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Thursday, 8 March 2012
Film that influenced by German Expressionism
Dark City
(1998) Director: Alex Proyas
Synopsis:
At first we
can see John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) awakes with confusing in a bathtub, which
located in a hotel room. He found out that he lost his memory but there are
still pieces memories that he left and he failed to link it. His life was in
trouble after he awake. He involve in an inexplicable murder case, and haunted
by the police. Besides, there are also group of beings known as The Strangers
keep chasing after him. His life become more complicated with the addition of
his so called wife and mysterious doctor. But his worst trouble is the
strangers; because John Murdoch has the extraordinary powers same as them.
After all, John decides to find out what is happening in this city and try to
change it with his extraordinary powers.
There are few themes that can be found in German expressionism film. The
first theme that we have found in this film is Search for identity (Self
analysis). In ‘Dark City’, John felt confusing within himself from his first
wake up from the bath tub. After that, he gets a call from doctor Schreber
telling him all the things that he do not understand. Starting from that time,
he is confusing what is happening and trying to seek out for answer. After a
few days, he met his uncle and he trying to find out his own identity through
his uncle. He has been asking for his pass, his family and all those memory
that he couldn’t remember. Besides that, throughout the whole process in this
film, the stranger is trying to be human. Strangers try to control the human
and wanted to be part of them in the future after they done all the tuning.
Besides, we can see this at the end there, Mr. Hand tell John that he actually
wanted to be as part of him, but the imprint of John’s memory on him is
actually not suitable for stranger’s body.
The second theme is Sexual savagery. From the beginning scene, the girl
being kills in John’s hotel room was naked. Besides, a girl who bring john home
after she save John from police who are trying to ask for John’s identity, she
try to seduce John after they are home by changing clothes in front of John
without any hesitation.
The thirdly theme is madness. There’s no one believes what john says at
the beginning because the entire thing he mention they think is crazy. As we
all know, the imprint memory to the human is the madness idea that couldn’t
happen in our reality life. Moreover, The two girls at the beginning and middle
not just being kill, but also being cut with cruelty that makes people think it
is a mad action. John also has the super power same as the stranger. Normal
human being would not have this kind of power that can destroy the city and
stranger.
Forth theme is exaggerated unrealistically for expressive purpose.
(Distorted visual). The brain cell
that comes out from the stranger’s head (human being do not has it) is for
exaggerated purpose. We see this when strangers attack John when John first
time met them outside the house corridor, and that time the enemy break down.
Next, The door will appear suddenly on the wall (actually don’t have) for
doctor Schreber goes in. It allows doctor Schreber go into the other world
(strangers’ world), an unrealistic world. Another example, Mr. Book catches doctor Schreber up not by their hand, but
superpower. Moreover, when the clock tilts to 12am, the building
and people in the city are all changing. Dr Schreber gets to inject and absorb
(imprint) memory to the citizens’ mind. The enemies trying to change the city
under their control. The tuning change the city become huge, all the building
twisting up and becoming more spectacular, citizens become richer. Next, the
unrealistic world that stranger creates to this city, which is out from the
global. (Unknown planet) and also the underground world that strangers living
are also distorted visual. The super power of stranger can fly up in the film,
is out of the ordinary. It is what human being can’t do and it creates scary
feel.
The fifth them is revolt. Dr. Schreber fights against strangers by
imprint John’s memory to John instead of stranger’s memory. The other example
is John do not believe all this that happen on him and the city, he try to
fight against to the stranger throughout this entire film.
German expressionism film is more focusing on mise en scene. The
lighting that are being use in ‘Dark City’ is chiaroscuro/ low key lighting.
From the beginning of the scene, John awake from the bath tub, the lamps is
swinging in the air and creates shadow which bring mystery and horror feel.
Besides that, there’s also low-key lighting. With the addition of John’s reaction
in panic, creates scary feels to the audience. Throughout the entire movie is
shoot in low-key lighting and mostly all are in night scene. There’s only
daytime exist in the film in the end where John successfully destroy strangers’
creation and create the world/city that he wants which including shell beach.
