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39-752: Paul Leni (born Paul Josef Levi ; 8 July 1885 – 2 September 1929) was a German filmmaker and a key figure in German Expressionism , making Hintertreppe (1921) and Waxworks (1924) in Germany, and The Cat and the Canary (1927), The Chinese Parrot (1927), The Man Who Laughs (1928), and The Last Warning (1928) in the United States. Paul Josef Levi was born to a Jewish family in Stuttgart . He became an avant-garde painter at

78-451: A coda, we see Balduin's double sitting atop his fresh grave, stroking a raven, and glowering menacingly at the viewer. The Student of Prague is considered to be the first German art film, and it helped lift cinema from its low-class, fairground origins to a viable art form. It was a critical and commercial success. Audiences flocked to see the film, in part because it tapped into a very real sense of dissociation and alienation inherent in

117-578: A contract thinking he owns nothing, but is astonished when Scapinelli calls forth Balduin's reflection from the mirror and absconds with it. The baffled student realizes that he now produces no mirror image. Recovering, Balduin – now flush with cash – attempts to woo Countess Margit. At the Hofburg Palace, the resplendently attired Balduin renews his acquaintanceship with the Countess, but both Lyduschka and his mirror double put in appearances before

156-444: A director at Universal Studios and moved to Hollywood. There Leni made a distinguished directorial debut with The Cat and the Canary (1927), an adaptation of John Willard 's stage play. The film had a great influence over Universal's later classic " haunted house " horror series, and was subsequently remade several times, notably in 1939 with Bob Hope . The following year he directed the big budget The Man Who Laughs (based on

195-436: A mirror reflection followed quickly by the sudden appearance of the double. She collapses in a swoon. Utterly dejected, Balduin returns to his own now lavish lodgings and retrieves a pistol. When the double appears there he fires at it and it vanishes, but soon he becomes stricken himself and falls dead. Scapinelli arrives, takes the contract Balduin signed with him and tears it up, throws it like confetti and departs happily. In

234-435: A new visual style which embodied high contrast and simple editing. The films were shot in studios where they could employ deliberately exaggerated and dramatic lighting and camera angles to emphasize some particular affect – fear, horror, pain. Aspects of Expressionist techniques were later adapted by such directors as Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Welles and were incorporated into many American gangster and horror films. Some of

273-451: A repertoire of films that had a profound effect. Two genres that were especially influenced by Expressionism are horror film and film noir . Carl Laemmle and Universal Studios had produced horror films of the silent era, such as Lon Chaney 's The Phantom of the Opera . German film makers such as Karl Freund (the cinematographer for Dracula in 1931) set the style and mood of

312-547: A society that was struggling with the burgeoning collapse of the German Empire. The film's star, Paul Wegener, was an avowed champion of the medium after realizing the potential of cinema to transcend the limits of conventional theater. Cinematographer Guido Seeber utilized groundbreaking camera tricks to create the effect of the Doppelgänger (mirror double), producing a seamless double exposure. Hanns Heinz Ewers

351-447: Is infatuated with Balduin and begins to follow most of the action from a distance. Balduin becomes smitten with Countess Margit Schwarzenberg after rescuing her from drowning, but – despite receiving a locket from her – knows he cannot pursue this love because of his poverty. Scapinelli, who is always in a gleeful mood, offers Balduin 100,000 pieces of gold in exchange for any item to be found in his student lodgings. Balduin agrees and signs

390-597: The Weimar Republic immediately following the First World War not only encapsulate the sociopolitical contexts in which they were created, but also rework the intrinsically modern problems of self-reflexivity, spectacle and identity. According to Siegfried Kracauer and Lotte Eisner , German Expressionist cinema operates as a kind of collective consciousness and a symptomatic manifestation of what they polemically claim to be inherent cultural tendencies of

429-569: The 1920s embraced an ethic of change and a willingness to look to the future by experimenting with bold new ideas and artistic styles. The first Expressionist films, which lacked a generous budget, used set designs with wildly non-realistic, geometrically absurd angles, along with designs painted on walls and floors to represent lights, shadows, and objects. The plots and stories of the Expressionist films often dealt with madness, insanity , betrayal and other " intellectual " topics triggered by

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468-505: The 1933 detective story " The Image in the Mirror " by Dorothy Sayers , in which Lord Peter Wimsey helps clear Mr. Duckworthy, a man wrongly suspected of murder. Among other things Duckworthy tells: "When I was seven or eight, my mother took me with her to see a film called The Student of Prague . [...] It was a costume piece about a young man at the university who sold himself to the devil , and one day his reflection came stalking out of

507-770: The Berlin theater brought the Expressionist visual style to the design of stage sets. This, in turn, had an eventual influence on films dealing with fantasy and horror. The prime example is Robert Wiene 's dream-like film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) which is universally recognized as an early classic of Expressionist cinema. Hermann Warm , the film's art director, worked with painters and stage designers Walter Reimann and Walter Röhrig to create fantastic, nightmarish sets with twisted structures and landscapes with sharp-pointed forms and oblique, curving lines. Some of these designs were constructions, others were painted directly onto canvases. German Expressionist films produced in

