Films are often classified into two styles, realism and Expressionism. Realism is the attempt to convey reality in a film. It is often simply concerned with the recording of real objects and experiences. Realism is interested in the content rather than the form in which it is shown. Expressionism, on the other hand, is concerned with emphasising the form and emotional experience of the audience. With expressionist films the audience is aware of the film being directed, as opposed to realism where the audience gets caught up in the story not realising its film techniques.
Films that are classified as realism are representations of reality. As The World Book Dictionary says realism in art and literature is “the picturing of life as it actually is”(1). The purpose is to convey what is happening to the audience in a true as possible means. The Lumiere Brothers films were literally moving pictures that’s sole purpose was to capture the reality of movement. Their films such as Workers Leaving a Factory (1895) and Arrival of a Train at a Station (1895) would have seemed very realistic and awe-inspiring for the people of the time. Since the camera is still it seems as if it is from the view of an onlooker. Being in the audience watching from this point of view makes the film seem extremely realistic as though you are there.
Classical Hollywood Cinema falls into the style of realism. The audience gets caught up in the story not realising it is a film. Visual techniques are used to convey this realism such as natural lighting, establishing shot (so the audience knows the context and location of the story), the 180-degree rule (which keeps the camera on one side of the action and therefore not confusing the audience), and smooth, straight editing the audience doesn’t notice. Narrative techniques are also used to suggest reality to an audience. These techniques include a straightforward storyline where nothing happens for no reason, using the three-act structure (the plot being based on having an existing situation that is disrupted and then resolved) and having a lead character the audience can identify with. All these techniques are used so as not to confuse the audience and convey realism. There are many Hollywood films that fall into classical Hollywood cinema. Mr Smith Goes to Washington (Frank Capra, 1939) is one example of a classical Hollywood film in the style of realism. The use of a straight editing method, the three act structure and other techniques associated with the style causes the audience to watch the film for the content and not the form. There is no confusion with what is going on in the story and the audience can easily get lost in the film.
Documentaries are filmed realistically by using a hand held camera, natural lighting and outdoor sets. This is to create realism to the audience which helps them to believe what they are seeing is fictional. This is stemmed from the fact that “seeing is believing”(2). However documentaries, as with reality TV, are often one sided and manipulated by use of these techniques. People believe what they are seeing is real. This is what happens with other realism films such as Mr Smith Goes To Washington and even modern films such as Walk The Line (James Mangold, 2005) as people are caught up in the films realistic features.
Expressionism, according to The World Book Dictionary, is a style “free of tradition often distorting nature or reality.”(1) Expressionism in film started in Germany in the 1920’s. German filmmakers used symbolism and mise-en-scene (composition of a scene) to convey a certain mood and meaning. The atmosphere of expressionist films is created by techniques typical of the style. The plots of expressionist films are different to the usual Hollywood action-adventure and romance stories. They possess a theme of madness, betrayal and insanity. The use of light and dark contrasts through low key and chiaroscuro lighting create a dark, mysterious, mood characteristic of expressionist films. The exaggerated surrealistic sets and odd angles add to the dream like atmosphere of these films. Hollywood was influenced by German expressionism and many directors have used features in many horror genre and film noir films. Even today expressionism is still used in films such as Aeon Flux (2005).
One of the first films to have expressionist features would be George Melies’ A Trip to The Moon (1902). This was one of the first films to actually be made for its entertainment value and not purely to capture moving pictures. Melies used film techniques new to the time such as multiple exposures, time lapse and dissolve. He showed audiences things they couldn’t experience and therefore putting it in the category of expressionism. The audience is aware that it is a film they are watching because of the film techniques, obvious sets and storyline.
The film The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) is a great early example of expressionism. It is thought of as the first expressionist film and to have greatly influenced other films of the style. Although the story is quite traditional, it is filmed in a non-traditional manner. Like Melies’ Trip To The Moon it is filmed in an idealistic approach that exaggerates reality. The strange, irregular painted sets, unexpected camera angles, expressionistic lighting, dark shadows and high contrasts of The Cabinet of Dr Caligari create an eerie mood and a mad world. The director Robert Weire is thought of as being the father of Horror films influencing the start of Hollywood’s traditional horror genre consisting of a mad doctor, monster he creates and girl they terrorise. These early expressionist films have inspired other expressionist films such as horror films, for example Dracula (Tod Browning-1931), Frankenstein (James Whale- 1931), Hitchcock films and film noir.
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The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) |
Hitchcock, like other directors of the style, carefully put together his films visually. This put him in complete control over the lighting, camera angles and overall look of the film which put him also in control of the reaction from his audience. He took into account different effects to strengthen and manipulate the audience’s reaction. He showed the effects of the murder using different camera angles and artistic shots rather than the graphic detail of the kill. Using extreme low-key lighting to contrast the dark and light shadows to produce a sense of mystery and drama and the use of under lighting to give it that spooky evil feel. Such lighting is used extensively through horror films such as Dracula, as with other expressionist inspired films. Tod Browning in Dracula also uses techniques that put him in absolute control of the audience’s response and impression. He uses editing to create an atmosphere of suspense, spending a lot of time presenting the character of Dracula.