On the other hand, the dramatic shadow was being shown in this film most of the
time. This is because the chiaroscuro lighting creates shadow. For example,
shadow of strangers walking on the street and some shadow of the actor reflects
on the wall.
For the make up in ‘Dark City’, the strangers are all in gothic make
up(white/pale face) in the entire film,
this is to create horror feel. Besides that, Strangers’ Costume are all in
black. The acting of the strangers is also fit the characteristic of German
expressionism. The strangers move in jerky or slow, sinuous pattern. We can see
it when the strangers are having meeting in their place, the way they talk and
walk. Some of it talks in very slow way. Throughout the entire film, they are
also acting in this way.
Edward Scissorhands (1990) Director: Tim Burton
Synopsis:
Edward
(Johnny Depp), an artificial man created by the late owner of the castle with
metal scissors for hand. He has lived alone in the castle until one day an Avon
representative lady; Peg Boggs (Dianne Wiest) discover him and welcomes him
into her family. He has to adapt into the new and strange environment and face
with different people. Edward shows his talent in cutting hair and hedges and
he becomes the famous person in the town. Edward falls in love with Peg’s high
school daughter, Kim (Winona Ryder and he willing to help her boy friend, Jim
to gain insurance money but robber his own house. After arrested by police,
Edward has framed by the citizen as dangerous and avoided by them. Only Peg and
her family still support and protect him.
There have
some themes and styles, which are influenced by German Expressionism. First,
the theme of self-analysis is when Edward confuses within himself. From the
scene when Peg Boggs, the Avon lady bring Edward first come to the town, he
feels curious about everything. He tries to fit in the different world that he
never lives before. However, Edward’s simplicity and naïve personality made him
unable to cope with the sophisticated and corrupt society. He was confused that
he should or should not stay in this town. Another example is Edward helps Kim
(Peg Boggs’s daughter) and her boy friend, Jim to rob into Jim’s house. He
knows that this is wrong but he continue doing it because he already falls in
love with Kim. This can shown in another scene when Kim’s father ask the
question to Edward that his action when pick up a lot of money from the street,
Edward answer is buy something to the love one. This against the moral value,
but Edward analyses it as a right thing because of love.
The second
theme is madness from the beginning of the scene Jim comes to find Kim after
Edward released from the police station, Edward feels jealous and he cut off
the wallpaper in the bathroom to show his anger.Jim fighting with Edward and
Edward run away from the house, Edward become loss control and he shown his
madness by cutting off his outfit and the trees that he decorated in the town.
He also create a mischief to scare the lady that said he is a devil by cutting
a monster look plant in front of her window.
The theme of
revolt can see from the villages start to resist the existence of Edward after
the robbery case that he did not commit. They feel that Edward unique scissor
hands are seen as evidence that he is a dangerous and terrible and he should
not be fit in this ‘normal’ society.
The fourth
is primitive sexual savagery can see from Edward seduced by an older woman when
she showing him the new saloon. She automatically climbs to Edward and cut off
her cloth by using Edward scissor hands. Finally, Edward run away from her and
goes to the restaurant having dinner with Peg Boggs’s family.
The
professor who create Edward walks in a distinct way and move in jerky, slow and
sinuous pattern is one of the style of distorted body.When the grandma telling
the story of Edward Scisscorhands, the flashback is in fish eye distortion.
The setting
in the castle such as door and window are in distorted and unusual design. The
set play with geometric shapes, angle, diagonals and non-parallel line to
create a dramatic and horror mood.
There is a
contrast between the town and the castle on the hill. The town is set with
colorful and the houses are form in a neat pattern but the castle is set with
huge dark color building with windows and arches all slightly askew which
everything in irregular pattern. This shown the different environment and
feeling of the location.
When Edward
flash back to his memories where the castle, the scene shown in low key
lighting and the color is in black to build the horror and mystery atmosphere.
In the scene
when Edward arrested by the polis, the night scene also using low key lighting
and create shadow to express Edward’s inside feeling of helpless and hopeless.
