History Of German Expressionism

617 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: German expressionism characteristics

The German Expressionism was a period that came following the devastation of World War I, it came when the people of Germany needed something to claim as their own. The expressionism movement gave Germany just that; it helped them not only in the filmmaking industry, but also in their personal lives. The German Expressionism changed the way we look at and view films. The German Expressionism altered, for the better, the way that films were made back then and the way that they are made today.
The period of post World War I was a very important time period for Germany, it was a chance for Germany to make a new name for itself. Germany used this period to make advances in many areas, but on major one was the art of cinema. Before WWI cinema was fairly simple. However, when the opportunity arose after WWI Germany took it, and helped in making cinema into what it is today. After the war was over the German government knew it needed to do something to help its citizens, who were hurting. The government and military worked to support the local film industries. The borders were cl...

Show More
Related

  • The Other in Nosferatu and Dr. Mabuse the Gambler

    1822 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the Early years of film one can easily say that Germany lead the way in experimentation, with such striking examples as Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu and Dr. Mabuse the Gambler. How when looking at two of these film, Nosferatu and Dr Mabuse the Gambler one can find a similar theme that run throughout. This theme is that of Weimar’s insecurity about outsiders and otherness different cultures. While both films have different stories at their very simplest both films see someone come into the idyllic lives of the protagonist not only wrecking their lives but the lives of ordinary people as well. It’s worth noting that borth Nosferatu and Dr. Mabuse the Gambler were filmed in the turbulent early 20’s of the Weimar period where Germany was still dealing with the aftermath of the war and outside powers such as France encroaching on German territory and at the same time political unrest had reached its high. With all these changes going on it easy to see why Germany might have felt that outsider were at work trying to remold modern Germany. This is why in these turbulent early years befor the Weimar Golden age we see such strong use of the other/outsider as a stand in for events taken place in Germany

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Life in Communist East Germany in Goodbye, Lenin

    2212 Words  | 5 Pages

    Where Schlondorff, Wenders, Herzog, Fassbinder and Kluge once investigated the extremities of the German character and the Americana that infested West German culture through the New German Cinema of the late 60s, 70s and early 80s, the Germany of today has through its cinema acknowledged past hardships but with a more positive emphasis placed on the possibilities of forgiveness, redemption and hope for what can be made of tomorrow. Bibliography A Reversal of Fortunes? Women, work and change in East Germany. Rachel Alsop.

    Read More

  • The Film Industry In The 1920s

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    During this decade, the film industry went through massive changes that would completely change what movies were or stood for. After the Great War, more people began considering movies as a form of entertainment. This increased attention caused change in the industry, allowing the experience of the movie goer to massively change for the better. Many new genres, ideas and technologies emerged in the 1920s that would later dominate the industry. The 1920s saw massive changes happening in the movie industry that would help it to get one step closer to what it is today.

    Read More

  • Influence of Nazi Germany WWII Propaganda Films on the German Film Industry

    2202 Words  | 5 Pages

    German cinema was greatly affected during the Nazi movement between 1933 and 1945. Once appointed Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933 Hitler wasted no time and almost immediately began working on his propaganda strategy. Typically “propaganda targets a mass audience and relies on mass media to persuade. Propaganda is aimed at large numbers of people and, as such, relies on mass communication to reach its audience” (Gass, 14). The Nazi party used film propaganda to brainwash the German people, distract them from the harsh reality of the Nazi party, and attempt to intimidate the enemy. Hitler knew propaganda entailed mass persuasion and he knew just how to get his message out there; film. It was through the use of propaganda, largely film that made the Nazi party so powerful as they redefined propaganda.

    Read More

  • Jean Michel Basquiat Essay

    693 Words  | 2 Pages

    This movement started in Germany and later on settled in the United States. Neo-Expressionists were sometimes called Neue Wilden (“The Wild Ones”). The word Expressionism was a movement in poetry and in paintings and this usually would present the subjective perspective.

    Read More

  • California And Hollywood: The Evolution Of Hollywood And Filmmaking

    1742 Words  | 4 Pages

    In fact, 1946 is one of Hollywood’s most successful years. This was due to the massive influx of people returning from World War II, that had ended in 1945. There was a shift from manufacturing items needed for the war towards common household items. During this time period, the Great Depression and wartime air were slowly fading out (Quart and Auster 17). “The film industry changed radically after World War II, and this change altered the style and content of the films made in Hollywood” (“Post-War Hollywood”). Filmmakers started entertaining the technique of using more color and sound in their films to attract more people. At the time, American films embodied the themes of victory and national triumph. Within a time span of two years, 1942-1944, Hollywood produced 440 films in total (Quart and Auster 17). Although there was a positive boom of Hollywood and films, there would be a time of decline that followed

    Read More

  • Influence Of Visual Art In Nazi Germany

    1612 Words  | 4 Pages

    'Nazi Germany ' represented the period from 1933s to 1945s, which played an important role in prosperous German history and the modern European history. After Germany participated in First World War in the first half of the 20th century, the whole society was glutted with unemployment, poverty, hunger, inflation and moral corruption. The public couldn’t feel the republican democracy benefits.

