German Expressionism in Film

EXPRESSIONISM IN FILM

This week's class discussion focused on the various art movements within Germany and how the artists during different movements took it upon themselves to bring politics and societal issues into the art world to bring attention to the struggles of various classes. One of those movements named German Expressionism took place around 1905-1920 and as such the artists' during this time were highly influenced by the growing anxiety throughout Europe and portrayed this feeling of apprehension and distrust of authority and the past generations way of life through their art. Additionally, Expressionism shifted the focus of art subjects away from the traditional portrayal of the physical world in favor of showing the unique artist's own emotions and feelings surrounding whatever form the art takes shape into. This new art form was not limited exclusively to painting but bled significantly into other forms of art such as architecture and cinematography. 

The industry of cinematography within Germany gained rapid success thanks to the unique new viewpoints and focus on emotions through the Expressionistic movement. Originally starting off as short films which were easily accessible to the public through general showings at festivals or other events, its growing popularity demanded an increase in production. Along with that growth, Germanys' isolationism and ban on foreign films during 1910s and post WWI, caused their domestic film industry to become a major powerhouse of intriguing films. The fantastic aspect of German cinematography and its combination with Expressionism was that it combined rich emotion and feelings through grotesque and imaginative sets and makeup to convey to the audience various psychological themes questioning the reality the audience lives in. 

The Student of Prague (1913) is one of the first German films that really launched German cinema into an art form rather than pure entertainment at public events. This film took the general public’s dissociation with what to do with the onslaught of the new century and combined it with a blend of an Edgar Allan Poe thriller with the German legend of Faust. It was extremely popular due to its psychoanalytical viewpoint on the main character and his dilemma throughout the film through the constant reoccurring presence of his doppelgänger at the most inopportune moments forcing him to reflect on his actions before ever completing them. Expressionism heightened the thrill of suspense through the movements love of harsh colors in the black and white film via intense shadows and contrast to brighten emotions and cast hysteria among the audience. This use of lighting and convoluted psychological subplots in the film is continued onwards throughout German film creating a unique questioning aura surrounding what the true meaning behind the plot is and the morality of the protagonists within such a convoluted world, and consequently what that entails when compared to the films mirroring aspect on reality.

Another example of a film that continues the aspects the Expressionist art movement within cinematography is The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). The director of this film, Robert Wiene, hired two well-known Expressionists painters Walter Reimann and Hermann Warm to be a part of the production team. Their work on the sets conveys perfectly the aesthetic of the Expressionist movement as they successfully used artistic styles vastly different from previous methods of creating sets. The landscapes were created to evoke fear and anxiety through slanting harsh divisions in the walls and windows as well as dark gloomy shadows within the audience as they watch the nightmarish story on the screen. This constant pushing of negative feelings onto the audience simply though the visual appearance of the setting of the film is consistent with the time period in which Caligari was created post WWI portraying the German populations distrust in what the future has in store for them and dislike of the imbalance of power of authority figures over general public.

Claire Eberhart