German Expressionism and Dadaism

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German Expressionism and Dadaism Introduction Revolutionary forms of art have dominated much of Germany, apparently as a reaction to the First World War. The era in which the First World War took place – throughout the 1910s, featured artists coming together against what they think the pointless aggression said major conflict brought. German artists, in particular, protested against the social structures prevalent during the 1910s, within which the social structures of the Second Reich were prevalent. German society initially saw film, in particular, as quite an inelegant alternative to the bourgeoisie-associated theater. Such is due to the inability of the domestic film industry in Germany to develop films due to two reasons – the mass importation of foreign films from other nations with more advanced film industries and the consequent notion that films are associated with the lower classes (Kellner 3-39). Such impressions, however, changed with the rise of German expressionist film, with the seminal example being The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari by Robert Wiene. Expressionism in The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari evokes an expressionist form characterized by notions of fear and anxiety duly connected to the situation of Germany during the 1910s. Albeit released in 1919 – the time when the Weimar Republic succeeded the Second Reich, which collapsed after the defeat of Germany in the First World War, The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari nevertheless delivered a strong criticism against the German war effort that time. Using a series of thought-provoking themes and symbolisms rotating around a macabre plot that consequently brings forth anxious feelings to audiences, The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari stood out in... ... middle of paper ... ...cerned with the pointlessness of the German war effort that time, which has caused catastrophe throughout Europe and great risks to lives – particularly in terms of enlistment to the imperial military, The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari served as a fitting rendition of their frustration towards the status quo they confronted. Works Cited Kellner, Douglas. "Expressionism and Rebellion.'" Passion and Rebellion: The Expressionist Heritage. Eds. Stephen Eric Bronner & Douglas Kellner. New York City, NY: Columbia University Press, 1988. 3-39. Print. Kracauer, Siegfried. "Caligari.'" From Caligari to Hitler. Revised and Expanded Edition. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2004. 61-76. Print. The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari. Dir. Robert Wiene. Perf. Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover, Hans Twardowski. Goldwyn Distributing Company, 1994. DVD.

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