German Expressionism –
Why is it “German”
A major art style was going on in Germany in the late 1910s
and throughout the 1920s. This art movement is known today as German
Expressionism. German Expressionism saw a rejection of other forms of art that
was popular in the early years of the 20th century. In essence, this
art style was meant to symbolize the feelings of the people of the Weimar
Republic after the Great War.
After the Great War, the blame of the war was lain at the
feet of the German people and up until to dissolve of the Weimar Republic in
1933, there had been slow recoveries in the nation’s economy followed by
recessions; followed closely by the Great Depression and the devaluing of the
German currency. In this time in German history there was mass disillusionment
and this was represented in their art and most notably in film.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and the Horror Film as a Post War Allegory
The Cabinet of Dr.
Caligari is generally considered one of the first true horror films. The set-up
is simple; a traveling carnival, a mad doctor and a murderous somnambulist (a
scapegoat) that he controls in a story told by an unreliable narrator.
Its style is in the vain of German Expressionism; odd angles
and sets built with shadows. The feeling of the film is that of total unease as
actors walk around as they are sleepwalking. Everything in the world gives off the
sense of something wrong.
The film’s authors were writing the film as a revolutionary
allegory, with the character of the mad doctor Caligari representing the people
in power and the idea of him controlling people as a puppet, only to be exposed;
giving off the impression that the film is a means of exposing power.
As written in the book From
Caligari to Hitler, the original ending had the character of Caligari going
to the asylum, but this was upturned by the director, who added a framing
story, where the main character telling the story is the one is the asylum,
giving the opposite effect of the film.
While the themes of the film are in conflict, one thing is certain, the film showcases the crisis that was then-currently facing the German identity. To them, they were the scapegoat of the war, due to the people in power, whom they were at the mercy of.
Influence of German
Expressionism
The style of German Expressionism can be found in the films
of Universal Studios, such as in the Frankenstein films, where the sets and
towns give off a traditional German look. The Dracula films borrow from the
vampire film Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror, a film by German Expressionist
director F.W. Murnau.
These films with their impact in cinema have shown the
power of the German influence on horror film. The popularity of Frankenstein
and Dracula propelled the horror film as a main staple of the cinematic genres
as well as a film that can turn studio profits. These film from Universal
Studios turned literary characters into legendary film ones.
