Narrative Theory - German Expressionism

German Expressionism films came around in the 1920s after the traumatic aftermath of World War One. The movement started before it reached the cinema as artists would use creative distortion to express mood and emotion. Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’ is one of the most notable pieces of expressionist artwork. In 1916, the German government banned all foreign films creating a demand for media. The films during this time showcased dramatic and violent themes which mirrored what the people of Germany were feeling. With Germany being in a depressing era, this led to filmmakers such as Fritz Lang and F.W. Muranu to create the most astounding films of the German Expressionism era.  These films then went on to be some of the most crucial films of cinema history, influencing many films of the modern day.  This essay will cover how German Expressionism films used mise-en-scene to convey themes and emotions to the audience when dialogue wasn’t a method to do so, which led to how filmmakers of today use mise-en-scene to tell a story. 

Metropolis (Lang, 1927) was a groundbreaking film at the time due to its extraordinary set design and costumes. The set design featured a futuristic city which gave the German audience a glimpse into what the future could hold, and what the outside of Germany could look like as Lang was inspired by the landscape of New York City. The buildings use sharp and clean-cut edges, the skyline is crisscrossed by angular bridges carrying a never-ending stream of similar black motorcars, while biplanes fly above. All these create a futuristic and contemporary city that was breath-taking for the audience at the time.  The city also includes a modern take of the Tower of Babel, which symbolises human's struggle to build a tower to heaven, as told in the Bible. It also reflects the designers’ knowledge of the latest European architectural advancements and the previous artwork of the German expressionism movement. The impression Lang gives through his set design is oddly Gothic and gloomy, which symbolises and reflects the mood of the German citizens of the time. Eugen Schüfftan, a pioneering effects expert, was responsible for creating the groundbreaking visual effects in Metropolis. His work included the use of miniatures to depict the city, as well as a camera mounted on a swing to create dynamic perspectives. Most notably, Schüfftan developed the innovative ‘Schüfftan process’, which employed mirrors to give the illusion that actors were interacting with miniature sets. This technique was so effective that it was adopted by Alfred Hitchcock just two years later in his 1929 film Blackmail. The makeup and character design for Metropolis was also surreal and never seen before in a film. The story of the film is inspired by the life of what the German people were living at the time. Two people from each class fall in love in Metropolis which is heavily spit by the class. Germany, at the time, was split by class as the poor were poor due to the aftermath of the war, with the fear of hyperinflation on the horizon. Then the rich were still rich after the war. Metropolis has inspired not only films of today, but the way architecture is seen today. The set design has inspired many modern buildings of today and the film itself has inspired many films such as Star Wars (Lucas, 1977), Blade Runner (Scott, 1982), Batman (Burton, 1989) and The Fifth Element (Besson, 1997). 

Filmmakers during the German Expressionism era also used lighting to convey emotions to the audience. Nosferatu (Murnau, 1922) is one of the notable films during this period that used lighting to convey emotions to the audience. Within horror films, lighting can either break or make the tension for the audience and Nosferatu was one of the first horror films to do so.

In this shot here, one of the strategies used within this scene is the highlight of the character, Nosferatu. The reason why you immediately look at his face is because it’s lit up in a dark setting. The wall, the curtains and his clothes are purposely dark to contrast the light reflected off his face. The reason behind making this particular feature evident is so the audience will follow his gaze to the window. The director wanted the view out the window to be a subsidiary contrast because it plays an important in moving the story forward.

In this shot here, Murnau has used lighting to create a silhouette of Nosferatu to build tension and to create a sense of terror and fear for the audience. The lighting is set up to create jaggered and unusual shapes, like his fingers, to emphasize the madness of the character's actions. It enhances his menacing and terrifying presence within the scene, adding a scene of unease to the audience. Nosferatu has influenced many horror films of today due to his way of high contrast lighting and use of silhouettes. The horror classic is being remade by well-known horror director Robert Eggers who has used the use of lighting in his adaptation to build tension, paying homage to Murnau who was one of the first to do so.

Overall, German Expressionism has had a massive influence on cinema. Its use of lighting, set design and costume has influenced the directors of today on how to use mise-en-scene to convey certain emotions to the audience.