Revised - Films that influenced by German Expressionism

Dark City (1998) Director: Alex Proyas

Synopsis:

  
John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) awake in a bathtub and found that there are pieces memories that he failed to link it together. He involves in a mysterious murder case, and wanted by the police. Besides, there are also group of beings known as The Strangers keep chasing after him. His life becomes even complicated because of his wife and the mysterious doctor. After all, John decided to find out what is happening in the city and try to save the city from being conquered by the Strangers.
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 after he wakes up in a bathtub. After that, he got a call from Doctor Schreber telling him things that he did not understand. After that, he is confusing of what is happening and trying to find for answer. Few days later, he met with his uncle and he try to find out his identity through his uncle. He has been asking for his pass, his family and memories that he couldn’t recall and remember. Besides that, throughout the whole film, the Strangers are trying to control the human being because they wanted to be part of them. Besides, what we can see at the end of the film, Mr Hand told John that he wanted to become him, but unfortunately the imprint of John’s memory is not suitable for Strangers bodies.

Rufus Sewell as John Murdoch

The second theme is Sexual savagery. From the beginning, the girl that being killed in the hotel room was naked. Besides, a girl who bring john home after she save John from police, she’s trying to seduce John by changing clothes in front of John.
 
The thirdly theme is madness. No one believes what John said in the beginning of the film because the they think that what he said is ridiculous and unbelievable, the imprint memory to the human bodies is the mad idea that would never happen in real life. Moreover, the two girls that being killed and died naked with the swirl cut on their body, which establish the madness idea too. As John have the Tuning power which is same with the Strangers but an ordinary human wouldn’t have this kind of super power on them.

The strangers flying in the reality city

Forth theme is exaggerated unrealistically for expressive purpose which is distorted visual. The brain cell that came out from the Stranger’s head is for exaggerated purpose. This happened when the Strangers attack John outside the house corridor. There’s a door that appears on the wall for Dr Schreber to enter the Strangers habitation and it disappeared after he enter. It also allowed doctor Schreber enter to their underworld which is an unrealistic world. Another example, Mr Book caught Doctor Schreber with superpower but not with their hand which is exaggerated. The changing shapes of the buildings and people by Tuning power. The Strangers change people identity by imprint the memory with another person’s memory. Next, the unrealistic world that Stranger created to this city, which is the unknown planet and also the underworld that Strangers living are also distorted visual. The super power of Strangers can float in the sky which is out of the ordinary.

The shape of the building changed

The fifth theme is revolt. Dr. Schreber fights against the Strangers by imprint John’s memory to John body instead of Stranger’s memory. The other example is John does not believe what is happening on him and the city; he tried to fights against the Strangers.

German expressionism film is more focusing on mise en scène. The lighting that is being use in ‘Dark City’ is chiaroscuro/ low key lighting. From the beginning of the film, John awake from the bath tub, the lamps is swinging in the air and creates shadow which brings mystery and horror feel. Besides that, there’s also low-key lighting. John’s reaction is in panic which create the horror and scary feels to the audience. The entire movie is being shot in low-key lighting and mostly the night scene. There’s only daytime exist in the film in the end where John successfully abolish Strangers’ creation and create the city that he wants which including shell beach. On the other hand, the vivid shadow was being shown in this film most of the time. This is because the chiaroscuro lighting creates a hard 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 and white pale make up in the entire whole film, and the costumes are all in black colour; this is to create horror and scary feel to the audience. The Strangers acting is fit the characteristic of German expressionism as they’re moving in

The stranger

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.

Edward cutting his own clothes

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 old woman trying to seduce Edward

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.

The professor

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.

The contrast between the town and the castle on the hill

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.

Dr Caligari (left) and Edward (right) have similar make up

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.

Building design

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.

The interior design of the castle

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.

Edward's hand been pulled

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

The Land of Dead

The Land of Living

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.

Corpse's eye pops out

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. 

Reality scene

Flashback scene

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.

Water reflect Todd's face

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.

Todd kill his customer.

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.