German Expressionism In Metropolis

Dirty Dancing was released in 1987. The film clip I chose was from the end of the season talent show. Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) approaches Baby’s (Jennifer Grey) table and tells her father “Nobody puts baby in a corner.” In this scene, Johnny grabs Baby hand and escorts her towards the stage while everyone looks shocked even to see him. The individuals on the stage are singing their farewell song, but they immediately stop to let Johnny capture the spotlight. The cinematography used throughout this scene focuses mainly on Johnny and Baby. The lightings utilized in this clip were low-key and three-point lighting. These different lighting techniques are applied in the movie to help set the tone and mood for the film scene. The

Released September 29, 1950, Sunset Boulevard is a film noir of a forgotten silent film star, Norma Desmond, that dreams of a comeback and an unsuccessful screenwriter, Joe Gillis, working together. Ultimately an uncomfortable relationship evolves between Norma and Joe that Joe does not want a part of. Sunset Boulevard starts off with an establishing shot from a high angle shot with a narrative leading to a crime scene shot in long shot (a dead body is found floating in a pool). The narrative throughout the film established a formalist film.

Mise-en-scéne is crucial to classical Hollywood as it defined an era ‘that in its primary sense and effect, shows us something; it is a means of display. ' (Martin 2014, p.XV). Billy Wilder 's Sunset Boulevard (Wilder 1950) will be analysed and explored with its techniques and styles of mise-en-scéne and how this aspect of filmmaking establishes together as a cohesive whole with the narrative themes as classical Hollywood storytelling. Features of the film 's sense of space and time, setting, motifs, characters, and character goals will be explored and how they affect the characterisation, structure, and three-act organisation.

Even though they were produced in two completely different time periods, Blade Runner and Double Indemnity share a substantial amount of similarities. Each film’s use of cinematic elements points towards them following a film noir style of filming. Though Blade Runner’s sci-fi genre does push it towards a more modernized version of film noir, commonly known as neo-noir, it still shares many similarities with Blade Runner. Low key lighting, shadows, smoke, compact spaces, and pathetic fallacy are all classic film noir qualities seen throughout the films. Both films also focus their plots upon the main character's attraction to a “femme fatale”: Rachael in Blade Runner and Phyllis in Double Indemnity. The usage of these qualities and character

Donnie Darko is a fiction movie written and director by Richard Kelly and release for a sci fi, drama, tragedy, romance and thriller. It is a serious exploration of physical and metaphysical reality. This movie explains the meaning of madness, the ability to perceive the divine, and the possible overlap between them. This complex demonstration can be translated as heroism and sacrifice in the everyday life of Donnie Darko. The movie is centered around a young 17 year old biy names Donnie Darko. He is a teenager with a brilliant intellect and a mind blowing experience. The movie portrays a unique and original thinking; Donnie is a piece of the puzzle who did not fit in his family, but fit perfectly with his friend Frank, a character dressed in a creepy rabbit costume. The meaning of the movie come as a equal sign

The imagery in Metropolis can be observed as very dark, as Ake Bergvall demonstrates in his writings on such. First off, Freder runs into a man named Georgy underneath Metropolis. Freder decides to switch roles with him and see what it is like to be in Georgy’s place and so then Georgy can see what it is like to be in Freder’s place. Having Georgy be a worker underneath Metropolis, he works on the clock machine. When Freder takes his place to work on the clock machine, he eventually succumbs to exhaustion, as he is shown holding the hands of the clock almost visually looking as though he is being crucified. Georgy, in Freder’s place, falls into temptation after finding money in Freder’s clothes and goes to Yoshiwara, the nightclub that

After reading the critical essay “Neon Gothic: Lost in Translation” by Wendy Haslem, her central argument was found to be that of how Lost in Translation (Coppola,2003) presents a nontraditional approach to a romance in comparison to the expected. Haslem goes on to support her claim of an unconventional romance by using examples of scenes from the film, such as the scene where Bob and Charlotte share a goodbye kiss. In traditional romantic films, there is no mistake in understanding the intent of a kiss. However, in Lost in Translation, the intent of the kiss shared between Bob and Charlotte is not very direct and arises a lot of questions to its meaning. Another piece of textual evidence found to support the claim is the connection made between the two main characters throughout the film. One would assume that the unique bond shared between them would lead to the start of a formal relationship, but to our surprise the couple was not united at the end of the film. Again, supporting the claims of an

Over the fifteen weeks of the first semester of film school, we were taught many interesting types and styles of early world cinema which were extremely informative and influenced the filmmaking style of the whole class and made us better filmmakers instantly. One such ‘ism’ which inspired me the most was German Expressionism which is a unique characteristic of Weimar Cinema. In this essay I am going to talk about the history of this ‘ism’, its impact on cinema, some significant works and how it inspired me and influenced my filmmaking style.

