German Expressionisms Influence On Film Noir

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German Expressionisms’ Influence on Film Noir and Their Differences German Expressionism and Film Noir are two genres of film that are often confused and labelled as the same thing, although there are similarities, there are also major differences between the two. When examining the narrative of the two, German Expressionism depicts the mood of a country; this leads to internal feelings of shame, anger, and depression being expressed externally through films. While with Film Noir the narrative usually follows rebellion, violence, bribery, and bad romances which is the exact opposite of what the country needs from its citizens. Audiences who aren’t looking that in depth into the moods of films and their narratives will bypass those major differences. …show more content…

Researchers state that his films are directly influenced by German Expressionism because of the set lighting, the distortion of buildings, people, and character attitudes (Film History, 2013). While German directors like Robert Siodmak also had great influence from German Expressionism, he was known for his blended strategies from both German Expressionism and American styled films like Film Noir. With this, he could create a variety of chilling thrillers that included the moods of despair which was seen in both genres, this established a signature in his films. Not only did German Expressionism have a great influence on directors producing Film Noir films within America but the influence trickled to horror films within America as well. The dark, chilling moods seen in these films motivated directors like Orson Welles to explore different moods in film. Although, his films similar to ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” demonstrated the distortion that is popular within the genre, he was sure to incorporate scenes that had the audience on the edge of their seats. Lastly, the plot of the film in relation to the colors used in the different scenes aided in the “horror-like” feeling while watching the

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