Film Studies For Hollywood And European Cinema: German Expressionism And Noir Style

German Expressionism: Evolution of Noir styles

Discuss about the Film Studies for Hollywood and European Cinema.

The classical film Noir epoch is regarded as the ‘golden era’ that witnessed cultural efflorescence. In Hollywood, the era spanned from 1940s to the late 1950s. The Film Noir has a significant influence on the film history. It fused the styles of both Hollywood and European Cinema. At the same time, the film Noir had a glimmering beginning that lasted until the aftermath of the World War-II. The characteristic styles of Film Noir involve the representation of black and white picture with a nuanced hue. The root of the film can be traced back to the period of German Expressionism movement. The phase of German Expressionism started before the start of the World War-I. After the Great War, Germany was ostensibly cut off from the remainder of the world. After the end of the War, Germany became a ‘secluded haven’ and the international films were not much in vogue (Barsam & Monahan, 2015). Therefore, there had been an escalating demand for domestic films. The Great War had exacerbated the economic and cultural crises of Germany. In the early 1920s, the phase of German Expressionism reached the pinnacle of success and glory. At the same time, the entire film industry had a cognizance of the German Expressionism movement (Berger, 2016).

In the domain of cinematography, German Expressionism emanated from the larger segment of Expressionist movement in the first decade of the 20^th century (Bould, 2012). The wider Expressionism movement started in the early half of the 20^th century. The movement was rampant in the regions of Germany and Austria. The Expressionist movement is noted for the phase of “renaissance” in the field of graphic arts and literature (Horak, 2015). The term “renaissance” means “re-born” or “regeneration” of graphic arts in the field of cinematography. The Expressionist movement is remarkable for the formation of creativity and literary activities. In Germany, the artists underscored the growth of the craft, centering graphic art. At the same time, Germany witnessed the emergence of printing revolution. In the city of Mainz, Germany, the printing revolution made its headway. The historians believed that the expressionists identified “a chord of discontentment” within the existing system and influenced the revolutionary change. The Expressionists deployed the visual art form to spawn an insight into the emotional and psychological facets of the creativity and deconstructionist art (Jacobs & Colpaert, 2013). 

Influence of Expressionist Movement on filmmaking (Analysis of the films of Fritz Lang)

In Germany, the city of Mainz is the principal hub for printing revolution. Subsequently, the Expressionist Movement transcended the phase of printed material and moved into theatre and literature. The Expressionist Movement profoundly influenced the era of cinematography. The Deformed images and irregularities supplemented the art of German film. At the same time, it created an emotional liaison between the films and the German audience. It is believed that Nosferatu (1922) was the first film that had the influence of Expressionism. The film was an adaptation of the novel Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker. The facet of horror enthralled the conceptualization of the expressionist films. The director F.W Murnau and screenplay writer Henrik Galeen successfully implemented the craft of the Expressionist films. The Nosferatu was the phenomenal creation of the Expressionist directors (Jancovich, 2012). The Noir style focused more on the darker plots and climatic transitions than the lighter hue. The varied plots comprised nuanced lightening effect. The most sensational shot of Nosferatu was that it played wildly with the shadow of Vampire. Max Schreck played the role of Vampire. He paced up and down the staircase. The role has a darker hue and spawns a feeling of fear and angst. The darkness stood for the making of evil characters (Lacey, 2016). 

The scholars believe that the Expressionist movement withered away after the end of the Great War. The vestige of Expressionist movement is felt in other parts of the world. The movement faced crises due to the growing tensions of the World War-I. The Nazi party began to ostracize the forces of Expressionism from the land of Germany. The Expressionist artists feared the emergence of the Nazi party and they began to drift their base to other parts of the world. The emergence of Hollywood is another important factor in the film history. The Hollywood of the United States began to absorb the traits of Expressionism and the remaining of the Expressionist artists began to relocate. The German Expressionism assumed a new character in the United States and in the parts of the Hollywood. The Hollywood films were deeply influenced by the trend of Expressionism. In the United States, the Noir films had its genesis (Leonard, S., & Tasker, 2014).