The
character design of Edward is similar with the Cesare from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Both of them have white faces with dark
circles painted under their eyes and they are tall and thin with untidy hair in
black suit which represent the gothic style. In additional, Edward’s ‘scissor’
hands mark him as the conventional monster.
The gothic
building design of Edward’s castle which is huge, forbidding exterior, ghastly
stone carvings and spacious interior with long spindly window shown the
inspiration from the German expressionism.
When the
grandma telling the story of Edward Scissorhands to the little girl, the scene
flash back to the wide view of the town in blue dark color and stop with the view from the window and
over the shadow shot (OSS). The visual is in unusual angle and the shape of the
houses is distorted.
In the scene
Peg Boggs visits to the castle, the huge interior design and the stair of the
building create a weird angle for visual.
In the scene
when Edward carving the ice into an angel, the dream-like atmosphere of
romantic fairytale induced by the color of white and the slow motion of falling
snowflakes create a illustration of snowing and Kim dancing among the snow.
Corpse Bride (2005) Director: Tim Burton
Synopsis:
Victor Van Dort (Johnny Depp), son of wealthy
fishmongers is being forced into marriage with Vitoria Everglot (Emily Watson),
daughter of bankrupt aristocrats. The couple seems to like each other and
everything is going smoothly. Victor bungles a wedding rehearsal; he practices
his wedding vows in a forest. He placed the wedding ring on what looked like a
branch. But actually the branch is the finger of a deceased bride Emily (Helena
Bonham Carter) and who think they are now married.
Victor is dragged to the Land of Dead In the
surprisingly festive afterlife, Victor learns that his new fiancée and that she
was murdered in the woods on the night of her elopement. Once taken into the
Land of the Dead, it is nearly impossible to return, causing Victor to choose
between risking Victoria's life or giving up his own.
In Corpse
Bride contained the main character, which does not fit in the society which
only German Expressionism film, have the criteria. But also going against the
traditional which we can see in normal movie’s story. Corpse bride is the bride
who already dead and buried. One day, Victor accidentally put the wedding rings
on her finger and Emily rises from the grave and spirits Victor to the Land of
Dead. Land of Dead go up to the Land of Living to hold Victor and Emily’s
wedding in the church. The story and scene in Corpse Bride is impossible
because in the real life the dead could not married with the living.
Victor
become confusing because when Victor finds himself married to Emily while
Victoria waits on the other side, there’s a rich newcomer that may take
Victor’s place. Victor is confusing of which bride he loves the most. When
Victor decided to kill himself so he can properly marry Emily.
In the Land
of Living, the buildings are all sharp angles and overstuffed bellies,
All of them
are cold, shadowy world colored in varying shades of gray, like German expressionist
film. The Land of the Dead isn't just orange and red and surrounded by flames.
It's bright, colorful and beautiful and full of surprises. In the underworld is
an animated musician which full with skeleton and dead people
Distorted
body in Land of Living even creatures in Land of Dead that are disgusting in
reality are cute and sort of charming here, like the maggot that lives inside
the Corpse Bride's head, pops out of her eye socket and acts as her conscience.
The living
characters here deal with the drab living of day- to-day life in dark grays and
shadows while the land of the dead is full of life and color: a hope within
death yet very dark in emotion. This is a real world timepiece with soft
directional lighting yet everything is presented in a sickly depressing mood
with rustic gray overtones. The drab historic appearance of Victorian life has
lots of shadows and smooth textures where everything appears mechanical with
metallic surface tones yet in a normal perspective. The forest that transitions
the story has deep shadows with elongated silhouettes coming from skeletal like
trees with harsh lighting. The land of the dead has deep shadows but vibrant
colors of pinks, greens, and bright neon hues. Textured woods and surfaces make
this land seem more realistic than the living world. The sharp lighting gives a
moody feel but the action is all in motion and lively.
