ipl-logo

Examples Of Expressionism In Metropolis

912 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Filmmusik metropolis analyse

German Expressionism was a brief, yet vital period of film-making which spanned from roughly 1905 until 1935. One could consider this a small section from the history of film, yet the impact of German Expressionism upon the creative zeitgeist is still felt today. This essay will argue that these films, specifically 1927’s Metropolis, had an incredibly deep and profound impact upon the Science Fiction genre. It will explore the elements of German Expressionism, which began with The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. The essay will go on to discuss the themes and concepts presented in Metropolis, concluding with the argument that the story of Metropolis can be seen everywhere within contemporary Science Fiction. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, from 1920, is possibly not the first film in the German Expressionism period, but it can be considered one of the first major ones. With the use of a highly controlled set and harsh dramatic lighting, the seventy-eight minute silent film captured the minds of the audience, taking them through something akin to a nightmare. Darsa (2013) states ‘The sense of anxiety, distrust, and uneasiness were at an all-time high in Germany …show more content…

Labor), and the 1917 communist uprising in the Soviet Union. It also reflects the ongoing struggle between light and dark, good and evil, and the dark ages (magic) vs. modern

Show More
Related

Wendy Haslem's Essay 'Neon Gothic: Lost In Translation'

458 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout the essay, many references and comparisons are made to other films. Also incorporated in the essay is the use of advance terminology; Giving indication that the author is very knowledge about film. Haslem mentions in her essay “Neon Gothic: Lost in Translation”, “In many ways Coppola’s film exhibits marks of classic European art cinema. Specifically, in her interest in stillness rather than action, Coppola recreates a similar impressionistic resonance that was initially established by filmmakers like Carl Dreyer in The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) and elaborated by Michelangelo Antonioni in films like L’Eclisse (1962) and L’Avventura (1960)”

Read More

Similarities Between O Brother Where Art Thou And The Odyssey

862 Words | 4 Pages

Also, O Brother Where Art Thou is showing the elements of the Great Depression. Without the knowledge of time and space one cannot take any conclusions on either works. The Dark Age was the time of big changes, and the laying of

Read More

Similarities Between The Cold War And The Crucible

759 Words | 4 Pages

The Cold War, a fight against an idea that Americans opposed, and the Salem Witch Trials, a “fight” against an idea people had, share many similarities. To further explain this connection, the understanding of what communism entails is required. The reason behind why we as Americans hated and feared communism. The main reason the fear of communists was such a large thing in America. As well as the connections that can lead between the Cold War and the play The Crucible.

Read More

Dbq Summary: The Middle Ages

886 Words | 4 Pages

The Dark Ages Imagine yourself in a dark building not knowing what’s around each corner. You make your way through this building facing disease, hunger, war, pressure, and being stuck on the bottom floor of the building. This is exactly how the middle ages were. During the middle ages citizens were forced into religion and faced the issues following feudalism, hunger, disease, and war.

Read More

Sunset Boulevard Film Analysis

1617 Words | 7 Pages

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.

Read More

Metropolis Film Analysis

1919 Words | 8 Pages

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.

Read More

German Expressionism In Metropolis

754 Words | 4 Pages

German Expressionism has influenced thousands of films and filmmakers since the art movement began in the 1920’s. It is known for its dismissal of the standard conventions of Western filmmaking for a more off-kilter style of storytelling. Some film historians consider Metropolis (1927) to be one of the most groundbreaking German Expressionist films ever made. However, there are many instances throughout Metropolis in which it deviates from the eccentric Expressionist style. There are many obvious occurrences of expressionism during Metropolis, for example the opening machine sequence, but conventional Western techniques are also common in the film.

Read More

Frankenstein German Expressionism Analysis

1656 Words | 7 Pages

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).

Read More

Imagination Disaster Susan Sontag Analysis

1025 Words | 5 Pages

Susan Sontag, an author of the essay “Imagination Disaster,” explores the world of science fiction as she discusses the tropes in films from the mid-1900s. Throughout her essay, Sontag analyzes why these types of films were created, and basically ties her discussion with humanity. With the growing technological advances, science fiction films state specific things about how science threatens humanity. She also ties her discussion to how sci-fi films tend to serve an attempt at distributing a balance between humanity and the technological world. Sontag claims that science fiction films has suspense, shock, surprises, has an inexorable plot, and how they invite a dispassionate, aesthetic view of destruction and violence.

