German Expressionism
There have been many triumphs of German cinema of recent times, Downfall, The Counterfeiters, The Lives of Others to name but a few, Berlin is still apparently one of the trendiest places around, Tarantino shot his last movie in Germany and introduced the great (and now Oscar winner) Christoph Waltz to the world. So all is looking good for German film.
But long before this happened, and long before lots of other stuff happened, German cinema was one of the most influential and creative industries in the world. The 1920s was the time of German Expressionism...without this you wouldn't have the Sci - Fi of today and the ideas behind it, (Metropolis, Fritz Lang, 1927). Alfred Hitchcock would never have learned his trade and become one the most influential directors of all time. Film Noir may not have been so noir-ish, horror movies wouldn’t be as scary and directors like Tim Burton and David Lynch would probably have found it difficult to imagine the dark, weird and twisted worlds they create in their movies without German Expressionism.
To describe what German Expressionism is in words takes a while and besides many fine books have been written on the subject, however, the beauty of German Expressionism is that it is a truly visual medium....luckily you can see a sample of it for yourself this week at the Duke of York's.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Weine, 1920) is a benchmark in German Expressionism and cinema all round. It's about a circus and a sleepwalker and much more.
It's playing at the Duke's this Wed night and to make it even more special, the movie is being re-scored LIVE IN HOUSE by the band Minima. myspace.com/minimaband
For more info on the film and the event go HERE!
Shine A Light - http://filmtobez.blogspot.com/
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