Fritz Lang, Metropolis, UFA|Paramount Pictures, 1927.
Walter Ruttmann. Lichtspiel Opus I. 1921.
Lichtspiel Opus I premiered in Germany in 1921, the first abstract film to be publicly screened. In the film, Ruttmann mastered the technical means to realise his abstract imagery in film. William Moritz provides an interesting description of these technical methods: '[Ruttmann's] first animations for Opus No. I were painted with oil on glass plates beneath an animation camera, shooting a frame after each brush stroke or each alteration because the wet paint could be wiped away or modified quite easily. He later combined this with geometric cut-outs on a separate layer of glass.' -J. Valcke