Sweeney
Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) Director: Tim Burton
Synopsis:
Benjamin Barker
(Johnny Depp), who formerly known as the famous barber in London married a
beautiful lady name Lucy and have a baby girl name Johanna (Jayne Wisener). The
beauty of Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly) attracts Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) and
he accuses Benjamin with the false crime that he did not commit. After 15
years, Benjamin came back with the new identity of Sweeney Todd, to seek
revenge against Judge Turpin. He met the meat pie shop’s owner Mrs. Lovett
(Helena Bonham Carter) and begins their partnership of their unknown serial
killing crime.
German
expressionism has very much influenced Tim Burton’s film as well as the movie
Sweeney Todd in year 2007. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a
musical horror drama in German Expressionism style.
The whole
movie is using low key and high contrast lighting. It has shown when there is
establishing shot for the location and the characters. We can also see that
when there’s Todd, the lighting are always in low key, greyish and deemed but
when he flashbacked, the lighting are warm. We can explain that the lighting is
warm because when Todd was Benjamin, his life was full with hopes because he
got his wife Lucy and her daughter Johanna. However, his life turns hopeless
because the Judge Turpin is grabbing Lucy and Johanna, which is the most
powerful man in London. The director chooses to use the high contrast light to
shows the anti-hero of Johnny Depp and his revenge.
The setting
in this movie is typically German Expressionism style Gothic. From the
established shot of London, jetty, buildings, Fleet Street to Mrs. Lovett’s
shop, the setting and the way the character dress are all in black and white
which is the dark gothic style. Most part of the movie is in black and white
and the building and streets are in darker shades.
Distorted
bodies and shapes can be seeing when Todd singing in front of the mirror at his
place after he failed to kill Judge Turpin and the reflection of Todd at the
water surface. The images shown in the mirror was distorted. Besides, there’s a
shot when establishing Fleet Street with some fast moving montage shot was
categorized in oblique camera angle. There’s a extreme high angle shot when
Todd was singing on the street asking people to come for a shave by holding two
razors and people passing by through him.
The surreal
content in this movie was the killing scenes. Todd killed the victims with a
slick by using his shaver razor which doesn’t happen in real life. Other than
that, where Todd is helping Mrs. Lovett to kill to let her become famous with
the human flesh’s meat pie and fulfilled his desire to kill.
The theme
revolt means that it’s going against the traditions and authorities. This can
be seen when Todd become a serial killer and kill people for his own and Mrs.
Lovett meat pie shop.
The scene
where Todd didn’t manage to kill Judge Turpin and saw him left light his
madness and his cravings to kill more people. He walks through the street and
asks people to come for shaving. Another example was Judge Turpin became mad
after know that Johanna is going to elope with Anthony and lock her up.
Influence & impact on contemporary films
Although German Expressionism has
ended in the year 1926, there are some directors have used German Expressionism
as a reference to produce their film. Some of the films directed by Tim Burton
and Alex Proyaz are well known as influenced by German Expressionism. The
movies that they produced are more likely depend heavily on mise-en-scene,
which include strong characteristics and style of German Expressionism. For
instance movies like Batman Returns, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Flee
Street, Edward Scissorhands which directed by Tim Burton and Dark City and The
Crow which directed by Alex Proyaz are highly influenced by German
Expressionism.
Most of the movies have included
the themes of German Expressionism, which are revolt, madness, self-analysis
and primitive sexual savagery, in the story line.
The lightings that always been used
is low key light, to create shadow and mystery
scene. Besides that, the shapes are distorted and exaggerated. For instance,
the buildings in those films are highly distorted and it’s abnormal from the
reality. The make up in German expressionism’s film are in heavy makeup or
gothic style. In the olden days, all of this component are use to create the
madness character and story, but nowadays, there are different director apply
these and produce as a horror film. Moreover, the actor with heavy makeup
(special character) often moves in jerky or slow, sinuous patterns. The outlook
of the characters in those films is similar with the original German
Expressionism movie Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,
for instance, Edward Scissorhands is inspired by the character
of Cesare.
The film noir is
one of the influences from German Expressionism. Film noir is using real
lighting to create contrast between shadow and light, as opposed to the
expressionist’s use of lighting through painted sets.
