Martin Ebon grew up in Hamburg, Germany, before emigrating to the United States, in 1938, at 21 years old.

As a 10-year old, he experienced an early science fiction classic, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. The movie appears on almost every list of all-time greats from the first half of the 20th Century.

Influences: An excerpt from Wikipedia

“Metropolis features a range of elaborate special effects and set designs, ranging from a huge gothic cathedral to a futuristic cityscape.

In an interview, Fritz Lang reported that “the film was born from my first sight of the skyscrapers in New York in October 1924″. Describing his first impressions of the city, Lang said that “the buildings seemed to be a vertical sail, scintillating and very light, a luxurious backdrop, suspended in the dark sky to dazzle, distract and hypnotize”.

The appearance of the city in Metropolis is strongly informed by the Art Deco movement; however it also incorporates elements from other traditions. Ingeborg Hoesterey described the architecture featured in Metropolis as eclectic, writing how its locales represent both “functionalist modernism [and] art deco” whilst also featuring “the scientist’s archaic little house with its high-powered laboratory, the catacombs [and] the Gothic cathedral”.  The film’s use of art deco architecture was highly influential, and has been reported to have contributed to the style’s subsequent popularity in Europe and America.”

Later in his life, he expressed to me that seeing Metropolis was a large inspiration to move to New York City and become a writer. He accomplished both. I found it incredibly interesting that he was able to trace these to aspirations directly to this movie; a single experience at such a young age.

“Due both to its long running-time and footage censors found questionable, Metropolis was cut substantially after its German premiere; large portions of the film were lost over the subsequent decades.” ~ Wikipedia

“After a long restoration process, the restored film was shown on large screens in Berlin and Frankfurt simultaneously on 12 February 2010.”

~ Wikipedia

I’m ordering a copy of the fully restored movie on DVD, so I can fully appreciate it. Wish my dad had lived a few years longer so he and I could see the refreshed version, together, in my living room. I would have loved to see his flashbacks to his original reactions as a 10-year old in Hamburg.

I suspect few people have such singular inspiration and influence. I’ll just have to relive my dad’s experience.

Andy Ebon
First-Generation New Yorker