Citizendia
Your Ad Here

For a discussion of German Expressionism in painting, see Expressionism. Expressionism is the tendency of an artist to distort reality for an Emotional effect it is a subjective art form

From Nosferatu (1922): the shadow of the vampire is seen climbing stairs in the famous film
From Nosferatu (1922): the shadow of the vampire is seen climbing stairs in the famous film

German Expressionism (also referred to as Expressionism in filmmaking) developed in Germany, especially Berlin, during the 1920s. Nosferatu A Symphony of Horror is a German Expressionist film by F Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Golden Twenties in Berlin was a vibrant period in the History of Berlin, German history, and European history in general The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the " Jazz Age " or the " Roaring Twenties " when speaking about the United States and Canada The Expressionism movement started earlier, in about 1905 with the Die Brücke (The Bridge) group, but arose in the filming industry afterward. During the period of recovery following World War I, the German film industry was booming, but because of the hard economic times filmmakers found it difficult to create movies that could compare with the lush, extravagant features coming from Hollywood. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The filmmakers of the German UFA studio developed their own style by using symbolism and mise en scène to add mood and deeper meaning to a movie. Universum Film AG, better known as Ufa or UFA, was the principal film studio in Germany, home of the German film industry during the Weimar Republic "Symbolic" redirects here For other uses see Symbolism (disambiguation and Symbolic (disambiguation. Mise-en-scène (mizɑ̃sɛn is an expression used in the theatre and film worlds to describe the design aspects of a production Authors set a Tone in literature by conveying an emotion/feeling or emotions/feelings through words

Contents

1920s-1930s

The first Expressionist films, The Golem (1920), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), Destiny (1921), Nosferatu (1922), Phantom (1922), Schatten (1923), and The Last Laugh (1924), were highly symbolic and deliberately surrealistic portrayals of filmed stories. The Golem How He Came Into the World (original German title Der Golem wie er in die Welt kam) is a 1920 silent Horror Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar Caligari redirects here For the company see Caligari Corporation. Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar Year 1921 ( MCMXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1921 calendar of the Gregorian calendar Nosferatu A Symphony of Horror is a German Expressionist film by F Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Phantom ( 1922) is a Silent film that was directed by F W Murnau the same year Murnau directed Nosferatu. Schatten - Eine nächtliche Halluzination ("Shadows - a Nocturnal Hallucination" also known in English as Warning Shadows) is a 1923 German Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Last Laugh ( Der letzte Mann) is a German 1924 Silent film directed by German director F Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

One of the best expressionist actors was Fritz Kortner, who played also in Viennese films and Berlin films. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. The dada movement was sweeping across the artistic world in the early 1920s, and the various European cultures of the time had embraced an ethic of change, and a willingness to look to the future by experimenting with bold, new ideas and artistic styles. For other meanings see Dada (disambiguation DaDa is a Concept album by Alice Cooper, released The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the " Jazz Age " or the " Roaring Twenties " when speaking about the United States and Canada The first Expressionist films made up for a lack of lavish budgets by using set designs with wildly non-realistic, geometrically absurd sets, along with designs painted on walls and floors to represent lights, shadows, and objects. The plots and stories of the Expressionist films often dealt with madness, insanity, betrayal, and other "intellectual" topics (as opposed to standard action-adventure and romantic films); the German name for this type of storytelling was called Kammerspielfilm ("chamber film" in English). Traditionally insanity or madness is the behaviour whereby a person flouts societal norms and may become a danger to himself and others An intellectual (from the adjective meaning "involving thought and reason" is a person who tries to use his or her Intelligence and analytical thinking, Later films often categorized as part of the brief history of German Expressionism include Metropolis (1927) and M (1931), both directed by Fritz Lang. Metropolis is a silent Science fiction film directed by Fritz Lang and written by Lang and Thea von Harbou. Year 1927 ( MCMXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. M is a 1931 German drama - thriller directed by Fritz Lang and written by Lang and his wife Thea von Harbou Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang ( December 5, 1890 &ndash August 2, 1976) was an Austrian German - American

Still from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Still from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

The extreme non-realism of Expressionism was short-lived, and it faded away (along with Dadaism) after only a few years. Caligari redirects here For the company see Caligari Corporation. Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar For other meanings see Dada (disambiguation DaDa is a Concept album by Alice Cooper, released However, the themes of Expressionism were integrated into later films of the 1920s and 1930s, resulting in an artistic control over the placement of scenery, light, and shadow to enhance the mood of a film. The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the " Jazz Age " or the " Roaring Twenties " when speaking about the United States and Canada The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. This dark, moody school of filmmaking was brought to America when the Nazis gained power and a number of German filmmakers emigrated to Hollywood. Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German They found a number of American movie studios willing to embrace them, and several German directors and cameramen flourished there, producing a repertoire of Hollywood films that had a profound effect on the medium of film as a whole.

