Paper Summary:

This paper offers an analysis of expressionism in German film, noting that it changed the canvas of cinema with its technical innovations as well as its impact on Hollywood, not only with its borrowing of ideas, but with the emigration of German actors, writers, and directors to Hollywood. The paper asserts that among the indications of expressionism seem to be anti-heroism, complex philosophical and psychological plots, and primarily urban settings. The paper explains that American films at the same time as this movement in Germany were based in realism, with very distinct ideas of good and bad, comedy, and aesthetics, while German film was seen as highly compound, with thick, perplexing stories that were more solicitous than superficial. The paper concludes that German expressionism is a major film movement which helped mold the face of early cinema, and its impact is seen in many later genres and generations, the horror genre, film noir, and modern day cinema.

From the Paper:

"The innovations that came along with this movement are astounding, especially given the modicum of improvement in physical film itself, which one could argue, were brought about by the mass creative and artistic movement expressionism fundamentally is. Some of these technical aspects include a highly subjective and dynamic camera, design innovations including staging and set designs, and being the first movement to actually implement scripting of films (Dilman). Telltale signs of Expressionism is the use of backlighting to create a sense of dimensioeality and montage, splicing the film together to make the story be more seamless and continuous, which was also a style used by the Soviet film movement (Figge, 313)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Dilman, J. Clarke. "Class Lecture." History of Film. Seattle University. Seattle, WA. 15 Apr 2010. Lecture.
• Figge, Richard. "Montage: The German Film of the Twenties." Comparative Literature Studies 12.3 (1975): 308-322. Web. 3 Jun 2010. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/1225667>.
• Naremore, James. "American Film Noir: The History of an Idea." Film Quarterly 49.2 (1995): 12-28. Web. 7 Jun 2010.
• Welsch, Tricia. "Foreign Exchange: German Expressionism and Its Legacy." Cinema Journal 38.4 (1999): 98-102. Web. 6 Jun 2010. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/1225667>.
• Wexman, Virginia. A History of Film. 7. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc., 2009. Print.

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