What Is German Expressionist Cinema? How Is This Style Defined?

When a country is plunged into war, all of its internal industries are impacted, or at least face the risk of transformation. After World War I, the style of German cinema became more grotesque and darker. A government ban on foreign films further intensified the isolation of German cinema. It was against this backdrop that German Expressionism emerged. So what exactly is German Expressionism in film? Let’s take a closer look.

A Brief History of German Expressionism

To define this style, we need to understand its origins and why it was so different from other styles of the same period. After clarifying a definition and a brief history, we’ll look at some examples.

What Is German Expressionist Cinema?

German Expressionism is a distinctive artistic style that first appeared around 1910 in poetry and theater. In the decade following the end of World War I, it began to flourish in film. It partly grew out of German Romanticism and presents a subjective view of the world. It gives concrete form to Germany’s collective anxieties through distorted, nightmarish imagery. Expressionists were not concerned with aesthetic pleasure. The style thrived after the horrors of World War I and the subsequent economic collapse. The earliest films that can be described as purely German Expressionist include The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Metropolis.

Characteristics of German Expressionism

• High angles

• Deep shadows / high-contrast lighting

• Extreme camera tilt angles

• Impossible sets

Given the reality of postwar Germany, it’s no surprise that art and cinema became so dark.

German film critic Lotte Eisner called it “helldunkel,” which she defined as “a kind of twilight of the German soul, expressed in dark, mysterious interiors or in misty, ethereal landscapes.”

German Expressionist films use stark contrasts of light and shadow to create nightmarish scenes, often employing chiaroscuro lighting. Let’s look at some classic works that established this shadow-dominated aesthetic.

Representative Works of German Expressionism

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer, drawing on their firsthand experiences in World War I and their distrust of authoritarian rule. The filmmakers deliberately distorted reality to evoke the spirit of the times rather than pursue realism or accurate depiction, thereby disorienting the audience.

Nosferatu (1922)

Metropolis (1927)

This silent film by Fritz Lang uses expressionist imagery to explore how technology devours society. The film makes extensive use of exaggerated visuals to heighten the emotions that drive the narrative forward.

German Expressionism fundamentally changed film history. Its use of high-contrast lighting, in particular, was inherited and developed into the essence of film noir and horror cinema. It undeniably laid the visual foundation for entire film genres.

Chiaroscuro Lighting in Film: Definition, Techniques, and Examples

If you’re looking for the perfect illustration of German Expressionism’s legacy, take a look at the work of Tim Burton.

Edward Scissorhands is a direct successor to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. This can be seen in the tilted and fractured architecture of the sets, the extreme use of light and shadow, and the character design of Edward himself. Look further into Tim Burton’s other films, and you’ll find that the unsettling spirit of German Expressionism is still very much alive.