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Dracula (1930), Bela Lugosi |
Music is a very important factor in expressionist films to create mood. Many expressionist films use sound to underscore the action in a way yet again to manipulate the audience’s reaction. Also the use of dramatic silence is often used to build tension. The lack of music in Frankenstein creates an eerie mood and emphasises the sound effects. String instruments and percussion are often used to convey terror to an audience in horror films. This is shown in Hitchcock’s Psycho’s (Alfred Hitchcock-1960) shower scene, using high-pitched violins, the music is so powerful and terrifying that you can almost feel the stabs of the knife, as Janet Leigh said when watching the screening “When that knife went into me on the screen, I could feel it!”(3)
Film Noir uses expressionist techniques, which often puts them into this category. The use of black and white contrasts, lighting and extreme camera angles similar to other expressionist films help produce a sense of anxiety and seriousness in the film. Other film noir theories developed from expressionism include “dark rooms with light slicing through venetian blinds, alleys cluttered with garbage, abandoned warehouses where dust hangs in the air, rain-slicked streets with water still running in the gutters, dark detective offices overlooking busy streets.”(4) All these features have been influenced and developed from expressionism. They express to their audience an evident environment. “The desperation, loneliness and hopelessness of the situations are reflected in the visual style. Which drenches the world in shadows.”(4)
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Stranger On The Third Floor (1940), Peter Lorre and John McGuire |
Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941) contains elements of expressionism. Although the cinematographer, Greg Toland, was aiming for realism in the film by using such methods as deep focus and ceilings on sets the film came across as stylistic because these methods were new to Hollywood. The narrative structure of the film can become confusing for the audience, because of the flashbacks, forcing the audience to concentrate. The film aims at controlling the audience and the how they perceive the film therefore it is expressionistic. It is one of the most influential films in the history of cinema.
Films today are still being characterised into the categories of realism expressionism. For example, films such as Walk the Line and Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005) would be classified as realism. Walk the Line, being a biography of Johnny Cash’s life and its realistic elements, puts it into the category of realism. The smooth editing and directing makes the audience feel they are truly getting an insight into Johnny Cash’s life. It uses classic Hollywood styles and techniques such as the three act narrative structure, known lead actors, and invisible editing. The same goes for Brokeback Mountain, because of the uncomplicated editing and narrative structure it is easy for the audience to get caught up in the movie and its realism. Once again the theory of “seeing is believing” is the reason for people believing what they are seeing is fictional.
Aeon Flux (Karyn Kasama- 2005) and V For Vendetta (James McTeique- 2005) are films of today with expressionist features, as they are disconnected from reality by putting them out of context and into the unknown future. Their futuristic, stylised settings cause them to contain expressionist qualities. The ultramodern, clean, remote sets and use of lighting of Aeon Flux portray a drab future. The expressionistic lighting of the fight scenes in the dark, deserted streets of V For Vendetta portray a dim, tense futuristic world. The people in power are also lit in an expressionistic way by using under lighting. This creates an evil impression and sense to the characters and the film in general. The directors of both these films are in absolute control over how they want their audience to respond. For example, the under lighting of the council in V For Vendetta is created deliberately to inform the audience that these people are important, in control and evil. The audience watching these films can still find themselves caught up in the story because a believable world has been created however their response and how they feel about certain characters, scenes and the overall movie is all controlled by using expressionist techniques.
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V For Vendetta (2005) |
The concept of “seeing is believing” is so strong in today’s society that “most people accept it as true”.(5) As Nick Lacey says, “Images are created in order to communicate a message.” How that message is received, looking at film is up to the director. With realism the director will imply realistic features discussed to convey the content of his story. With impressionism however, the director will play with the notion of “seeing is believing” to suggest a certain experience and effect, often mystery and intrigue to the audience. Directors have the power to manipulate the audience’s reaction in a film. They do this by using either realistic or expressionistic approaches to convey their intended meaning to the audience. Realism often is simply capturing life as it truly is and conveying this to the audience realistically as possible. Realism doesn’t confuse an audience and they can often get caught up in its straight story. Alternatively, expressionism in film accentuates the appearance to present a certain feel to the film and therefore reaction to the audience. The audience notices it is a directed film because of the unrealistic techniques used to imply certain aspects and atmosphere. Both these styles have been and still are important in the history of film influencing and further developing modern film.
Notes:
1. World Book Dictionary, The Software Mackiev Co. World Book inc., 2004
2. Berger, J. Ways of Seeing. BBC/Penguin Books, 1972
3. Janet Leigh, Psycho, Vieira, M., 2003, Hollywood Horror from Gothic to Cosmic, Harry N. Abrams, Inc, New York
4. In Focus, issue #2, 10 Shades Of Noir <www.imagesjournal.com/issue02/infocus.htm>
5. Lacey, N. Image and Representation: Key concepts In Media Studies. Palgrave, 1998
Bibliography
- Berger, J. Ways of Seeing. BBC/Penguin Books, 1972
- Delahoyde, M. Expressionism in Film, Washington State University <http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/20th/expressionistfilm.html
- Film Education, Film and Realism <http://www.filmeducation.org/secondary/concept/film-real/docs/frameset.html>
- In Focus, issue #2, 10 Shades Of Noir <www.imagesjournal.com/issue02/infocus.htm>
- Janet Leigh, Psycho, Vieira, M., 2003, Hollywood Horror from Gothic to Cosmic, Harry N. Abrams, Inc, New York
- Lacey, N. Image and Representation: Key concepts In Media Studies. Palgrave, 1998
- Vagg, S. “COM123 Screen Studies”, CD1, Charles Sturt University, 2006
- Vieira, M., 2003, Hollywood Horror from Gothic to Cosmic, Harry N. Abrams, Inc, New York.
- Wikipedia The free encyclopaedia, 2006 <www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki>
- World Book Dictionary, The Software Mackiev Co. World Book inc., 2004
- Zeising, F., German Expressionist Cinema 1919-1933, Fabianweb <www.home.nikocity.de/fabianweb/gerexp.html
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