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Analysation of Dracula themes
German expressionism and the types and characteristics of german expressionism
Analysation of Dracula themes
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German expressionism is defined as a number of related creative movements that started in Germany before the first world war that spiked in Berlin during the 1920s.
German Expressionism was an era of when films reflected the grim reality of life during that time. Even though German Expressionist films were mostly prevalent in the 1920s, the style that it introduced influenced many directors and films, including many movies we see in cinemas today.
One of the most well known film directors of Hollywood was Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock flourished on the elements of German Expressionism. He was influenced by Fritz Lang and many other German Expressionist directors through their uses of abstract sets, oblique camera angles, and stark shadows to convey exaggerated psychological states.
German expressionism is very apparent in Dracula. The count has a terrifying sense of the demonic traits about himself with supernatural themes, suggested superficially by his appearance with the help of lighting and theatrical effects. Yet religious artefacts such as the cross affect the count showing religious motifs.
The influence of German expressionism on Hollywood, and films in general, are made evident by the genres of horror films, film noir and science fiction. The use of supernatural themes, lighting styles and
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The German expressionism style allowed early filmmakers to experiment with special effects to effectively express certain emotions such as desires, unconscious fears and deranged fixations. Even more impacts that German expressionist visual style had on horror films are the use of aesthetic peculiarities in film and also in particular the themes of fear and madness. One of the most memorable and evident filmmakers influenced by German expressionism was Alfred Hitchcock. Some of the techniques of German expressionism are evident in a silent film Hitchcock directed called The
Many films, and sometimes film genres, are dismissed as being part of the cinema of escapism. This assumes that in times of particular social or economic hardship (often on a national or international level), people go to movies for the sole purpose of “getting away from it all.” While some films may follow this overall trend, it is important to note that it cannot be a generalization made for all films. During the Weimar era in Germany, the nation was in the midst of a national struggle on many fronts. As a people, Germans attempted to deal with their past (the problems during World War I as well as the consequences of their loss) and move toward the future (finding a solution for their economic struggles and defining themselves culturally and socially). This period saw a resurgence of the horror genre, this time adapted to the new medium of film. However, the way horror was portrayed via film is the interesting part: it drew specifically on the struggles of the nation to instill horror. This is an exact reversal of the idea of cinematic escapism, since many Weimar era horror films used relatable struggles in order to both entertain and terrify (in this case, existing concurrently as well as dependently on each other). One of the clearest examples of this is through the film Nosferatu, a cinematic retelling of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula directed by F.W. Murnau. The budding horror genre of the Weimar era, as exemplified by Nosferatu, succeeded because it drew parallels to the German people’s collective post-World War I mindset, including references to the terrible nature of the war itself and the fearful prospect of how to move forward.
Alfred Hitchcock’s films not only permanently scar the brains of his viewers but also addict them to his suspense. Hitchcock’s films lure you in like a trap, he tells the audience what the characters don’t know and tortures them with the anticipation of what’s going to happen.
This movement started in Germany and later on settled in the United States. Neo-Expressionists were sometimes called Neue Wilden (“The Wild Ones”). The word Expressionism was a movement in poetry and in paintings and this usually would present the subjective perspective.
Classic film noir originated after World War II. This is the time where post World War II pessimism, anxiety, and suspicion was taking the world by storm. Many films that were released in the U.S. Between 1939s and 1940s were considered propaganda films that were designed for entertainment during the Depression and World War II. During the 1930s many German and Europeans immigrated to the U.S. and helped the American film industry with powerf...
All directors of major motion pictures have specific styles or signatures that they add in their work. Alfred Hitchcock, one of the greatest directors of all time, has a particularly unique style in the way he creates his films. Film analyzers classify his distinctive style as the “Alfred Hitchcock signature”. Hitchcock’s signatures vary from his cameo appearances to his portrayal of a specific character. Two perfect examples of how Hitchcock implements his infamous “signatures” are in the movies, A Shadow of a Doubt and Vertigo. In these movies, numerous examples show how Hitchcock exclusively develops his imagination in his films.
