German Expressionism


German film is widely regarded as the first artistic movement of film. Dating back to the 1920’s as an early film movement that at one point led the film revolution in Europe. Where the US film industry was solely involved in profits, German film had art and profit at the forefront. Not only did filmmakers seek help from artists to create but most expressionism films were an escape from the troubles of the Weimar Republic.


The Weimar government rose from the end of World War One. A disjointed political setup which created huge amounts of inflation, uncertainty, unemployment and most worryingly the rise of Hitler. But most importantly it created a new genre of Film. German expressionism offered escapism form the turmoil of the political landscape.[1]“Between 1919-1923, while the German economy faltered the commercial film industry flourished.”

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) directed by Fritz Lang was beginning of collaboration in German cinema whereby a film wasn’t solely formed by its director but a cooperation of work. It is widely observed as one of the finest classic silent horror movies. “The film’s morbid evocation of horror, menace, and anxiety and the dramatic, shadowy lighting and bizarre sets became a stylistic model for later Expressionist films.”


Nosferatu (1922) is another crucial film of the expressionism movement. The stylised movements indicate a huge amount of information about the German society of Weimar Germany. The presence of threat is instantly clear. Count Orlok (Vampire) arrives from the east which is a metaphor for the impending threat of Russia. The way that Orlok passes through scenes is a clear representation of a rat which in Germany would have been a symbol to characterise Jews. Jews were antagonised due to their wealth and ways of living and the fact that Orlok lives in a decadent mansion is another clue to the wider message.

Nosferatu’s depiction of women is also intriguing. “Hutter is sent by his boss to Transylvania to visit a new client, Count Orlok. Meanwhile, he gives his wife to his best friend Harding to look after her whilst he is away.” Women in this period were seen as weak and incapable of looking after themselves and the movements of Hutter’s support this.



It’s important to note the movement’s importance in the beginning of Mis en Scene to the film world. The artistic focus in Germany allowed for greater attention to all aspects of a scene and Metropolis (1927) again directed by Fritz Lang is an early showcase of props, location and lighting under consideration. “Dark, exaggerated make-up and hair styles are expressionistic, as well as contrast between light and dark”

Metropolis involves the chaos of machines taking over the world, which is regarded by many as an analogy related to the rise of Nazism. Hitler was rapidly progressing through the political system by 1927 which highlights the relevance of Metropolis’ message. Machines with no emotions (Gestapo) would eventually form the future of Germany up until the end of World War Two.

Without the introduction of the world’s most influential art-house attempt of cinema, there’s no doubt the European Film industry would have been years behind Hollywood even into the present day. Even if the German message was often Dystopian.

[1] Murray, B. Film and the German left in Weimar Germany (University of Texas Press, 1990)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Zealand Cinema

Image
Cinema in New Zealand proves to be a slight mystery even today. With the industry only truly getting started from the 1970’s, the works are largely contemporary with characteristics from Hollywood mixed with New Zealand’s (NZ) own national identity of isolationism.  Isolationism is key in NZ society with a relatively similar land mass to the UK but a considerably lower population of around 60 million less people. New Zealand film overall has a dark outlook on the world and the quote “ Stories of murder, domestic violence, revenge and kidnapping have been named the best New Zealand movies ever made .” Which suggests that the real hard-hitting issues of everyday life and isolationism are the core themes of the contemporary NZ look. Once Were Warriors (1994) was a part of the renaissance period in NZ cinema where several dark and serious films were being produced into the mainstream.   The renaissance period refers to the 1990’s where tax breaks were in force f...
Read more

Masculinity in Crisis

Image
Masculinity as a theme in cinema is constantly changing. Filmmakers past and present have utilised film as a tool to represent the crisis in masculinity due to its wide reach and impact to society. In 1970’s America, Morale was at a low. The loss in Vietnam, followed by a series of weak presidents created a society of weak sensitive men. Enter: Ronald Reagan . Reagan’s [1] presidential style according to historian John Orman had 7 characteristics 1.        Competitive in politics & life 2.        Sports Minded and Athletic 3.        Decisive 4.        Unemotional 5.        Strong & Aggressive 6.        Powerful 7.        A ‘real’ man With Reagan as president, his aim was to return pride t...
Read more

Hollywood Film Industry

Image
The Hollywood film industry is the most recognised industry in the world. Since the early 1900’s to the present day there has been a constant interest in Hollywood film, not just as a novelty or a form of art but as a genuine source of large-scale income for America.  From the early 1900’s to 1920 the large amount of production was attributed to the porn industry. In tents and backrooms, a darker side of motion picture was at the forefront early on. Richard Abel suggests that [1] ‘This period in terms of infancy or immaturity; it was primitive cinema’ meaning that it was the first attempts of making cinema. Abel expands on that point by saying [2] ‘Early cinema was merely the workshop in which classical conventions of editing, framing and narrative were gradually crafted’ highlighting the importance of the early cinema in crafting areas for improvement that would shape the outlook for the future. Early cinema was only available to the more decadent areas of society ...
Read more