German Expressionism

"Expressionism" is a theory of theatric direction in which subjective feeling, rather than objective observation, is represented symbolically in form (shape, colour, contrast) and subject matter. Expressionism is a symbolic representation of the director's state of mind, rather than of events, places, or things. In Germany, it developed into an anguished style which tended to explore the darker sides of the psyche.

German expressionist films were prevalent in the 1920’s. These films were united by highly stylized visuals, strange asymmetrical camera angles, atmospheric lighting, non diegetic sounds and harsh contrasts between dark and light. Shadows and silhouettes were an important feature of expressionism, to the extent that they were actually painted on to the sets in some movies.

Many directors were able to use these techniques in their own style, creating tension, fear, excitement and intense feelings in the audience throughout the movie or specific scenes.

Its purpose was to deepen the audience’s interaction with the film, combining technology and imaginative filming techniques in order to intensify the illusion of reality. The Expressionists supplanted reality with myth and fantasy in order to liberate visual perception from the other senses.

The Expressionists practically reinvented the look of film with innovative and unusual editing rhythms (it was very hard to follow the plot due to this fact), respectively distorted sets, exaggerated gestures, weird or different camera angles and the famous “camera unchained” (a new technique that allowed the camera to move within the scene, vastly increasing the accessibility of the character’s subjective point of view). The Expressionists developed new habits of seeing, new ways to interpret the way people relate to social living and self-identification.

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 (it was mainly dark during the whole film), and shadow to enhance the mood of a film. Two genres that were especially influenced by Expressionism were the horror film and film noir.

Amongst the best remembered are films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Weiner, 1920), Nosferatu (F.W. Murnau, 1922), Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927) and Sunrise (F.W. Murnau, 1927).

In conclusion, no other film genre of the 1920's was as innovative and influential as German Expressionism. It opened the world's eyes to the possibilities of filmmaking, and where an audience could be taken. It was very much a product of its time, and so flourished and declined in that 10 year period of social and economic change. But its influence lives on in terms of production aesthetics and audience-driven production decisions. Simply put, modern films would not be the same if it was not for the ground breaking achievement of German Expressionist cinema.