Characteristic and Stylistic of German Expressinism
The special film techniques got German Expressionism (1919-1926).
Firstly, there is Chiaroscuro, It’s mean that the arrangement of the light and
dark elements in a pictorial work of art. The example of this is low-key
lighting that can create dramatic shadow and used to convey mystery, and also
monsters lurking in shadows. Secondly, the story of German expressionism films
always matched with the visuals in terms of darkness and disillusionment, which
mean that the distorted visuals included in this topic, for an example, the
actors’ movement, or the set design of the film. Therefore, distortion is also
commonly used in both expressionism and later horror films, employed through
make-up, camera angles, costumes and strange backdrops. Besides that, there
also the oblique camera angles and gothic looking types. The films are often in
mood and featuring characters from a corrupt under world of crime.
Nowadays, modern films show the influence of
German Expressionism, especially, horror films. The style of German
Expressionism is ideal for portraying horrid subject matters.
The film
movements of German Expressionism are revolt, self-analysis, madness,
primitive, sexual savagery. Revolt which means that rules or instruction that
people followed or the aspect of live. Self-analysis means the actors always
questioning themselves in the film. Madness means that the point of view of
madness man is bad. Besides that, the primitive and sexual savagery, it means
includes weapons or maybe unsureal.
Furthermore,
there also a style named “Rahmenhandlung” which German word, and also a type of
style for German Expressionism; it also called as framing treatment. Next, the
depth setting in emotion of character and space, means that build depth by
distorting perspective on set that becomes in the same line or closing up with
the character.
Animating
objects also a part of German Expressionism. In the reference of German
language, the objects have a complete active life, which means that they are
spoken with the same verbs that human being used to communicate with each
other. They give the same qualities to audience that they similar with people
attitude, their act and react are also in the same way.
The next will
be stylization of the actor that means the gesture of the actor in the film.
This is to rule by the sets and the absence of the language. The actor adapts
themselves in a pattern of physical body movement and also facial movement to
achieve the things that wanted in the films.
Last but not
least, there is color filming. This means that is given by creating a toned
layer of the actual film to signify night, day or romance.
The
information above was briefly explained that the style, characteristic of German
Expressionism.
All about German Expressionism
German Expressionism
refers to two art movements that emerged in early 20th century and focused on
the emotional qualities of paintings brought out by vivid colours and distorted
shape.
Before the
Great War, German film was not nearly as technologically as other European
film. Until 1910, most German films consisted of short, pornographic snippets
and crude day-in-the-life anecdotes. Only the works of Oskar Messter showed
even the most minute level of innovation. He implemented the close-up,
artificial lighting and even some experimentation with sound. But not until
right before the start of the war did Germany begin to produce truly innovative
work.
In 1914, the
Great War began in Europe, cutting Germany off from its usual supply of
international cinema. German filmmakers were therefore unaware of the
innovation of technique D.W. Griffith had achieved in Birth of a Nation (1915). The only films imported into
Germany during the war years were from Denmark and Sweden. However, Sweden and
Denmark simply didn’t produce enough films. In 1917, the German film studio
Universum Film-Aktiengesellschaft (UFA) was founded. UFA remained the largest
European film production studio until World War II. After the German defeat in
1918, UFA went on to become a sizable competitor with Hollywood. Expressionism,
with the help of nation-wide abolition of censorship in 1919 and the
intellectuals’ adoption of cinema, was hailed as a new way of expressing a new
world.
In 1920 Das Kabinett Des Dr. Caligari, (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) (dir. Robert Wiene) one of the most
important and influential Expressionist films was released. With the outbreak
of sex murders – violent sexual crimes in which a victim was not raped but
savagely violated in a sexual manner as a means of murder – the German people
had yet another horrific product of war to fear. Dr. Caligari plays off of those fears by telling the story of
a traveling magician with a hypnotized servant who does his master’s murderous
bidding under the cover of night. In addition to being thematically appropriate
for the time, Dr. Caligari also
contains some of the most identifiably Expressionist examples of mise en scene.