Two genres that were especially influenced by Expressionism were the horror film and film noir. Horror films are Movies that strive to elicit Fear, Horror and terror responses from viewers Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize moral ambiguity and sexual motivation Carl Laemmle and Universal Studios had made a name for themselves by producing such famous horror films of the silent era as Lon Chaney's The Phantom of the Opera. This article is about Carl Laemmle the founder of Universal Pictures. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Horror films are Movies that strive to elicit Fear, Horror and terror responses from viewers Lon Chaney ( April 1 1883 &ndash August 26 1930) nicknamed " The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American The Phantom of the Opera is a 1925 Silent film directed by Rupert Julian adaptation of the Gaston Leroux novel of the same German emigrees such as Karl Freund (the cinematographer for Dracula in 1931) set the style and mood of the Universal monster movies of the 1930s with their dark and artistically designed sets, providing a model for later generations of horror films. Karl W Freund, ASC ( January 16, 1890 - May 3, 1969) was an Oscar-winning German cinematographer and Film director Dracula is a classic 1931 Horror film directed by Tod Browning and starring Béla Lugosi as the title character Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Monster Movie (also can be referred to as Creature Feature or Monster Film) is a name commonly given to Movies, which centre The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. Directors such as Fritz Lang, Billy Wilder, Otto Preminger, Alfred Hitchcock, and Michael Curtiz introduced the Expressionist style to crime dramas of the 1940s, influencing a further line of film makers and taking Expressionism through the years. Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang ( December 5, 1890 &ndash August 2, 1976) was an Austrian German - American Billy Wilder ( June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian born Jewish - American Journalist Otto Ludwig Preminger ( December 5[[ 906]]&ndash April 23[[ 986]] was an Austrian born Film director who moved from the theatre to Hollywood Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 Michael Curtiz ( December 24, 1886 - April 10, 1962) was an Academy Award -winning Hungarian-American Film director The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949 Events and trends The 1940s was a period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s which also leads the period to be

More Recent Films Influenced by German Expressionism

Werner Herzog's 1979 film "Nosferatu the Vampyre" was a tribute F.W. Murnau's "Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens". Werner Herzog (born Werner H Stipetić; September 5 1942 is a German Film director, Screenwriter, actor and Opera director Nosferatu the Vampyre ( Ger. Nosferatu Phantom der Nacht, Eng. Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, better known as F W Murnau ( December 28, 1888 &ndash March 11, 1931) was one of the most influential Nosferatu A Symphony of Horror is a German Expressionist film by F The film uses Expressionist techniques of highly symbolic acting and symbolic events to tell it's story[1]. Notably it links the vampire myth with the black death through the use of black rats. Vampires are mythological or folkloric revenants who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest Pandemics in human history widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia

Ambitious adaptations of the style are depicted throughout the contemporary filmography of director Tim Burton. Timothy "Tim" William Burton (born August 25 1958 is an American Film director, Screenwriter and Set designer, notable for the quirky His 1992 film Batman Returns is often cited as a modern attempt to capture the essence of German Expressionism. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Batman Returns is a 1992 Superhero film directed by Tim Burton. The angular building designs and severe-looking city squares of Gotham City evoke the loom and menace present in Lang’s Metropolis. Metropolis is a silent Science fiction film directed by Fritz Lang and written by Lang and Thea von Harbou. One may even notice the link between the evil character of Max Shreck portrayed by Christopher Walken, and Nosferatu's star, Max Schreck. Christopher Walken (born March 31 1943 is an American Film and Theatre Actor. Nosferatu A Symphony of Horror is a German Expressionist film by F Maximilian "Max" Schreck ( September 6, 1879 &ndash February 20, 1936) was a German Actor.

Burton's influences are most obvious through his fairy tale suburban landscape in Edward Scissorhands . Timothy "Tim" William Burton (born August 25 1958 is an American Film director, Screenwriter and Set designer, notable for the quirky Edward Scissorhands is a 1990 American Fantasy film, written by Tim Burton and Caroline Thompson, and directed by The appearance of the titular Edward Scissorhands none too accidentally reflects the look of Caligari's somnambulist servant. Caligari redirects here For the company see Caligari Corporation. Burton casts a kind of unease in his candy-colored suburb, where the tension is visually unmasked through Edward and his gothic castle perched above the houses. Burton subverts the Caligari nightmare with his own narrative branding, casting the garish “somnambulist” as the hero, and the villagers as the villains.

The familiar look of Caligari's main character can also be seen in the movie The Crow. With the tight, black outfit, white makeup, and darkened eyes, Brandon Lee's character is obviously a close relative to Burton's film Edward Scissorhands.

Burton was also reportedly influenced by silent films and German Expressionism for his film adaptation of the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007 film), he himself described the musical on stage as a "silent film with music". Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 2007 musical thriller and the Film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim and

Other examples


There is also the use of German expressionism in the work of David Lynch, most notably Eraserhead and Lost Highway, both films seemingly bent on insanity created by a lack of being able to cope with adult themes such as fatherhood and infidelity.

Ties to other media

Expressionism as a movement spanned across media to include theater, architecture, music, painting, and sculpture, as well. Architecture, in particular, serves as an iconic way to bring the inner emotions of the individual into the public sphere, and therefore is most closely tied to the concepts of German Expressionism, but film extends the visual strengths of architecture into a more compelling, natural format. Many critics see a direct tie between cinema and architecture of the time, in the sense that the sets and scene artwork of expressionist films often reveal buildings of sharp angles, great heights, and crowded environments, such as the frequently shown Tower of Babel in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. Metropolis is a silent Science fiction film directed by Fritz Lang and written by Lang and Thea von Harbou.

See also

References

  1. ^ See Rotten Tomatoes article[1]

External links


Kammerspiel was a German film movement of the 1920s Silent film period that was developed around the same time as the more commonly known German Expressionism The Golden Twenties in Berlin was a vibrant period in the History of Berlin, German history, and European history in general Chiaroscuro ( Italian for light-dark) is a term in Art for a contrast between light and dark Expressionism is the tendency of an artist to distort reality for an Emotional effect it is a subjective art form Expressionist architecture was an architectural movement that developed in Europe during the first decades of the 20th century in parallel with the expressionist Cinema in Germany can be traced back to the very beginnings of the medium at the end of the 19th century —This is a list of films whose setting is Berlin, Germany. A2Z 2005, Old man and his Lolita are commited to kill each other this Universum Film AG, better known as Ufa or UFA, was the principal film studio in Germany, home of the German film industry during the Weimar Republic
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic