The concept of German Expressionism may sound foreign to most people in the modern day. Many people may not realise that they are in fact familiar with this influential cinematic movement. Without German Expressionism we wouldn’t have such a definitive understanding of the genres of horror or film noir. What comes to mind when you think of these genres? The concept of being threatened? Shadows? Creepy or strange protagonists perhaps? Well, German Expressionism is to thank for these associated conventions.
The movement first originated in post-First World War Germany and during the Weimar Republic. There was an extremely low morale in Germany within this period and many people decided to express this melancholy mood through art; be it paintings, theatre, literature even architecture. But the artistic filmmaking that was born from this movement is arguably the most significant. The characteristics of these films were so specific that if you were to take a screenshot of every frame in the film it would look as artistic enough to display on your living room wall. This is because there was such a strong focus on mise-en-scene and the overall look of the film to display meaning as well as the mental state of the characters. Of course during this time, the advent of sound had not fully set sail yet, meaning filmmakers had to put all their effort in conveying their messages visually. Often, these messages were ambiguous and could be interpreted in multiple different ways, however, most of them reflected how Germany as a nation felt isolated after the war. Expressionistic films tended to focus on the idea of mental deterioration, for example, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari(1920) has several twists in the ending – almost as if to convince the audience that they are going mad themselves. This reflected the general mental state of the German people being controlled by the constricting Weimar Republic.
The Cabinet of Dr Caligariis most likely the best known and most highly acclaimed film that derived from this movement. It broke cinematic boundaries by having such specifically designed sets and costumes to portray the story of a man losing his mind. The high ‘chiarascuro’ juxtapositions create a visual binary opposition, light vs dark: good vs evil. Although the entire film has been shot in black and white (depending on what version you watch, some versions may be tinted), the contrasts of the shadows gives a foreboding impression to an audience – as if something or someone is hiding in the shadows. This is why we, as modern cinema-goers and film watchers associate the concept of ‘the dark’ as being a typical horror convention.
Contemporary audiences may not appreciate German Expressionism as much as they should – this could be due to a few reasons; the films are slow paced – modern audiences crave action, high speed car chases, on-the-edge-of-the-seat thrills. The aim of German Expressionism is to portray emotion through art, you need to be patient when watching these films. Another reason why they may be underappreciated is because audiences may not necessarily identify or relate to the themes and the messages. I’m not saying you need to experience a traumatic world war in order to understand the films within this movement, but modern audiences should delve deeper into the world of Expressionism. The beauty of it is the ambiguity can be interpreted in so many ways. Not every film has one message and not every film has correct messages. The controversy with modern mainstream audiences is that (generally) they seek entertainment when watching a film – they don’t necessarily want to have pensive thoughts about what is being exhibited to them. Of course entertainment is a huge aspect of film, however what morals did the director or producer or general filmmaker want to convey to audiences? This should be taken into consideration more. Even the mainstream Hollywood Blockbusters can hold significant meanings and messages if you look deep enough.
German Expressionism is still influential today. An example of this expressionistic influence is director Tim Burton. Take Edward Scissorhands(1990) for example, and compare it to The Cabinet of Dr Caligariyou will see visual similarities. Whether it be the biomechanical acting, the geometric shapes imbedded within the sets and costumes or the juxtaposition of light and dark, it has been done before! Not to say Tim Burton is unoriginal, he just took Expressionistic influence, and this proves that most people will be familiar with Expressionism without even realising it.
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