The influence of German Expressionism is entrenched in the Hollywood film industry. Many expressionist artists shifted their base to the parts of the United States of America. Fritz Lang is the most important film personality, who brought the trait of ‘expressionism’ into live. He had achieved many feats in Germany and in the parts of Central Europe. German Expressionist artists taught him many new techniques. Such revised concepts helped Fritz Lang comprehend the new art. The most famous films, produced by Lang during the tensile time in Germany entailed Metropolis (1927). The most talked about plot that exhibited the traces of Noir style is the film “Metropolis”. A crime thriller movie showed blood bath and the representation of a child murderer. Metropolis is a film that delineated the emergence of a child murderer called Hans Beckett (Peter Lorre). At the same time, the police forces and the criminal underworld sought the man everywhere. The film encompassed crime scenes that showed the villain characters in the positive shade. The best thing about the noir films is exhibiting the pioneering characters in the positive light. The Expressionist movement is noted for the phase of “renaissance” in the field of graphic arts and literature. The term “renaissance” means “re-born” or “regeneration” of graphic arts in the field of cinematography. The Expressionist movement is remarkable for the formation of creativity and literary activities. In Germany, the artists underscored the growth of the craft, centering graphic art. At the same time, Germany witnessed the emergence of printing revolution.

Noir Style

The most phenomenal film that defined the Noir movement is Citizen Kane (1941), directed by Orson Welles. The film did not liken the noir genre properly. However, the film made the base of the genre strong and effective. The German filmmakers made the film and it was justified by its visual approach. The variegated plots and cinematic transitions defined the film. The film beautifully revealed the life of Charles Foster Kane and derived the technicalities of the filmmaking. The film had set the paradigm of noir style.  In the domain of cinematography, German Expressionism emanated from the larger segment of Expressionist movement in the first decade of the 20^th century. The wider Expressionism movement started in the early half of the 20^th century. The movement was rampant in the regions of Germany and Austria. The Expressionist movement is noted for the phase of “renaissance” in the field of graphic arts and literature. The term “renaissance” means “re-born” or “regeneration” of graphic arts in the field of cinematography. The Expressionist movement is remarkable for the formation of creativity and literary activities. In Germany, the artists underscored the growth of the craft, centering graphic art. At the same time, Germany witnessed the emergence of printing revolution. In the city of Mainz, Germany, the printing revolution made its headway. The historians believed that the expressionists identified “a chord of discontentment” within the existing system and influenced the revolutionary change. The Expressionists deployed the visual art form to spawn an insight into the emotional and psychological facets of the creativity and deconstructionist art

German Expressionism is usually characterized by a discerning, profoundly decorated, artificially aesthetic that culminated in the formation of surrealism. It had a broad purview of imagery that delivered characteristic elements such as confusion and madness. The film ‘Metropolis’ was shot on a wholly designed set that entailed both abstract and asymmetrical dimensions. Therefore, Fritz Lang deployed a electrified and psychological space that resulted in a infernal version of distortion and ruckus. The style and features of German Expressionist films have unceasingly influenced the films of the later centuries. The styles have influenced the making of dark films such as Insomnia and many more. The directors such as Christopher Nolan implemented the strategies of German Expressionism in his phenomenal films. The activities used by Fritz Lang in his movies had inspired many actors to counterfeit the style. Figuratively, many directors of this generation have utilized the trend of the German Expressionism and it is apparent in a series of films. The genres have conflicting dimensions. It had witnessed the emergence of many trends and tendencies (Tasker, 2013). 

