This particular French Metropolis Film Poster may not command the same instant recognition as its more famous counterparts, yet it stands as another profoundly striking piece of promotional art for Fritz Lang’s monumental dystopian film. This superb piece of sci-fi artwork was meticulously crafted by the prodigious Russian-born designer and artist, Boris Bilinsky. Having emigrated to Germany in 1920, where he immersed himself in theatre, Bilinsky subsequently journeyed to Paris in 1923.
There, he honed his artistic skills, studying painting under the esteemed Léon Bakst, before embarking on a career as a celebrated set and costume designer. His early triumphs included the opulent costumes for Jean Epstein’s 1924 film Le Lion des Mogols and a series of exquisitely detailed designs for Alexander Volkoff’s Casanova, which collectively brought him to the forefront of the art world’s attention.
Boris Bilinsky: The Mastermind Behind the French Metropolis Film Poster
Over the ensuing decade, Bilinsky’s prolific output saw him design approximately two to three film posters annually. Despite this impressive volume, many of the films he promoted did not achieve widespread critical acclaim. Between 1920 and 1940, he is estimated to have created around fifty movie posters, primarily for the renowned Italian studio Titanus.
These often featured leading Italian actors of the era, such as Valentina Cortese, Isa Miranda, Massimo Girotti, and Rossano Brazzi. Throughout this period, Bilinsky maintained his commitment to theatre, designing sets for plays and ballets in prestigious venues across Rome and Milan.
Notably, some of his movie posters were commissioned to promote British and American films for their French theatrical release, further expanding his artistic reach and proving his versatility in capturing the essence of various cinematic visions for the French Metropolis Film Poster.
By 1927, Bilinsky had already cemented his reputation as a prolific and highly respected cinema poster artist. It was around this pivotal time that the French film distribution company L’Alliance Cinématographique Européenne (ACE) commissioned Bilinsky to create promotional materials for the eagerly anticipated release of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. Acting as the agent for the German film company UFA, ACE aimed to launch the cinematic epic in France that October, following its earlier premiere in Germany.
A diverse array of promotional items, encompassing posters, books, postcards, programmes, newspaper advertisements, and magazine spreads, were produced by various French artists. These materials began circulating throughout France shortly after the German premiere and continued to do so into 1928.
Bilinsky’s comprehensive contribution to the Metropolis campaign included no less than five distinct film posters, a compelling photomontage, and an insightful press book. His posters are unquestionably among the most visually arresting and artistically captivating pieces of promotional artwork ever associated with Lang’s utopian, industrial gothic masterpiece, including this stunning French Metropolis Film Poster.
Design Ingenuity: Capturing Lang’s Vision in the French Metropolis Film Poster
Bilinsky’s creative genius for Metropolis extended to two 1-sheet cityscape photomontage posters, a striking 2-sheet poster that dramatically depicted the three transformative faces of Maria—the virgin, the robot, and the vamp—and two formidable 4-sheet posters.
The first of these, featured prominently in this listing, showcases a singular, imposing skyscraper with the word “Metropolis” elegantly descending its entire length. The other presents a wonderfully graphic, futuristic vision. Both original 4-sheet posters were of an impressive scale, measuring a colossal 94 inches tall by 126 inches wide.
Director Fritz Lang’s profound inspiration for the set of Metropolis directly stemmed from the magnificent architectural Art Deco marvels of New York City, particularly its towering skyscrapers. The film’s futuristic urban landscape, with its soaring, intricate cityscape, powerfully mirrors the grandeur and verticality characteristic of New York’s skyline during Lang’s visit.
He famously alluded to this influence in an interview, stating, “I peered into the streets – the dazzling lights and the enormous skyscrapers – and there I created Metropolis. The structures appeared to be a vertical sail, sparkling and incredibly light… hanging in the black sky to dazzle, divert, and mesmerise.” It is these very elements that Bilinsky masterfully developed to realise Lang’s breathtaking vision of a futuristic, dystopian city in the French Metropolis Film Poster.
In the film, colossal skyscrapers pierce the stratosphere, dwarfing the humans below. Biplanes gracefully navigate the city streets at low altitudes, while an unending stream of black motorcars traverses angular, elevated expressways within this supposed Utopian paradise.
All the while, the dazzling brilliance of neon advertising signs pulses and illuminates the Upper City. Bilinsky’s stunning French Metropolis Film Poster artwork depicts a stark, grey skyscraper that majestically stretches toward the heavens, its towering silhouette dissolving into the ethereal embrace of the sky, ascending almost as far as the eye can see.
Endless columns of windows create a mesmerising, regimented pattern, stretching infinitely into the distance, vanishing into a sharp geometric perspective towards the horizon. These precise, square architectural window panes ascend twenty stories high, yet astonishingly, this impressive height accounts for merely a quarter of the building’s towering stature, powerfully emphasising the monumental scale of its vertical dominance.
Seemingly inspired by the iconic Flat Iron building, located in Manhattan, New York City, at the intersection of Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and East 22nd Street, Bilinsky’s depicted structure sits dramatically on a triangular block formed by two converging streets.
Within the Metropolis film, the urban landscape is adorned with a spectacular array of billboard hoardings and vibrant neon signs, painting the cityscape with a dazzling tapestry of colours and messages. These luminous advertisements and towering hoardings transform the city into a visual symphony, where flickering neon and bold billboards converge to create a captivating spectacle, reflecting the vibrant energy and commercial pulse of the metropolis.
Bilinsky has cleverly referenced this dynamic visual at the end of the building where the two rows of windows meet, with a large black sign emblazoned with bright red letters that vertically spell out the name of Lang’s iconic movie. The artist has signed his name subtly to the right of the tall, imposing structure.
French text appears above and below the skyscraper, reading “Mise en scéne Fritz Lang – Scenario de Thea Von Harbou. Présente par Alliance Cinématographique Européenne. 11 Rue Volney, Paris.” In English, this translates to “Directed by Fritz Lang – Screenplay by Thea Von Harbou. Presented by European Cinematographic Alliance. 11 Rue Volney, Paris.” Both the UFA and ACE logos are prominently displayed at the top of the French Metropolis Film Poster print.
