German Expressionism

The expressionist film was made mainly in Germany, especially in the " movie capital" of Berlin, in the silent era of the first half of the 1920s. Often, therefore, also speaks of German Expressionism. But even in the years before already appeared first expressionist elements in Austrian productions - the so-called " vorexpressionistischen " films, which developed out of the hand much popular literary adaptations.

Stylistic devices

Characteristic features are strongly influenced by the expressionist painting grotesquely distorted scenes and the high-contrast lighting, which was further supported by painted shade. Through a surrealist and symbolist mise- en- scène strong moods and deeper levels of meaning are created.

In addition, however, it is primarily the stresses exaggerated gestural style of play of the actors which characterizes the Expressionist this film flow. It is borrowed from the artistic predecessor, the stage Expressionism.

History and Development

After the First World War, the German -language film industry experienced a strong recovery, but without having the budgets that Hollywood would have been comparable to those. Thus, the German -language film was forced for economic reasons, to compensate for the lack of technology and equipment by other means. Since at the same time in Germany and Austria, there was a great experiment will in all art styles, this also led to radical new creations in the film, which were strongly influenced by the expressionist art forms.

First " vorexpressionistische " productions included the Fritz- freisler productions The Bivouac of Mischli - mixing hole (1918 ), The Mandarin (1918 ) and the other I (1918). Completing the main cast of this production included Harry Walden, Karl Goetz and Fritz Kortner who was considered the best expressionistic performing actor in the 1920s.

As probably the first film that began expressionist style means Jacob and Luise spot is called The Serpent of passion from the year 1918. The dramatic design of the fever - nightmare through which the main character is refined, speaks for this assumption. Paul Czinner also staged in Vienna 1919 the " Vorexpressionismus " attributable to work: Inferno.

During the silent era, the UFA studios in Potsdam- Babelsberg in Berlin were the largest film production facility in the German-speaking countries, which is why numerous Austrian directors, screenwriters and actors in Berlin were resident temporarily or permanently, and thus mitbeeinflussten German film. The best known example is the director Fritz Lang, but also the writers Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer, who wrote the screenplay for the first famous expressionist production The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari from 1919.

The heyday of the Expressionist film were the years 1920 to 1925, as the most important expressionist films appeared. These include Paul Wegener's The Golem: How He Came Into the World (1920 ), Fritz Lang's Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922 ) and Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror (1922 ). Significant expressionist works also came from Austria, where the silent film heritage late recognized as significant, secured, and has begun the research, which is why many areas could only be inadequately represented in the film literature. Secure evidence of the integration of expressionist style elements in Austrian films are Robert Wiene's Orlac 's hands (1924 ) and - in parodic form - Hans Karl Breslauer The City without Jews ( 1924).

Important Movies

• The Serpent of Passion (1918, directed by Jacob and Luise Fleck )
• The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920, directed by Robert Wiene )
• From morning to midnight (1920, directed by Karl Heinz Martin)
• Genuine (1920, directed by Robert Wiene )
• The Golem: How He Came Into the World (1920, directed by Paul Wegener)
• The tired Death (1921, directed by Fritz Lang)
• The Wildcat (1921, directed by Ernst Lubitsch - Expressionism Parody)
• Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922, directed by Fritz Lang)
• Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror (1922, directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau )
• Vanina (1922, directed by Arthur von Gerlach )
• Phantom (1922, directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau )
• Shadow (1923, directed by Arthur Robison )
• Raskolnikov (1923, directed by Robert Wiene )
• The Road (1923, directed by Karl Grune )
• Aelita (1924, directed by Yakov Protasanow )
• Orlac 's hands (1924, directed by Robert Wiene )
• The City without Jews (1924, directed by Hans Karl Breslauer )
• Waxworks (1924, directed by Paul Leni )
• The Last Man (1924, directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau )
• To chronicle of Grieshuus (1925, directed by Arthur von Gerlach )
• Faust - a German folk tale (1926, directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau )
• The mantle (1926, directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg )
• Metropolis (1927, directed by Fritz Lang)

Afterlife

The short period of the expressionist film mid -1920s was already over again. When in 1933 many of the previous protagonists left Germany in the direction of Hollywood after the Nazis seized power, after-effects were only there to feel. Especially two genres were influenced by it and may be considered " heirs " of the film Expressionism: The horror film and the film noir.

And by the surrealist film ( Luis Buñuel, Salvador Dalí: Un Chien Andalou ): Today the work of David Lynch from the expressionist (M Fritz Lang) seems to be inspired. Werner Herzog turned in 1979 as a tribute, a Nosferatu remake with Klaus Kinski in the lead role. Also a remake with sound of a famous expressionist silent film turned the American director David Lee Fisher in 2006 with the also as the original black and white twisted The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, with today's players to interact via blue screen before the scenes of the original film.

Tim Burton builds often bizarre scenes in his films. Very influenced by the expressionist models are, for example, the scenes in the world of spirits in Beetlejuice, or "Halloween Town" in The Nightmare Before Christmas and the scenes in the movie Corpse Bride - Corpse Bride. Lemony Snicket - Mysterious events, the film adaptation of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, is highly oriented to these films Burton and is therefore also strongly resembles the expressionist style.

Today's movies with expressionist influence

• Forbidden Zone (directed by Richard Elfman )
• The Nightmare Before Christmas (directed by Henry Selick )
• Corpse Bride (directed by Tim Burton and Mike Johnson)
• Lemony Snicket 's A Series of Unfortunate Events ( German: Mysterious events, directed by Brad Silberling )
• La Cité des enfants perdus (English: The City of Lost Children, directed by Marc Caro and Jean -Pierre Jeunet )