Continuing our obsession with our fancy new projector, myself and my housemate watched Metropolis the other night. Why is it that all of these classic old movies have the most AMAZING makeup ever!? As if the film wasn't amazing enough, the makeup is quite spectular. I absolutely adored Maria's transformation into "Crazed Maria" and how the makeup communicates her twisted nature, complete with a twitching eye.
Good Maria - Bad Maria
This must have influenced Alex in Stanley Kubrick's 1971 "A Clockwork Orange". Maria's twitching eye makes her double lashed right eye appear even more menacing. The eyebrows are such a beautiful unexpected shape and the contouring on Brigitte Helm's already Roman nose gives an amazing structure to her face, helping to remind us that she is in fact a machine.
One of my favorite scenes is where Maria treats us to an erotic dance. Part Josephine Baker, part Egyptian and part mental! Check it out in full swing around 02:30 in the video below.
Finally, no silent movie is complete without some heavily made up blokes. Eyebrows to die for here and when you think about it, it makes sense. Eyebrows comunicate so much about our emotions when we speak, and silent movies were all about exagerated emotions.