Due to
budget constrains, the set could not be lit enough to produce the kind of
dramatic lighting that Expressionism required. Instead, lighting effects were
painted directly on the scenery and sets, creating an even more Expressionist
vision. The hard contrast of white and black rays on the walls gives the sense
that the action is taking place in the confines of a woodcut, a popular medium
for Expressionist art at the time. In some way, Expressionism was an inevitable
movement in Germany. It seeds were planted before World War I and probably
would grown even if the war did not give the German people a thirst for such
dark artistic expression.
The early
20th century artistic movement known as German Expressionism, which influenced
music, theater, painting and architecture, was perhaps most successfully
realized in the medium of film. Since the movement sought to reflect emotion
over realism, many Expressionist movies had horror themes whose fantastic
storylines invoked strong emotional responses and granted wide artistic
freedom. Feeding into the horror elements was a dark introspection brought
about by Germany’s involvement in World War I.
The first
Expressionist films made up for a lack of lavish budgets by using set designs
with widely non-realistic, geometrically absurd sets, along with designs
painted on walls and floors to represent lights, shadows, and objects. The
plots and stories of the Expressionist films often dealt with madness,
insanity, betrayal, and other intellectual topics. During the 20’s, a stable of
German actors, writers and directors pushed Expressionism to international
acclaim.
Film List
The
Cabinet of Dr.Caligari (1920)
Director: Robert Wiene
The Student
Of Prague (1913)
Director: Stellan Rye
and Paul Wegener
The Golem (1920)
Director:
Carl Boose and Paul Wegener
Nosferatu (1922)
Director: F.W. Murnau
Metropolis (1927)
Director: Fritz Lang
Pandora’s
Box (1929)
Director:
Georg Wilhelm Pabst
Waxworks (1924)
Director:
Leo Brinsky and Paul Leni
Genuine: A
Tale Of A Vampire (1920) Director: Robert Wiene
From Morn To
Midnight (1920) Director: Karl
Heinz Martin
References
References
GERMAN
EXPRESSIONISM: THE WORLD OF LIGHT AND SHADOW (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2012, from http://mubi.com/lists/german-expressionism-the-world-of-light-and-shadow
Flood, C. (n.d.). German Expressionism History.
Retrieved March 5, 2012, from http://www.life123.com/arts-culture/art-history/expressionism/german-expressionism.shtml
Jonathan, M.
(n.d.). In Apocalyptic
Adolescence: 10 Works Of German Expressionist Cinema . Retrieved March 5, 2012, from http://www.videovista.net/articles/expres10.html
Penny, S. (n.d.). Film and Art : On the German
Expressionist and the Disney Exhibitions. Retrieved March 6, 2012, from http://transatlantica.revues.org/1192
Bee, E. (2009,
June 23). Tim Burton: Alice In
Wonderland + German Expressionism. Retrieved March 6, 2012, from http://emilybee.wordpress.com/2009/06/23/tim-burton-alice-in-wonderland-and-german-expressionism/
German
Expressionism (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2012, from http://www.screened.com/german-expressionism/27-99/
Chaw, W. (n.d.). SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF
FLEET STREET (2007). Retrieved March 6, 2012, from http://filmfreakcentral.net/screenreviews/sweeneypersepolis.htm
Andy, N. (2010,
August 16). An Analysis of Tim
Burton as an Auteur: Part 1-Major Themes. Retrieved March 6, 2012, from http://freshmanmonroe.blogs.wm.edu/2010/08/16/an-analysis-of-tim-burton-as-an-auteur-part-1-major-themes/
Mise-en-scene
and Tim Burton (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2012, from http://www.digitalfilmarchive.net/clda/moving_image_arts/film_lesson_plans/mis-en-scene_and_tim_burton.asp
Corpse Bride
Clip (Tim Burton's Corpse Bride [Corpse Bride]) (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2012, from http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi587071769/
Plot Summary
for Dark City (1998) (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2012, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118929/plotsummary
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