Nosferatu: the spooky musical changes from horror to romance set the scene for pretty much all german expressionism as a key genre in formalist film. Black and white was of course the only way they could film the footage but I also believe that without the black and white the key lighting would not have been as effective and scary. The shadows at the beginning of the film are surprisingly effective as you don't quite know what you are looking at but you know even without seeing the creature itself its not a good omen. The subtitles, for me, are a pointless extra as you can understand what is happening without being told over and over again that there is a ' sudden fever'.
German Expressionism also depends heavily on mise-en-scene. Shapes are distorted and exaggerated unrealistically for expressive purposes. Actors often wear heavy makeup and move in jerky or slow, sinuous patterns. Most important, all of the elements of the mise-en-scene interact graphically to create an overall composition.
2. Where and where can the influence of German expressionism be seen in film history?
Even before German expressionism became well know, you can see signs of it as far back as the 1920's with films like 'The Golem' and 'Nosferatu'. Traits of such films have been seen throughout film history with 'Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde' and' the cabinet of Dr Caligari'
2. Where and where can the influence of German expressionism be seen in film history?
Even before German expressionism became well know, you can see signs of it as far back as the 1920's with films like 'The Golem' and 'Nosferatu'. Traits of such films have been seen throughout film history with 'Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde' and' the cabinet of Dr Caligari'
1 comment:
Excellent. Lots of references to examples in specific films and a variety of elements considered.
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