The German silent movie METROPOLIS was released in 1927. Directed by the legendary Fritz Lang, it has become a classic film and it can be viewed at the METROPOLIS website. METROPOLIS is a science fiction vision of the social effects of Capitalism. One of the protagonists in the story is Hel, a female robot who is shown wearing a helmet, surrounded by pulsating rings, and is given a human face. This pair of bookends apparently represents Hel. It is unmarked, 6.25 inches tall, bronze and marble, with a celluloid face. Celluloid hands are missing from this pair. Because of the marble base and celluloid parts, it is attributed to the Hirsch foundry, circa 1931.
The male protagonist in METROPOLIS is named Freder. He deals with long clock hands and immense levers and switches in parts of the film. This pair of bookends apparently represents Freder, wearing futuristic clothing and enmeshed in abstract levers and switches. The pair is unmarked, six inches tall, gray metal and marble, and attributed to the Hirsch Foundry, circa 1931.