Noir style is discerned as low-key element that restricted the usage of heavy lights and color. The style spawned a divergence between the narrow areas. The plots required relatively lesser fill lights and generated colossal areas of darkness. Initially, the directors placed key lights on the main actors and created a gaudy and lurid facial expression out of them. The directors loved to play with the vibrancy of the characters and plot analysis. At the same time, the faces exhibited quirky highlights to explore dementia. At the initial stage, the directors would experiment with the visage of the lead actors and tried to exaggerate the beauty in the big screens. Conversely, the noir style manifested a darker hue, without displaying the glamorized angle. In the Noir theme, the film heroes were photographed in hard and undiffused light. Consequently, the lead actors of the films exhibited a glamorous shade and assumed an alluring form.    It might have been a style that aided should make noir’s distorted, ethically vague. The films were shown in a different disposition that countered the le’ monde films. Mirror images and various sorts of reflections were in vogue that entailed deceptive characters and neurotic narcissism (Robbins, 2014).  

Customary Building shots were withdrawn and the viewers got an engrossing taste of a new frame. Contrary to the traditional movements, the directors would experiment with the visage of the lead actors and tried to exaggerate the beauty in the big screens. Conversely, the noir style manifested a darker hue, without displaying the glamorized angle. In the Noir theme, the film heroes were photographed in hard and undiffused light. Consequently, the lead actors of the films exhibited a glamorous shade and assumed an alluring form (Vaughan, 2014).   It might have been a style that aided should make noir’s distorted, ethically vague. The films were shown in a different disposition that countered the le’ monde films. Mirror images and various sorts of reflections were in vogue that entailed deceptive characters and neurotic narcissism (Vaidya, 2016).

The 1940s and 1950s saw the glimmering beginning of the “Classical period” of American film noir. At the other end of the spectrum, the films such as Fury (1936) and You Only Live Once (1937), directed by Fritz Lang exhibited the trace of pre-WWII crime melodrama. The films of Fritz Lang are categorized as complete noir style in varied films. The films, conceptualized by Fritz Lang are described as “proto-noir” by various sources. The most commonly recognized noir film version is “Stranger on the Third Floor” (1940). The Latvian-born, Soviet-reared Boris Ingster directed the film (Schneider, 2016).   

The remarkable films of the classical period (noir genre) were distinctively low-budgeted and modest quality movies. Such films had no premier artists and spawned no enthusiasm. The films were curated in such a way that created sensation. The scholars believe that the Expressionist movement withered away after the end of the Great War. The vestige of Expressionist movement is felt in other parts of the world. The movement faced crises due to the growing tensions of the World War-I (Skoble, 2015).

The Nazi party began to ostracize the forces of Expressionism from the land of Germany. The Expressionist artists feared the emergence of the Nazi party and they began to drift their base to other parts of the world. The emergence of Hollywood is another important factor in the film history. The Hollywood of the United States began to absorb the traits of Expressionism and the remaining of the Expressionist artists began to relocate (Spicer & Hanson, 2013).

The German Expressionism assumed a new character in the United States and in the parts of the Hollywood. The Hollywood films were deeply influenced by the trend of Expressionism. In the United States, the Noir films had its genesis. In the domain of cinematography, German Expressionism emanated from the larger segment of Expressionist movement in the first decade of the 20^th century. The wider Expressionism movement started in the early half of the 20^th century. The movement was rampant in the regions of Germany and Austria. The Expressionist movement is noted for the phase of “renaissance” in the field of graphic arts and literature (Pettey & Palmer 2014)The term “renaissance” means “re-born” or “regeneration” of graphic arts in the field of cinematography. The Expressionist movement is remarkable for the formation of creativity and literary activities. In Germany, the artists underscored the growth of the craft, centering graphic art. At the same time, Germany witnessed the emergence of printing revolution. In the city of Mainz, Germany, the printing revolution made its headway. The historians believed that the expressionists identified “a chord of discontentment” within the existing system and influenced the revolutionary change. The Expressionists deployed the visual art form to spawn an insight into the emotional and psychological facets of the creativity and deconstructionist art (Nielsen, 2014).