546-796: The British public against the wishes of his studio. His visual experimentation included the use of an image of a man walking across a glass floor shot from below, a concept representing someone pacing upstairs. Werner Herzog 's 1979 film Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht was a tribute to F. W. Murnau 's 1922 film . The film uses expressionist techniques of highly symbolic acting and symbolic events to tell its story. The 1998 film Dark City used stark contrast, rigid movements, and fantastic elements. Stylistic elements taken from German Expressionism are common today in films that need not reference contemporary realism, such as science fiction films (for example, Ridley Scott 's 1982 film Blade Runner , which

585-491: The Countess covertly gifts Balduin with her handkerchief. Balduin and the Countess meet secretly at an old Jewish graveyard, but the double appears again and terrorizes both lovers. Lyduschka tips off Baron Waldis-Schwarzenberg, the Countess's fiancé and cousin, about Balduin's amorous efforts (she has stolen the handkerchief as evidence). Incensed, the Baron challenges Balduin to a duel with sabres. Privately, Count Schwarzenberg –

624-401: The Countess's father and the Baron's uncle – begs Balduin not to kill the Baron, as he is the last surviving heir to the family. Balduin agrees but is thwarted when his double again appears at the duel in his place and kills the rival suitor. Distraught, Balduin sneaks into Margit's room and continues to petition for her affections. She is accommodating, but becomes frightened by Balduin's lack of

663-476: The Doppelgänger are most prevalent in literature as a narcissistic defense against sexual love, according to Rank, who described how the mirror image of the student shows up in erotic situations to deny Balduin any progress in his attempts to woo the countess. The fantastic themes of the film went on to become a major influence on Weimar cinema, continuing the exploration of social change and insecurity in

702-573: The German nation. Expressionism has also been described as focusing on the "power of spectacles" and offering audiences "a kind of metonymic image of their own situation". This film movement paralleled Expressionist painting and theater in rejecting realism. The creators in the Weimar Period sought to convey inner, subjective experience through external, objective means. Their films were characterized by highly stylized sets and acting; they used

741-545: The US. The UFA's last film was Der blaue Engel (1930), considered a masterpiece of German Expressionism. The two most comprehensive studies of German Expressionist film are Lotte Eisner 's The Haunted Screen and Siegfried Kracauer's From Caligari to Hitler . Kracauer examines German cinema from the Silent/Golden Era to support the (controversial) conclusion that German films made prior to Hitler 's takeover and

780-498: The Universal monster movies of the 1930s with their dark and artistically designed sets, providing a model for later generations of horror films. Directors such as Fritz Lang , Billy Wilder , Otto Preminger , Alfred Hitchcock , Orson Welles , Carol Reed and Michael Curtiz introduced the Expressionist style to crime dramas of the 1930s and 1940s, expanding Expressionism's influence on modern film making. German silent cinema

819-404: The aftermath of World War I. Expressionism grew out of the tormented psyches of artists and writers coming to terms with their individual experiences. The use of chiaroscuro (sharp contrasts between light and shadow) was already established on the set of The Student of Prague , but was then carried further by Weimar productions like Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari . The film is referenced in

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858-604: The age of 15, he studied at Berlin's Academy of Fine Arts, and subsequently worked as a theatrical set designer, working for a number of theatres in Berlin (but not with Max Reinhardt ). In 1913, he started working in the German film industry designing film sets and/or costumes for directors such as Joe May , Ernst Lubitsch , Richard Oswald , and E. A. Dupont . During World War I, Leni started directing as well with films such as Der Feldarzt ( Das Tagebuch des Dr. Hart , 1917), Patience (1920), Die Verschwörung zu Genua (1920/21) and Backstairs (1921). In 1923 he participated in

897-414: The artist's inner emotions rather than attempting to replicate reality. German Expressionist films rejected cinematic realism and used visual distortions and hyper-expressive performances to reflect inner conflicts. The German Expressionist movement was initially confined to Germany due to the country's isolation during World War I. In 1916, the government banned foreign films, creating a sharp increase in

936-560: The creation of the theater cabaret-cafe Gondola in Berlin. Waxworks (1924) was planned as a four-part omnibus feature, but the last part was not shot when money ran out. He also made a series of unusual short animated films Rebus-Film Nr. 1–8 , which were filmed crossword puzzles . Leni designed short prologues for festive film premieres in Berlin cinemas, such as Lubitsch's Forbidden Paradise (1924), Herbert Brenon 's Peter Pan (1924), and E. A. Dupont's Variety (1925). In 1927, he accepted Carl Laemmle 's invitation to become

975-426: The demand for domestic film production, from 24 films in 1914 to 130 films in 1918. With inflation also on the rise, Germans were attending films more freely because they knew that their money's value was constantly diminishing. International audiences and appreciation for German cinema began to grow as anti-German sentiment decreased following the end of World War I. By the time its 1916 ban on imports on foreign film

1014-408: The experiences of World War I (as opposed to standard action-adventure and romantic films). Later films often categorized as part of the brief history of German Expressionism include Metropolis (1927) and M (1931), both directed by Fritz Lang . This trend was a reaction against realism. Its practitioners used extreme distortions in expression to show an inner emotional reality rather than what

