Afterthe release of Metropolis (1927), one of the most ambitious and influentialfilms of its era and an early pinnacle of cinematic science fiction, Fritz Langdirected a more modest feature, Spies (Spione) (1928). A briskly pacedthriller, Spies concerns a global criminal enterprise operating behind thefaçade of one of Europe’s largest, most respectable banks. The arch villain,Haghi, is made up to resemble Lenin, but his political affinities are vague. Heis in any event a master of disguise who, at the climax, shaves the Leningoatee and applies clown makeup.
Spiessuffers in contemporary eyes for its histrionic acting—odd, since Lang and manyof the era’s best silent directors had already transcended the broad gesturesof the earliest cinema. Perhaps the intention was comic relief? Spies has a bitof L’Vampire in its DNA, complete with an assassination carried out by gunmenin a speeding car and a criminal organization that penetrates even the deepestrecesses of the security services. But it also looks forward to the James Bondformula with a high-speed chase, a thumbnail-size camera and an evil mastermindcontrolling his empire by pushbutton and remote control.
Forhis next film, Woman in the Moon (1929), Lang returned to science fiction.Working with a team of rocket scientists (Germany led the field at the time),Lang and his wife-screenwriter Thea von Harbou created a scenario remarkablyprescient in many respects. For his moon launch, Lang depicted a multi-stageliquid fueled rocket launched via countdown; the first man on the moondescended from the capsule’s ladder onto the lunar surface, much like NeilArmstrong. The woman in the title refers to a female crewmember (Lang andHarbou were more advanced in their thinking than the Apollo program). Theirspace craft was considerably more commodious than the Apollo capsules and thedirector addressed the problem of weightlessness by installing straps for thecrew’s feet and hands.
Onegaffe in the science behind Woman on the Moon: the astronauts quickly discardtheir space suits (looking much like space suits from the late 20thcentury) when they realize that the moon has a breathable atmosphere.