Read More

Aesthetic Of Astonishment Analysis

1441 Words | 6 Pages

In “Aesthetic of Astonishment” essay, Gunning argues how people first saw cinema, and how they are amazed with the moving picture for the first time, and were not only amazed by the technological aspect, but also the experience of how the introduction of movies have changed the way people perceive the reality in a completely different way. Gunning states that “The astonishment derives from a magical metamorphosis rather than a seamless reproduction of reality”(118). He uses the myth of how the sacred audience run out the theater in terror when they first saw the Lumiere Brother Arrival of the train. However, Gunning does not really care how hysterical their reaction is, even saying that he have doubts on what actually happened that day, as for him it the significance lied on the incidence--that is, the triggering of the audience’s reaction and its subsequence results, and not the actual reactions and their extent. It is this incident, due to the confusion of the audience’s cognition caused by new technology, that serves as a significant milestone in film history which triggered in the industry and the fascination with film, which to this day allows cinema to manipulate and

Read More

German Expressionism In Fritz Lang's Metropolis

1138 Words | 5 Pages

3. Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927) Metropolis is an important example of German Expressionism and of early science fiction. A great inquiry on future of humanity, a critique of society, a prominent dystopian film. Fritz Lang’s remarkable work has dazzlingly designed sets, costumes and unpredictable characters.

Read More

Comparative Analysis Of Dziga Vertov's Man

2150 Words | 9 Pages

Ruttman, in contrast with Vertov’s political motivations, was more motivated by the aesthetic value of filmmaking in capturing the spirit of a city, stating that “since [he] began in the cinema, [he] had the idea of making something out of life, of creating a symphonic film out of the millions of energies that comprise the life of a big city”¹. While Ruttman’s enamorement focused solely on

Read More

Benjamin Vs Adorno

2330 Words | 10 Pages

Despite both being from the same school of thought, the Frankfurt School, Walter Benjamin and Theodor Adorno found themselves debating the value of art in a world on the brink of war. The basis of Benjamin’s and Adorno’s argument was not a critique of the art itself, but rather ever-growing trend of the reproduction of art. For Benjamin, as described in, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, the reproduction of art and the novelty of film, which stemmed from technological marvels, was a natural progression and a detractor to the growing fascist presence. However, for Adorno, as discussed in “The Fetish Character of Music and the Regression in Listening”, the simplification of art, specifically music, to a mass producible

Read More

Fritz Lang's Use Of Editing Techniques In The Film Metropolis

1100 Words | 5 Pages

Directed by Fritz Lang, the silent film Metropolis (1927) served and still continues to serve as an inspiration to many successful filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers alike. The techniques and editing skills used for this film pretty much lead to the development of the skills and techniques used today. Other notable people who helped make this film a success include Lang’s wife, Thea Von Harbou as the screenwriter and author of the book, Metropolis, Karl Freund and Günther Rittau as the cinematographers, Otto Hunte, Erich Kettlehunt and Karl Volbrecht for their remarkable set design, Gottfried Huppertz for the music, and Walter Schultze- Mittendorf as the sculptor. The major characters in this film include Alfred Abel as Joh Fredersen, Gustav

Read More

Baz Luhrmann's Red Curtain Trilogy Film Analysis

976 Words | 4 Pages

Baz Luhrmann is widely acknowledged for his Red Curtain Trilogy which are films aimed at heightening an artificial nature and for engaging the audience. Through an examination of the films Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby, the evolution and adaptation of his techniques become evident. Luhrmann’s belief in a ‘theatrical cinema’ can be observed to varying degrees through the three films and his choice to employ cinematic techniques such as self-reflexivity, pastiche and hyperbolic hyperbole. The cinematic technique of self-reflexivity allows a film to draw attention to itself as ‘not about naturalism’ and asks the audience to suspend their disbelief and believe in the fictional construct of the film.

Read More

More about Examples Of Expressionism In Metropolis

Related Topics

Open Document