@nes1983: Maria is clutching her hands to her chest to show piety. People exaggerated their actions in these old silent films.

@krakenzmama - This movie is among the very few silent films that even the average joe might have heard of. If someone can name 5-10 silents, you can be quite certain that Metropolis is one of them. It's also among the most respected and regarded films of all time. It's frequently referenced to as the best film of the 20s, and most all time lists as well as text books will reference to it. For a movie from 1927 it would be hard to be more known.

"The mediator between head and hands must be the heart!" I don't know why, but I love this line. And the movie. Light-years ahead of its time.