1053-432: The major filmmakers of this time were F. W. Murnau , Erich Pommer , and Fritz Lang . The movement ended after the currency stabilized, making it cheaper to buy movies abroad. The UFA financially collapsed and German studios began to deal with Italian studios which led to their influence in style of horror and films noirs. The American influence on the film industry would also lead some film makers to continue their career in

1092-451: The massive yet pristine "upper" city. German Expressionist painters rejected the naturalistic depiction of objective reality, often portraying distorted figures, buildings, and landscapes in a disorienting manner that disregarded the conventions of perspective and proportion. This approach, combined with jagged, stylized shapes and harsh, unnatural colors, were used to convey subjective emotions. A number of artists and craftsmen working in

1131-620: The novel by Victor Hugo ), one of the most visually stylized of late period silent films. His final film was The Last Warning , envisioned as a companion film for The Cat and the Canary due to its predecessor's popularity. Leni died in Los Angeles on 2 September 1929, of sepsis brought on by an untreated tooth infection, only eight months after its release. He was 44. As art director As director (and art director) German Expressionism (cinema) German expressionist cinema ( German : Deutsches expressionistisches kino )

1170-562: The rise of the Third Reich all hint at the inevitability of Nazi Germany. For Eisner, similarly, German Expressionist cinema is a visual manifestation of Romantic ideals turned to dark and proto-totalitarian ends. More recent German Expressionist scholars examine historical elements influencing German Expressionism, such as the Weimar economy, UFA , Erich Pommer , Nordisk , and Hollywood . The Student of Prague (1913 film) It

1209-498: The time, stating that the sets and scene artwork of Expressionist films often reveal buildings of sharp angles, great heights, and crowded environments, such as the frequently shown Tower of Babel in Fritz Lang's Metropolis . Strong elements of monumentalism and Modernism appear throughout the canon of German Expressionism. An excellent example of this is Metropolis , as evidenced by the enormous power plant and glimpses of

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1248-470: Was a noted writer of horror and fantasy stories whose involvement with the screenplay lent a much needed air of respectability to the fledgling art form. The film also stimulated interest in the still very new field of psychoanalysis. Otto Rank published an extensive plot summary of the film in his article "Der Doppelgänger", which ran in Sigmund Freud 's academic journal Imago in 1914. Examples of

1287-462: Was a part of several related creative movements in Germany in the early 20th century that reached a peak in Berlin during the 1920s . These developments were part of a larger Expressionist movement in north and central European culture in fields such as architecture , dance , painting , sculpture and cinema . German Expressionism was an artistic movement in the early 20th century that emphasized

1326-430: Was arguably far ahead of Hollywood during the same period. Cinema outside Germany benefited both from the emigration of German film makers and from German expressionist developments in style and technique that were apparent on the screen. The new look and techniques impressed other contemporary film makers, artists and cinematographers, and they began to incorporate the new style into their work. In 1924, Alfred Hitchcock

1365-441: Was itself influenced by Metropolis ). Woody Allen 's 1991 film Shadows and Fog is an homage to German and Austrian Expressionist filmmakers Fritz Lang , Georg Wilhelm Pabst and F. W. Murnau . The extreme angles of set decor and associated lighting were parodied by Ken Hughes in his Berlin spy school segment for the 1967 spoof version of Casino Royale . Many critics see a direct tie between cinema and architecture of

1404-491: Was lifted, Germany had become a part of the international film industry. Among the first Expressionist films, The Student of Prague (1913), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), From Morn to Midnight (1920), The Golem: How He Came into the World (1920), Genuine (1920), Destiny (1921), Nosferatu (1922), Phantom (1922), and Schatten (1923) were highly symbolic and stylized. European societies of

1443-647: Was on the surface. The extreme anti-realism of Expressionism was short-lived, fading away after only a few years. The themes of Expressionism were integrated into later films of the 1920s and 1930s, resulting in an artistic control over the placement of scenery, light, etc., to enhance the mood of a film. This dark, moody school of filmmaking was brought to the United States when the Nazis gained power and many German film makers emigrated to Hollywood . Several German directors and cameramen flourished in Hollywood, producing

1482-761: Was sent by Gainsborough Pictures to work as an assistant director and art director at the UFA owned Babelsberg Studios in Potsdam near Berlin on the film The Blackguard . The immediate effect of the working environment in Germany can be seen in his expressionistic set designs for that film. Hitchcock later said he "acquired a strong German influence by working at the UFA studios". German Expressionism would continue to influence Hitchcock throughout his career. In his third film, The Lodger , Hitchcock introduced expressionist set designs, lighting techniques, and trick camera work to

1521-484: Was shot at the Babelsberg Studios and on location around Prague . The film's sets were designed by the art director Robert A. Dietrich . In Prague in 1820, a poor university student named Balduin is the city's wildest carouser and greatest swordsman. Despondent over his lack of funds, he is approached by a diabolical old gentleman dressed in black named Scapinelli. A local young woman named Lyduschka

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