walter schulze-mittendorff 7sins
Death and the Seven Deadly Sins
2. The Creation of the Sculptures Death and the Seven Deadly Sins
The Robot and Death and the Seven Deadly Sins stand out among the sculptures that Walter Schulze-Mittendorff created for the film Metropolis and they have something in common: they are constructed as plastic costumes, which are worn by actors.
For the sculptor two very different forms of execution ensue from these two artistic tasks. While the construction of the Metropolis Robot presents itself as somewhat of a problem, which he masters through lucky circumstances and in the moment of his working with it (see: The Metropolis Robot, 1st chapter) he creates Death and the Seven Deadly Sins in the traditional manner. He draws sketches to begin with, and from these he models the group in eight miniatures, each 30 centimetres high. These serve as a three-dimensional set and costume design so to speak, because the eight figures in the respective film scene are modelled after this original setting. Aside from the body posture the miniature sculptures display the eight heads are the most important means of expression for them to be identified as the Death and the Seven Deadly Sins. Walter Schulze-Mittendorff creates these – oversized – heads separately, since they are needed as whole-head masks.
„DEATH AND THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS“:
The group appears as a life-sized woodcarving in the cathedral. The figures come to life – they step down from their pedestals – go to the city and there they spread their "peculiarities" (according to the script!). So they were, in fact, actors – that were put in a "wrap" of a Gothic-style form-character – which could be made from thick, hard, and wired jute. Their heads were under a so- called "whole-head mask" – made of the same material the Machine Man was created with. The original plaster models of the masks are still in my possession. (No photographs) (Today owned by the Deutsche Kinemathek, Berlin) For the figures of the group I made approximately 30 cm high – sculpted figurines – (from plaster) – that still exist today in cast-bronze – although they are unfortunately no longer in my possession.
Walter Schulze-Mittendorff, Memories, March 1969
Walter Schulze-Mittendorff, far left, Fritz Lang beside him.
On the right, Karl Freund and Gottfried Huppertz.
Fritz Lang paints the teeth of the Death black.
Walter Schulze-Mittendorff, far left, checking the head of the Death.
Fritz Lang, right, puts the scythe into the Death's hands.
MEN:
DEATH
GLUTTONY
AVARICE
ENVY
WRATH
WOMEN:
SLOTH
VANITY
LUST
