“There are significant stylistic variations within international film styles.” How far have you found this to be true in the films you have studied for this topic?

There are significant stylistic variations within the German Expressionist films, ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’, ‘Nosferatu’ and ‘Metropolis’. German Expressionism is the term used to describe the creative arts and film movements that were happening post war, in the early 1920’s. They are associated with themes of death, depression, darkness, insanity and distortion, which depict the state of the country and its civilians following the devastation of the war. German Expressionist films are significant to the history of the film industry as they have been filmed using distinctive methods and style techniques, which have influenced modern day film makers such as Tim Burton.

One of the most significant stylistic variations that can be found within German Expressionist films is the considerable use of mise-en-scene. ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’, directed by Robert Wiene, was filmed against painted sets and backdrops. Due to the lack of funding in the film industry at the time, some films were shot entirely on backdrops like the ones seen in this film. The importance of this is that the sharp angles and distorted buildings look highly unrealistic, which reflects upon the madness and insanity of the main character Francis. As he is the narrator of the film, we are being told and shown the story through his mind, therefore the unfocused and uneven backdrops of the landscape and other features; lead the audience to believe Francis’s narration is untrustworthy. However, it is not until the end of the film, that this becomes clear. The settings or location is an aspect of mise-en-scene that becomes more evolved in the film, ‘Nosferatu’. Unlike in ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’, ‘Nosferatu’ doesn’t depend solely on painted sets and backdrops to set the scene. Instead it is one of the few films during this era to be filmed on location and shot outside. The director of ‘Nosferatu’, F.W. Murnau successfully created a chilling and scary atmosphere through the use of Count Orlok’s castle, which was abandoned and isolated in the middle of nowhere. As well, he used nature to his advantage as the animals contrasted to the supernatural aspects of Orlok’s character. Thus making the film appear more realistic and terrifying for the audience. For example, when the audience see the animals reacting negatively as they approach the castle, it creates the idea that Orlok is an unnatural and fearful character. The film, ‘Metropolis’ directed by Fritz Lang has two main locations. One is of the city of Metropolis where the rich live and the other is of the underground where the poor workers live. As well as ‘Nosferatu’, ‘Metropolis’ is also filmed on location and in real buildings, not just on false sets. The evolution of the location becomes evident during the scene, where we see the vast city of Metropolis with its tall skyscrapers and advanced transport such as cars, trains, monorails and aeroplanes. The very large and futuristic appearance of this city puts ‘Metropolis’ years ahead of its time. The difference in setting between the bright, happy city and the dark, gloomy underground portrays the split between the rich and the poor in the film.

Other aspects of the mise-en-scene evident in all three films are the make-up, costumes and performance. Throughout ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’, the dark and heavy make-up that the characters wear adds to the unrealism of the film and helps to characterise them. For example, the somnambulist Cesare has a bright white face and dark, over exaggerated eye

make-up. This has been done to make him look dead and it is so exaggerated to make the audience associate Cesare with death. German Expressionist films rely heavily on the appearance of characters to compensate for the lack of dialogue. Similarly to this, Ellen’s character in ‘Nosferatu’ also wears white and dark make-up in order to make her stand out as a main female character. Also, her heavy make-up coincides with her overly theatrical acting performance. Her acting is over the top when she realises Hutter is in danger and she expresses her emotions through her performance. Ellen also has a costume of a white dress and night gown portraying her purity and innocence, whereas the way she reacts when she is around Count Orlok suggests a hidden sexual connotation between the two characters. It is from her performance and appearance that the audience understands what she is feeling throughout the film. In addition, ‘Metropolis’ uses over exaggerated performances to convey meaning to the audience through the workers choreographed movements. The way they all move together at the same time gives the workers a lack of identity and personality, which is reinforced through their similar uniforms that contain a number on each person, instead of a name. This conveys to the audience that the workers are unimportant to society and that they are all just products made to serve the machines.

The narratives within these three films all follow the same themes of insanity, death, love or lust and the natural v the supernatural. Insanity and death are portrayed in ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’ with the characters of Francis and Dr. Caligari. Throughout the whole film, the audience are led to believe that Dr. Caligari is the insane one as he is seen laughing manically and ordering Cesare to kill people for him. However, it is at the end of the film that it is revealed that Francis is actually in a mental hospital and made whole story up, therefore it comes to mean that Francis is the insane character, not Dr. Caligari. The idea of make believe and hallucinations is evident in ‘Metropolis’ when Freder sees the workers being eaten alive by the machines as it takes on a personified, human form. However, the predominantly insane character comes in the form of the mad scientist Rotwang, whose insanity is evident through his performance when he is chasing Maria through the caves. Love and lust is a theme evident throughout ‘Nosferatu’ and ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’ as we see Count Orlok develop a connection between him and Ellen. This leads him to come to Wisborg to find her. The scene near the end where Ellen and Orlok see each other through the window reflects their lust for one another as we then see Orlok come into Ellen’s room. Similarly to this in ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’, we see Cesare fall in love with Jane and kidnap her instead of killing her like he was ordered to do. The theme of love is also seen through Francis and Alan’s affections for Jane. In addition, ‘Metropolis’ portrays the themes of love and lust through Freder and Maria’s love at first sight connection and through Rotwang’s love for and Hel and lust for Robot Maria. The theme of the natural v supernatural is apparent more so in the films, ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’ and ‘Nosferatu’. Cesare is seen as a supernatural being as he is a character due to his appearance and his association with death. He comes across as almost zombie-like and the fact that he is controlled by Dr. Caligari suggests that there is something unnatural about him. This is similar to ‘Nosferatu’ with Count Orlok. The fact that Orlok is a vampire makes him supernatural but also his and Ellen psychic connection, gives the film a paranormal and

frightening aspect. ‘Metropolis’ can be said to have a supernatural theme to it in terms of its sci-fi genre. Instead though, this comes from the machines. The machines are personified which makes them seem unnatural and the idea that the workers are controlled by them, adds a horror element to the film.

