The word "expressionism" relates to an artist creating a work that expresses his state of mind, beliefs, or ideals. Generally, expressionist works are distorted or unrealistic because they are meant to express an idea rather than an object. In other words, the artist is moved to share their thoughts with others by way of some medium. The goal of the expressionist is to evoke an emotion in the viewer and cause them to think, consider, or ponder the mindset the artist was trying to convey.
Just after the first World War, expressionist themes took Germany by storm. The movement itself stretched over all of the cultural and artistic communities, however it is film industry that made it known to the world and preserved it for history. The expressionist movement in Germany drew directly from the cultural mindset of the times, and from previous expressionist movements. In fact, the German Expressionist movement embodied many of the ideals of other Expressionist movements that are most clearly seen in the architecture and lighting choices employed in the films. As far as expressionism in the German film industry goes, expressionism was defined by:
- Exemplifying "Anti-heroic" characters that dominate the plot
- Involving mental instability, especially among the main characters
- Being told from an unreliable or limited point of view
- Having a vast urban jungle complete with a criminal underworld
- Containing odd architecture, camera angles, scenes, and lighting
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| Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer (writers), Robert Wiene (director), Das Cabinent des Dr. Caligari (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) / 1920 |
Expressionist films had an almost non-realistic feel to them, in part because the plots were almost unbelievable, but even more because they made use of extremely odd set design. Generally this was in part due to the low budget nature of the films, but the directors also employed the odd angles, strange orientations, and confusing layouts as tools to enhance the mysterious and dark nature of the films.
The picture to the right is from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. It clearly shows the strange set design, as well as hinting at some of the other odd aspects of the film.
The expressionist movement took place in Germany in the time between the two World Wars, which also happened to be the transitional period from silent to talking films. However, most of the classical German Expressionist films were silent, and only included orchestral music. In addition, being limited to black and white, the expressionist artists had to utilize design and lighting in favor of color, leading to the overcompensation that is so well known and exemplified in the still from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