The lighting displayed throughout the film mirrored the theatrical lighting techniques used in German Expressionist films. Detour was

As the camera zooms out slowly and we hear crickets chirping, we are introduced to the charming world of “What’s eating Gilbert Grape”. The film that many have come to love, along with its extremely famous actors, was released in 1993 in the United States and directed by Lasse Hallstrom. Endora, Iowa is the home of the Grape family, it’s a small, unchanging town where the main character Gilbert (Johnny Depp) feels trapped and death seems to be the only way out. Gilbert provides for his mother, sisters, and his autistic brother, Arnie (Leonardo Di Caprio). “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” is in many ways an unrealistic and demeaning view of autism. Arnie is represented throughout the movie as a burden to Gilbert and the rest of the Grape family,

Of some of the many early films, Frankenstein (James Whale, 1931), can be noted for its impact on film history as being one of the first films of its kind. This new genre of film inspired many more films to come in the Universal Hollywood film era, due to its vast amount of new techniques that were used to support German Expressionist film production. German Expressionist film production occurred after World War One, and had the primary goal to create a world much different from which the creator lives in. Frankenstein, itself, also created strong ties to German Expressionism, which called for a new way of cinema. This new wave of Cinema was noted for its “great burst of artistic activity” (Mast, Kawin 104). In Frankenstein the use of this

“Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans”, the 1927 film by F.W. Murnau, is a shining example of the struggle between modern and anti-modern values that

Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionistic science fiction film, directed by Fritz Lang. Much of the plot is established following influences of the first world war, and the culture of the Weimar Republic in Germany. Although criticised for its allusions to communism in the resolution of the film, Lang explores mostly themes of industrialisation and mass production, which, coincidentally, were two developments that provided a large influence in the First World War. Lang also explores themes of the Weimer view of American modernity, communism and fascist rule. Politically, this film was shot after WWI, meaning many of its influences were extracted from the horrors of the First World War. Themes that Lang explored in Metropolis played a large part in the First World War, and the aftermath of it. Screenwriter Thea von Harbau’s original vision for the film was one of an apocalyptic scenario reflecting and alluding to the the social and political upheaval in Germany during the immediate post WWI years of the Weimar Republic. The film reflected upon the society which was not only experiencing unprecedented artistic and political freedoms, but was in a state of political and social turmoil. Additionally, the biblical references and metaphors can be simply attributed to Lang’s upbringing. His home country, Austria, famously, was the traditional guardian of the Holy Roman Empire, and Catholicism was the State religion during the reign of the Habsburgs and up until the First World

The French New Wave was a film movement in the 1950’ and 60’s that consisted of an explosion of new film techniques, values, and styles that became a defining moment of cinematic innovation that’s impact is still present in the modern film industry. An influx of new, young directors sought to narratively, ideologically and stylistically veer off from the dominant, traditional mainstream cinema production standards and redefine the French film industry. The movement didn’t happen overnight and its origins and influences stem back to the occupation of France by Nazi-Germany during World War II, the subsequent Italian Neo-Realism movement, and a combination of previous film periods.

After its defeat in the First World War, Germany was left in a miserable state; there was a massive shortage of resources and thousands of German people died. The morale and spirits of those who survived were shattered, many were left in disarray and forced to deal with devastation in any way possible. Many artists, including creators of the film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, served in the war and were forever changed after witnessing the horrors of war. The effects of the war caused them to turn inward and seek ways to try to explain their emotional states. A key movement that came out of Germany is this period was German Expressionism. The movement sought to express emotions that the German people felt. German citizens wanted a retreat from their bleak reality. German Expressionism manifested itself in cinema through the use of distorted sets, dark, compelling stories, and exaggerated performances.