The most phenomenal film that defined the Noir movement is Citizen Kane (1941), directed by Orson Welles. The film did not liken the noir genre properly. However, the film made the base of the genre strong and effective. The German filmmakers made the film and it was justified by its visual approach. The variegated plots and cinematic transitions defined the film. The film beautifully revealed the life of Charles Foster Kane and derived the technicalities of the filmmaking. The film had set the paradigm of noir style (Murray, 2015).

Conclusion

German Expressionism is usually characterized by a discerning, profoundly decorated, artificially aesthetic that culminated in the formation of surrealism. It had a broad purview of imagery that delivered characteristic elements such as confusion and madness. The film ‘Metropolis’ was shot on a wholly designed set that entailed both abstract and asymmetrical dimensions. Therefore, Fritz Lang deployed a electrified and psychological space that resulted in a infernal version of distortion and ruckus. The style and features of German Expressionist films have unceasingly influenced the films of the later centuries. The styles have influenced the making of dark films such as Insomnia and many more. The directors such as Christopher Nolan implemented the strategies of German Expressionism in his phenomenal films. The activities used by Fritz Lang in his movies had inspired many actors to counterfeit the style. Figuratively, many directors of this generation have utilized the trend of the German Expressionism and it is apparent in a series of films. The genres have conflicting dimensions. It had witnessed the emergence of many trends and tendencies (Maland, 2016).

Reference

Barsam, R., & Monahan, D. (2015). Looking at movies. WW Norton & Company.

Berger, D. (2016). Illuminated Darkness: Exiles and Émigrés in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Jewish Culture and History, 1-13.

Bould, M. (2012). Film Noir: From Berlin to Sin City (Vol. 27). Columbia University Press.

Horak, J. C. (2015). Gemunden, Gerd. Continental Strangers. German Exile Cinema, 1933-1951. The German Quarterly, 88(2), 248-250.

Jacobs, S., & Colpaert, L. (2013). Framing Death and Desire: Painted Portraits in Film Noir. CineAction, (91), 27.

Jancovich, M. (2012). “A former director of German horror films”: Horror, European cinema and the critical reception of Robert Siodmak’s hollywood career’. European Nightmares, London: Wallflower, 185-93.

Lacey, N. (2016). Introduction to film. Palgrave Macmillan.

Leonard, S., & Tasker, Y. (2014). Fifty Hollywood Directors. Routledge.

Maland, C. (2016). Review: The Many Lives of Cy Endfield: Film Noir, the Blacklist, and “Zulu” by Brian Neve.

Murray, R. (2015). FILM 3759-001: History of Cinema.

Nielsen, J. I. (2014). Classic (al) Lang. A Companion to Fritz Lang, 430-457.

Pettey, H. B., & Palmer, R. B. (Eds.). (2014). Film Noir. Edinburgh University Press.

Robbins, B. (2014). Inscrutable Images nd Cultural Migrations: Wartime Noir and the Compson Appendix. The Faulkner Journal, 28(1), 55.

Schneider, C. (2016). Run Like The Devil: Desire, Murder, and Oedipal Anxiety in Fritz Lang's Woman in the Window.

Skoble, A. J. (2015). Fatalism in American Film Noir: Some Cinematic Philosophy by Robert B. Pippin (review). Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 45(2), 47-48.

Spicer, A., & Hanson, H. (2013). A Companion to Film Noir. John Wiley & Sons.

Spicer, A., & Hanson, H. (2013). A Companion to Film Noir. John Wiley & Sons.

Tasker, Y. (2013). Women in Film Noir. A Companion to Film Noir, 353-368.

Vaidya, J. (2016). mLearning Apps for Specialized Curriculum: A Case Study on Film Noir. In Handbook of Research on Mobile Learning in Contemporary Classrooms (pp. 299-314). IGI Global.

Vaughan, H. (2014). Critical theory and film: rethinking ideology through film noir. New Review of Film and Television Studies, 12(1), 73-76.