The characterisation of men in ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’ is strong and powerful. The film’s cast is made up of mostly men, with the exception of Jane, who appears as a love object and a damsel in distress. However, the male character Francis is the one who leads the narrative and leads the audience through the story. As he is the narrator, the audience sees only what he wants them to see, thus making it shocking at the end when he ends up being insane. Also, the role of Cesare is a powerful and dominating character in a physical sense. Although he is being controlled by Dr. Caligari, he shows a lot of strength in being able to murder people and kidnap Jane. Therefore this film is a highly male dominated film. Similarly to this is ‘Nosferatu’. Within this film it is Hutter that leads the narrative as it is his storyline that leads the audience to Count Orlok. Although, Hutter himself doesn’t appear to be very masculine and he is easily deceived and manipulated by Knock, who persuades him to go to Orlok’s castle. This makes Hutter’s character seem weak and naive. However, in contrast, Orlok is a stronger character as he has supernatural power that gives him an advantage over his victims. He becomes weak only when he is around Ellen, as it is when he is with her that he can die and be defeated. Unlike in ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’, the main female role of Ellen is seen to be a hero in the film, unlike Jane. Ellen is stronger as she gives herself up to Orlok in order to save Hutter and the town of Wisborg. However, it could be said that she only did that because she gave into Orlok’s sexual desire. In ‘Metropolis’ is it similar to the other two films in the sense that the film is made up of male characters, again with the exception of one main female character; Maria. However like in ‘Nosferatu’ the female lead is one of the strong characters. She is seen as a hero because she helps to save the children from the water, after saving herself from being captured by Rotwang. Maria is portrayed differently to how the women in the opening scene are shown. They are shown as objects to be desired by the men as seen when Freder is chasing one of them around the fountain. In addition, Freder is seen to be weak in the sense that he falls in love with Maria and follows her senselessly into the underground. Also, when Maria is captured by Rotwang, Freder is not portrayed as a powerful character because he failed to save her. Although, Freder can be seen as strong minded and strong willed as he was able to go against his father save the workers.

‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’ uses very basic technical codes. There is no continuity in the editing and it therefore makes the narrative hard to follow. It is difficult for the audience to understand what time frame the narrative is at and when they are watching a flashback or the present day. This makes it easy for the audience to be deceived by Francis’s untrustworthy narration. Also, the use of interior sets and backdrops are very dark and basic due to inflammation and the lack of funds the film industry had at the time. Although the painted sets create distorting images and shapes, which help to get the idea of the insane mentality of Francis and the other characters across to the audience. There are also sharpened shadows that appear of Cesare when he murders people. Shadows are a trademark of German

Expressionism as they create a sense of uncertainty within the audience. It adds horror elements as well as added mystery and intrigue to the film. In addition, the use of lighting helps to define the characters. For example when there is a close up of Cesare, the lighting goes dark apart from on his face, therefore the audience are forced to look at only him. This occasionally also happens when Dr. Caligari appears on screen. It creates the effect that they are the villains as the camera focuses on them and surrounds them with dark lighting. ‘Nosferatu’ shows signs of more advanced editing techniques. For example, when Orlok is on the ship and he rises out his coffin almost vertically with no assistance, it surrounds his character with further supernatural connotations. Also, Orlok’s carriage is seen to be sped up through editing, which shows significant improvements over the editing in ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’. Throughout ‘Nosferatu’, the Count is seen forever moving towards the camera. This creates tension for the audience as it makes it appear that he is walking towards them, and there is nothing they can do to escape him. Also, the use of shadows is again significant in this film as it heightens suspense and enforces the idea that Orlok is a villainous character who hides in the dark, waiting to pounce on his victim and the audience. In addition, the editing used in ‘Metropolis’ is highly advanced for a film produced in 1927. One of the most noticeable pieces of editing is when Rotwang’s robot changes to look like Maria. The special effects used to create the rings and the face transformation had never been seen before in cinema. Also, the editing of Freder’s hallucination about the workers being eaten by a personified machine used advanced editing techniques. The use of camera angles in ‘Metropolis’ were also important in creating meaning, for example the close ups of the machines and the long shots of people. These close ups gave the impression that the machines are the dominating presence in the film and the long shots make the people appear smaller and less significant as opposed to the machines. The lighting is also a key feature in ‘Metropolis’ in defining the characters. As the camera focuses on the workers in the underground, the lighting is dark and gloomy, reflecting the lives and emotions of the workers. Whereas in the city, the lighting is much brighter making the scene appear more peaceful and serene.

To conclude, there are several key stylistic variations within German Expressionist films. The use of mise-en-scene is one of the most important of these, as it helps the audience to understand the narrative and characters, due to the lack of dialogue.