don't usually mix in the real world. Maybe Lang wanted to appeal more to the religious crowd of that time period, since most people were christian in Europe and America.
Lang seems to both promote and play down religion. He recognized the powerful force that Christianity had in that time period, by using religious allegory. Why else would he create a film of such enormous proportions and budget? I feel that he had funding from the communist league or the church. Also, I think he was warning big business about the power of people who are oppressed too much, and the limits of religion to preclude violence. What does this mean for the phenomenon of religion? Consider Harris’ example of the Koran. In a different light, religion in the 1920's experienced a decrease in following due to the aftermath of WWI and the liberal times. Many people were disillusioned by the ability of religion to solve their problems, as well as the increase in science to explain the world (Scopes monkey trial). Perhaps Lang was offering a solution: cooperation and brotherhood mediated by religion-based values.