German Expressionism, the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Essay Example
German Expressionism
“… the expressionist film is primarily a visual phenomenon, a mise-en-scene of fear and desire. Internal conflicts and ambivalences are projected on to an external world that has become foreign and strange, a process that finds expression in the destabilization of the subject at the center of the narrative…”
(Hake, 2002: 31).
In light of the following observation by Hake, this essay will be looking at her statement and how it can be applied to the 1920 film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari within the boarders of German Expressionisim. To better illustrate my argument I shall be looking at key scenes in the film and analyzing them in detail. This analysis will hope to demonstrate the link between the observation made by hake and German Expressionism movement within the film.
German Expressionism was an artist movement founded in Germany during the beginning stages of the First World War and reached its peak during the 1920’s. The German expressionistic movement included artistic works from literature to architecture, art and cinema, it mirrored the development of Expressionism across the rest of northern and central Europe. Works of art in which the representation of reality is distorted for the sake of conveying an inner vision characterized the movement of expressionism. In this avant-garde movement the artist hopes to transform or reinterpret reality rather than seeking to imitate it. German Expressionism in film uses these characteristics of the art movement as a means to express oneself, in terms of its surroundings and circumstances, as well as a platform to build upon values, in its own unique way. The following quote best describes the techniques and characteristics of a German expressionistic film, “These films were united by highly stylized visuals, strange asymmetrical camera angles, atmospheric lighting and harsh contrasts between dark and light. Shadows and silhouettes were an important feature of expressionism, to the extent
“… the expressionist film is primarily a visual phenomenon, a mise-en-scene of fear and desire. Internal conflicts and ambivalences are projected on to an external world that has become foreign and strange, a process that finds expression in the destabilization of the subject at the center of the narrative…”
(Hake, 2002: 31).
In light of the following observation by Hake, this essay will be looking at her statement and how it can be applied to the 1920 film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari within the boarders of German Expressionisim. To better illustrate my argument I shall be looking at key scenes in the film and analyzing them in detail. This analysis will hope to demonstrate the link between the observation made by hake and German Expressionism movement within the film.
German Expressionism was an artist movement founded in Germany during the beginning stages of the First World War and reached its peak during the 1920’s. The German expressionistic movement included artistic works from literature to architecture, art and cinema, it mirrored the development of Expressionism across the rest of northern and central Europe. Works of art in which the representation of reality is distorted for the sake of conveying an inner vision characterized the movement of expressionism. In this avant-garde movement the artist hopes to transform or reinterpret reality rather than seeking to imitate it. German Expressionism in film uses these characteristics of the art movement as a means to express oneself, in terms of its surroundings and circumstances, as well as a platform to build upon values, in its own unique way. The following quote best describes the techniques and characteristics of a German expressionistic film, “These films were united by highly stylized visuals, strange asymmetrical camera angles, atmospheric lighting and harsh contrasts between dark and light. Shadows and silhouettes were an important feature of expressionism, to the extent