    Read More

  • World War II and Hollywood

    1381 Words  | 3 Pages

    Before the Second World War began Hollywood’s purpose lied within entertainment for the American people. After the war started, the main focus shifted to wartime propaganda. Film was used to display the war in a way that did not show its true colors—including the censorship of soldier causalities and other negative connotations that are a simple fact of war. There was even a time in which some actors became better known to America than politians. Through films, Hollywood began to make a statement of their anti-Nazi beliefs. They began to make motion pictures for American recruitment into the Army as well as many that supported the war effort, and intended to make other Americans more aware of the war’s effect on the United States, and how people can get involved. Many European countries banned these Hollywood films, as they began to affect not only America but many other countries that were involved in the war as well.

    Read More

  • German Expressionism In Metropolis

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    Specific techniques of German expressionism, such as dark vs. light, religious themes and spirituality, and the use

    Read More

  • The Use of Expressionism in Das Kabinett des Doctor Caligari and Shutter Island

    1657 Words  | 4 Pages

    The link between expressionism and horror quickly became a dominant feature in many films and continues to be prominent in contemporary films mainly due to the German expressionist masterpiece Das Kabinett des Doctor Caligari. Wiene’s 1920 Das Kabinett des Doctor Caligari utilized a distinctive creepiness and the uncanny throughout the film that became one the most distinctive features of externalising inner mental and emotional states of protagonists through various expressionist methods. Its revolutionary and innovative new art was heavily influenced by the German state and its populace in conjunction with their experience of war; Caligari took a clear cue from what was happening in Germany at the time. It was this film that set cinematic conventions that still apply today, heavily influencing the later Hollywood film noir genre as well as the psychological thrillers that has lead several film audiences to engage with a film, its character, its plot and anticipate its outcome, only to question whether the entire movie was a dream, a story of a crazy man, or an elaborate role play. This concept of the familiar and the strange, the reality, the illusion and the dream developed in Das Kabinett des Doctor Caligari, is once again present in Scorsese’s 2010 film Shutter Island. It is laced with influences from different films of the film noir and horror genre, and many themes that are directly linked to Das Kabinett des Doctor Caligari shot 90 years prior.

    Read More

  • Expressionism In Louis Nowra's Summer Of The Aliens

    1980 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is the summer of 1962, and although the entire human race is concerned about the Cuban Missile Crisis, fourteen-year-old Lewis is absorbed by flying saucers. Why? Don’t just state this without providing some justification from the text. Louis Nowra’s ‘Summer of the Aliens’ is an account of the events and relationships which formed Lewis’ emerging sense of self. Told without sentimentality, Lewis’ story is one of wonder and terror as he comes to terms with the aliens within us all. Furthermore, ‘Summer of the Aliens’ is an autobiographical recount of Lewis’ life, with links to the modernist movement of Expressionism. According to Czech historian, Antonin Matějček, Expressionism is used in order to, “...to express oneself... “ through recounting the past from a subjective viewpoint. The themes which are exhibited in Act I Scene III include sexuality and normative standards of living. great, but what do you mean by this last phrase?

    Read More

  • Nakedness Of The Body In German Expressionism

    1016 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people became lost as a result of these changes in modern life. The painter saw the world as scene of despair. The German Expressionist movement was active from around 1905-1925. It was known as “Die Brücke” and “Der Blaue Reiter” in German. The French critic Roger de Piles defined expressionism as “the thought of the human heart”. It is about expressing the artist’s feelings toward surrounding world.

    Read More

  • How Blockbusters Changed Hollywood

    1478 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Great Depression opened a gateway for cinema to be the greatest form of entertainment for those who lived in the 1920’s. The audience were looking for escapism and self-gratification. US President Franklin Roosevelt once quoted “When the spirit of the people is lower than at any time, during this depression, it is a splendid thing that for just fifteen cents an American can go to a movie”. The movie industry was growing with the big 5 being the main distributors of film. Even in the beginning, cinema was a way an audience can take some time out, open their minds and forget about reality.

    Read More

  • Why Do People Watch Movies?

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    ‘Then came the films’; writes the German cultural theorist Walter Benjamin, evoking the arrival of a powerful new art form at the end of 19th century. By this statement, he tried to explain that films were not just another visual medium, but it has a clear differentiation from all previous mediums of visual culture.

    Read More

  • Impressionism Movement

    1155 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Impressionist Age was a movement in which all types of people were affected. People like Claude Monet and William Butler Yeats made a difference in their own lives, the lives of others, and in history by redefining their areas of art. The old ways and popular styles of the time were challenged and eventually changed by the studies of the people who expressed their thoughts through the unique use of their talents. The people of the impressionism movement brought about change.

    Read More

More about History Of German Expressionism

Open Document