German Expressionism was a reaction against realism. The practitioners of German Expressionism used extreme distortion to show inner emotional reality instead of external appearances. Usually, films are made to intentionally compel us to look at one particular fragment of mise-en-scène. Expressionist films used stylized surfaces, symmetry, distortion and exaggeration, as well as juxtaposition of similar shapes to blend the elements of the shots so that you’re not looking at one element, but a combination of all of them.
Edvard Munch's "The Scream" was completed in four different media during this period. This is a well known example of Expressionism in painting which was the precursor to Expressionism in film. Exactly as in film, Expressionism in other forms of art is a backlash against realism.
Another example of German Expressionist art is this woodcut with tempera additions by Franz Marc.
The world outside of the United States was engaged in World War I, which gave Hollywood an advantage in the film market.
Government ban on foreign films begins in 1916. This makes every film made in Germany during this almost five year period, and even beyond, have a unique style.
Decla company releases The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, directed by Robert Wiene.
Mise-en-scène is the most distinctive feature of German expressionism films. The makers wanted films to be a visual art, and therefore stressed composition of individual shots over all else.
The sets of Expressionist films were often said to be "acting" or blending with the actors' movements. And the actors also became a part of the set. For example, in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, the heroine seems to blend into the sets because her costume is painted with the same jagged lines that the set is painted with.
Action in Expressionist films rarely progresses smoothly. The film moves at an odd rate because the narrative will pause or slow to emphasize the mise-en-scène elements when they align perfectly.
Algol is a story about an average coal miner who comes into contact with an alien from the planet Algol. The alien gives the miner a machine that can produce an unlimited source of energy. The miner keeps the machine for 20 years resulting in a large increase of power, influence, and ultimately corruption.
Most lighting in German Expressionism films is very simple, from the front and sides evenly and flatly. This stressed the links between the figures and the sets. In some cases, like Nosferatu, shadows were used to create additional distortion.
A silent film directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, more commonly known as F.W. Murnau, "Nosferatu" was the only film produced by Prana Films due to heavy copyright infringement.
"Destiny" is a silent film directed by German director Fitz Lang. It was initially received negatively because it was not "German" enough. However, it was widely popularized overseas.
Alfred Hitchcock began making movies in the early 1920s and used many of the same characteristics to tell stories as the German Expressionists did.
Kriemhild's Revenge is part of a series of two silent fantsy films created in 1924 by Fritz Lang, an Austrian director.
The Last Laugh is a silent film directed by F. W. Murnau based on a Carl Mayer screenplay. It is the greatest example of "chamber-drama" in which very minimal intertitles, none of which were dialogue, were used.
Another film by Fritz Lang, "Metropolis", a silent film, is considered one of the best works of German Expressionist Cinema. The plot consists of a rich son who falls in love with a girl and tries to overcome the classicist nature of their city, which is an example of inner emotional reality being portrayed in this era of film.
Due in part to the excessive budgets of later films and the departure of of filmmakers to Hollywood the true expressionism movement had ended. The release of "Metropolis" actually marked the end of the German Expressionism movement.
Film Noir began during World War II, when the attitude of powerless, anxious and threatened was widespread. Film Noir used the German Expressionists' tricks to convey that same feeling into films. Film Noir films usually have unhappy endings and the characters are cynical and disillusioned.
Directed by Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands is reminiscent of the German Expressionism films of the '20s in its lighting as well as its interest in the inner being as opposed to the outward.
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