During the course of this essay it is my intention to discuss the differences between Classical Hollywood and post-Classical Hollywood. Although these terms refer to theoretical movements of which they are not definitive it is my goal to show that they are applicable in a broad way to a cinema tradition that dominated Hollywood production between 1916 and 1960 and which also pervaded Western Mainstream Cinema (Classical Hollywood or Classic Narrative Cinema) and to the movement and changes that came about following this time period (Post-Classical or New Hollywood). I intend to do this by first analysing and defining aspects of Classical Hollywood and having done that, examining post classical at which time the relationship between them will become evident. It is my intention to reference films from both movements and also published texts relative to the subject matter. In order to illustrate the structures involved I will be writing about the subjects of genre and genre transformation, the representation of gender, postmodernism and the relationship between style, form and content.
Specific techniques of German expressionism, such as dark vs. light, religious themes and spirituality, and the use
The German Expressionist movement was a number of movements that began in Germany during the start of the 20th century. It mainly dealt with poetry, painting, art and cinema. The success of expressionist films helped Germany seen as the most technically advanced in the world. The expressionist style can be...
The link between expressionism and horror quickly became a dominant feature in many films and continues to be prominent in contemporary films mainly due to the German expressionist masterpiece Das Kabinett des Doctor Caligari. Wiene’s 1920 Das Kabinett des Doctor Caligari utilized a distinctive creepiness and the uncanny throughout the film that became one the most distinctive features of externalising inner mental and emotional states of protagonists through various expressionist methods. Its revolutionary and innovative new art was heavily influenced by the German state and its populace in conjunction with their experience of war; Caligari took a clear cue from what was happening in Germany at the time. It was this film that set cinematic conventions that still apply today, heavily influencing the later Hollywood film noir genre as well as the psychological thrillers that has led several film audiences to engage with a film, its character, its plot and anticipate its outcome, only to question whether the entire movie was a dream, a story of a crazy man, or an elaborate role play. This concept of the familiar and the strange, the reality, the illusion and the dream developed in Das Kabinett des Doctor Caligari, is once again present in Scorsese’s 2010 film Shutter Island.
Alfred Hitchcock developed his signature style from his earlier works The Lodger and Blackmail. These films were the framework for his signature films later on. His themes of “an innocent man who is accused of a crime” and “the guilty woman” were first seen in these two films and are repeated throughout Hitchcock’s cinematic history
Hitchcock has characteristics as an auteur that is apparent in most of his films, as well as this one.
Alfred Hitchcock’s unique sense of filmmaking and directing has allowed him to become a very famous and well known film maker of his time. He uses similar recurring themes, elements, and techniques in many of his films to engage the viewers in more than just the film, but the meaning and focus behind the story.
It is no doubt that Martin Scorsese has heavily influenced the emulating of American film making from European influences. He is a prime example of a ‘New Hollywood Cinema’ director, not only from his ethnicity and background, but from his sheer interest in this form
Researchers state that his films are directly influenced by German Expressionism because of the set lighting, the distortion of buildings, people, and character attitudes (Film History, 2013). While German directors like Robert Siodmak also had great influence from German Expressionism, he was known for his blended strategies from both German Expressionism and American styled films like Film Noir. With this, he could create a variety of chilling thrillers that included the moods of despair which was seen in both genres, this established a signature in his films. Not only did German Expressionism have a great influence on directors producing Film Noir films within America but the influence trickled to horror films within America as well. The dark, chilling moods seen in these films motivated directors like Orson Welles to explore different moods in film.
The Impact of German Expressionist Films Upon the Modern Film Industry. N. p. n.p ., n.d., n.d., n.d., German Expressionism and Its Influence on Alfred Hitchcock. Filmhistoryf13.wordpress.com - "Filmhistoryf13.wordpress.com N.p., 8 Dec. 2013. Web.