German Expressionism

What Is German Expressionism ? German Expressionism refers to the numerous amounts of artistic movements which begun in Germany before WW1. Germany were a part of a bigger Expressionist movement, in north and central Europe. The various culture areas were painting, cinema and architecture. August Macke was one of the leading participants of the German Expressionist group The Blue Rider (Der Blaue Reiter). He watched the progress of the German expressionist movement and was fortunate enough to see the of avent-garde. Franz Marc was a German painter and also a key icon and member of The Blue Rider

The History Due to the isolation in Germany during World War 1 the German Expressionist movement was restricted. In 1916 the government banned foreign films. Resulting in the increase of German films rising from 24 films in 1914 to 130 in 1918. Though the Expressionist movement had died after 1933, there is no doubt that it has had an influence on films today especially within the horror genre. Some of the first German Expressionist films where The Student of Prague (1913), Nosferatu (1922), Schatten (1923), Destiny (1922), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), The Last Laugh (1924) and Phantom (1922).

Themes and conventions Insanity Madness Betrayal Violence (murder) Mystery Paranoia Shadows Low Key lighting Dark make up Harsh contrasts between dark and light. Extravagant characters (strange dancing and jerky movement) Slow camera work and cross cutting.

The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari Realeased in February 1920 Director: Robert Wiene The Genre inspired film noir’s lighting/shadow style and this can be traced back to German Expressionist cinema. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari has great examples that influenced the film noir moment. The story is narrated and the narrator seems to be in a mental state, in order to portray this to the audience Wiene hired three expressionist artists (Hermann warm, Walter Rohrig and Walter Reimann) to design the sets that showed this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAtpxqajFak

Nosferatu Released in March 1922 Director: Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau This film Nosferatu shows of the strong bold artistic, through the settings, lighting, props, characters and sound which represent the German Expressionism style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-DrKgjit4I

Influence on Film Noir The Film Noir era in Hollywood started around the 1940s right through to the late 1950s. Film Noir unique style took some influence from German Expressionism cinema. Showcasing the use of low key lighting, black and white imagery with a colour overlay in some cases. With in increase in German filmmakers finding themselves settling down in the United States, had an impact on Hollywood films and saw the beginning of Film Noir as a strong foundation was built.