During the 1910s – 1940s the expressionist movement took a great step in Germany. Evolving what today we know as German Expressionism, with influenced literature, paintings, theater and even the cinema.
The genre Horror or Thriller, are different but both were influences by German Expressionism as well as the Film Noir.
This movement is very particular, shows quite a lot of shadow, stairs, distorted universe, very abstract… We can see this type of universe in Hitchcock’s movies and also nowadays in Tim Burton’s movies.
This distorted abstract world showed in the films is a reflection of how life was like on the verge of the war.
There are a lot of great directors that created some amazing films back at that time.
The film Metropolis, by Lang, has influenced most of the science fiction that we have today. And Nosferatu, by Murnau, is also a work of great impact that shows the idea of the battle between creature and creator, also used on The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, by Wiene, a lot of writers use that concept to this day.
Hope you enjoy my posts.
Sincerely, IMA
1. Expressionism, G. (2014). Movements In Film. Movements In Film. https://www.movementsinfilm.com/german-expressionism
2. Cinema, art of light and shadow: a review of The Aesthetics of Shadow: Lighting Styles 1915-1950 | Sight & Sound. (n.d.). British Film Institute. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/comment/festivals/berlinale-2014-cinema-art-light-shadow
The Cinema Post 