German Expressionism -
German expressionist films were powerful in the 1920's. Among most well well remembered are films such as The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Nosfertu, Metropolis and sunrise. These films were united by highly stylized visuals with strange atmospheric camera angles, ambient lighting and harsh contrasts between dark and light. Shadows and silhouettes were an important feature of expressionism to the intent that they were actually painted on the sets in The Cabinet of Dr Caligari.
The story lines of German expressionist films matched the visuals in terms of darkness and disillusionment. They often show a dark and dull mood of the character bu featuring them from a corrupt underworld of crime, the films' dramatic effects and produced feelings of claustrophobia and paranoia. The same words can be used to describe the 1940's Hollywood film noir, a genre hugely influenced by German expressionism.
German expressionism was the answer to all the grim realities of daily life more than any other movement in the history of films. However it was not so much a direct relay of life to art. German expressionism was more of a filter, a way of assembling the horrific mess of post-war Germany to display on the screen. The films presented a way to represent the reality that only a few could of imagined of in the film genres time, which include Sex murders, depression, veterans mutilated in the war, loss of innocence and complete rejection of the past which included things that the German people dealt with during the post war years of 1919-1929. This was called the Weimar Period in film history. The films produced by Germany in this desperate time captured the cry of a broken nation and people horrified by the everyday not knowing what is going to happen.
Before the great war German film was not nearly as technical or thematically themed as other European film. Until 1910 German films just consisted of short crude day in the life events. It was only until right at the start of the war did Germany get deep with the films that they were creating. Der Student von Prag (The student of parague - 1913 by dir. Guido Seeber) is commonly known as early expressionism. This is because of the themes that the film included with the dark lighting it marked the start of German Expressionism.
A German Expressionism film includes the techniques of:
- Unexpected camera angles and very little camera movement
- Stark contrasts of light and shadow for various effects
- artificial stylized sets. Stripped of all realistic details and psychology - sets that become symbolic diagrams of emotional states
- Overly theatrical - actors move in jerky, slow patterns and have heavy make up.
- Interrogation of all elements of the scene to create an overall composition.
Some of these expressionist techniques aim to:
- Draw away from realistic details
- Bring out the detail of an object, situation or state of being.
- Express a subjective viewpoint
- Also to create mystery, extreme emotional states and destabilization
German expressionism was the answer to all the grim realities of daily life more than any other movement in the history of films. However it was not so much a direct relay of life to art. German expressionism was more of a filter, a way of assembling the horrific mess of post-war Germany to display on the screen. The films presented a way to represent the reality that only a few could of imagined of in the film genres time, which include Sex murders, depression, veterans mutilated in the war, loss of innocence and complete rejection of the past which included things that the German people dealt with during the post war years of 1919-1929. This was called the Weimar Period in film history. The films produced by Germany in this desperate time captured the cry of a broken nation and people horrified by the everyday not knowing what is going to happen.
Before the great war German film was not nearly as technical or thematically themed as other European film. Until 1910 German films just consisted of short crude day in the life events. It was only until right at the start of the war did Germany get deep with the films that they were creating. Der Student von Prag (The student of parague - 1913 by dir. Guido Seeber) is commonly known as early expressionism. This is because of the themes that the film included with the dark lighting it marked the start of German Expressionism.
A German Expressionism film includes the techniques of:
- Unexpected camera angles and very little camera movement
- Stark contrasts of light and shadow for various effects
- artificial stylized sets. Stripped of all realistic details and psychology - sets that become symbolic diagrams of emotional states
- Overly theatrical - actors move in jerky, slow patterns and have heavy make up.
- Interrogation of all elements of the scene to create an overall composition.
Some of these expressionist techniques aim to:
- Draw away from realistic details
- Bring out the detail of an object, situation or state of being.
- Express a subjective viewpoint
- Also to create mystery, extreme emotional states and destabilization
No comments:
Post a Comment