The Influence Of German Expressionism In Film

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German expressionism is defined as a number of related creative movements that started in Germany before the first world war that spiked in Berlin during the 1920s.
German Expressionism was an era of when films reflected the grim reality of life during that time. Even though German Expressionist films were mostly prevalent in the 1920s, the style that it introduced influenced many directors and films, including many movies we see in cinemas today.
One of the most well known film directors of Hollywood was Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock flourished on the elements of German Expressionism. He was influenced by Fritz Lang and many other German Expressionist directors through their uses of abstract sets, oblique camera angles, and stark shadows to convey exaggerated psychological states.
German expressionism is very apparent in Dracula. The count has a terrifying sense of the demonic traits about himself with supernatural themes, suggested superficially by his appearance with the help of lighting and theatrical effects. Yet religious artefacts such as the cross affect the count showing religious motifs.
The influence of German expressionism on Hollywood, and films in general, are made evident by the genres of horror films, film noir and science fiction. The use of supernatural themes, lighting styles and …show more content…

The German expressionism style allowed early filmmakers to experiment with special effects to effectively express certain emotions such as desires, unconscious fears and deranged fixations. Even more impacts that German expressionist visual style had on horror films are the use of aesthetic peculiarities in film and also in particular the themes of fear and madness. One of the most memorable and evident filmmakers influenced by German expressionism was Alfred Hitchcock. Some of the techniques of German expressionism are evident in a silent film Hitchcock directed called The

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