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Tim Burton's Use Of German Expressionism In Film

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German Expressionism has had a profound effect on cinema for almost a century, influencing countless films and some of the world’s most imaginative and successful filmmakers. German Expressionism originated as a rebellious movement against Western conventions by depicting themes of anti-realism. Its most famous practitioners, Robert Wiene, F.W. Murnau and Fritz Lang, pioneered new techniques with expressionist, silent films The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu and Metropolis. These techniques were later incorporated into horror films as well as crime dramas. The low-key, black and white visual style found in expressionist films also heavily influenced Film Noir. Furthermore, notable film directors Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles and Tim Burton found great inspiration in the techniques and visual style of German Expressionism.

The techniques and visual style of German Expressionism utilised …show more content…

In 1982, Tim Burton wrote, designed and directed Vincent, a stop-motion short horror film. The film was shot in black and white and used German Expressionistic styling. In addition, the Penguin from Burton’s 1992 film Batman Returns looks eerily like the title character in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Many of Burton’s films contain startling similarities to early German Expressionism films:

The first shot comparing the cityscapes of Metropolis and Batman Returns, the shadows on the wall of both The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and The Corpse Bride, and the similarities in the haircuts of Metropolis’ Rotwang and Christopher Walken’s Max Shreck (the name a tribute to the title actor in Nosferatu) again in Batman Returns. (Mills 2015)

It is clear that Burton has an affection for German Expressionism, which can also be seen in the films Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet

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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).

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