German Expressionism Essay

German expressionism is one of the most fundamental movements of early cinema. With its basic foundation stemming from the creation of the Universum Film AG in 1917 by the German government, expressionism found a happy home in Germany until, arguably the late 1920s (Wolf). Expressionism changed the canvas of cinema with its technical innovations as well as its impact on Hollywood, not only with its borrowing of ideas, but with the emigration of German actors, writers, and directors to Hollywood, such as Murnau and his creation of Sunrise (Welsh, 98). American films at the same time as this movement in Germany were based in realism, with very distinct ideas of good and bad, comedy, and aesthetics. German film was seen as highly compound, with thick, perplexing stories that were more solicitous instead of being superficial. The notable works from this movement have been time tested references to the rise of cinema, and have been looked upon for reference in film genres in later years not only because of the innovation and place in history, but also for the overt artistic styling that has been difficult to match since. It seems as though German cinema, almost all together must be discussed in its own category. Just as French cinema, historically speaking, Germany has seemed to keep at least a somewhat independent cinema culture from that of Hollywood and its beginnings are either independent from Hollywood or influencing for the most part. Although its beginnings were earlier, â€Å"†¦the period roughly between 1897 and 1908, motion pictures in Germany had graduated from a side-show novelty to a fast developing form, if not of art, then certainly of popular entertainment† (Figge, 308). By 1909, however, hundreds of new cinemas were offering longer and more cohesive programs†, which laid the groundwork for the progressive technical explosion that was the Expressionist movement (Figgins, 308). Germany reached a height in silent cinema in the 1920s, the time after World War I (Wexman 38). This was a national time of crisis with most of the culpability of the Great War being put on Germany not only politically, but more enduringly and impactfully, economically; this created discord in the sociopolitical environment. Due to such social upheaval, film as seen as an expression of â€Å"counter activity† to the state of affairs in Germany (Wexman, 38). German expressionism is one of the more major film movements which helped mold the face of early cinema, and has had enduring impacts on the horror genre, film noir and is even seen trickling into modern day cinema. The innovations that came along with this movement are astounding, especially given the modicum of improvement in physical film itself, which one could argue, were brought about by the mass creative and artistic movement expressionism fundamentally is. Some of these technical aspects include a highly subjective and dynamic camera, design innovations including staging and set designs, and being the first movement to actually implement scripting of films (Dilman). Telltale signs of expressionism are the use of backlighting to create a sense of dimensionality and montage, and splicing the film together to make the story be more seamless and continuous, which was also a style used by the Soviet film movement (Figge, 313). Some of the indications of expressionism seem to be the anti-heroism, the complex philosophical and psychological plots and primarily urban settings. The scenes are intentionally shot to look staged, creating an alternate reality on screen with its highly geometric scapes, tilted stages, clashing vertical and horizontal lines and overshadowing. Indeed as Warm said, Expressionist film is art come to life (Wexman). Historical and mythological themes are very telling of this movement, as are abstract story lines that seem philosophically or psychologically provoking, fantastic ideas, and â€Å"careful visual patterns† (Wexman 40). Mythology obviously had an influence on Metropolis, as the machine in the film turns from robot into a pagan god, demanding the sacrifice of the workers. This constructs the notion that the machine is more important than the lives of the machinists, the way urban culture existed in the moment, machine is more important than man; progress is the most important idea in society, replacing a sense of community and order of nature. This idea of a crisis of modernity influenced many films in Germany throughout the 1920s. The idea of urban life being pitted against rural life is the subject of Sunrise, giving the audience the choice between the naive and desirable maternal figure in opposition to the fast, dark, evil â€Å"Vamp† woman from the city, embodying urban culture and its certain destruction of current livelihood. This again reiterates the theme of the unavoidable but unwanted nature of modern, urban life in opposition to the much-desired rural, complacently comfortable setting that was more trusting. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is seen as the height of expressionism (Welsh, 98). Without exaggerating, it is impossible to discuss expressionism without discussing Caligari, not just for the film advancements, but because it seems to be one of the most artistically set films of the time as well as being one of the truly first expressionist films to be made (although it is not the first), Caligari was, in an important sense, a blind alley for German films of this period, because it sought its identity outside the inherent possibilities of the film medium. In spite of the use of irises, medium shots, and crosscutting, it remains essentially theatrical†¦The point is significant, because at this time the question was being asked, ‘What can the movies do that the theatre can not do? ’ Caligari provided no clear answer to this challenge. (Figgins, 310-311) All of the characters are highly psychological, some being downright neurotic. This can be evidenced by the blurring of the lines of good and evil, the questioning of sanity and the feeling of helplessness of the main characters in the film, most notably, the Somnambulist who has absolutely no control over his doing. By being out of control, he can be seen as evading all of his worldly responsibilities, one can excuse his behavior (read: murdering of innocent townspeople) because it is not he who has the intention, but rather is being compelled into this anti-social behavior. With this in mind, it is easy to see expressionism being a symptomatic artistic release, emerging out of a post-war world turned upside down, where one must question their morals due to justification of war (especially because Germany was involved with unrestricted submarine warfare during World War I), and coming to terms with shouldering the majority of the responsibility for the casualties. Themes of expressionism carried over into Hollywood’s birth of the American horror genre of the 1930s, with it’s expressionist camera angles, movements, overly dramatic makeup and lighting, fantastic subjects and the feeling of chaos, a sense that the world in spinning out of control. Many of these themes have seemed to have lasting impacts, and were characteristic of many Alfred Hitchcock films. While Hitchcock favored tight scenes, he still preferred to give the audience a sense of unease with his camera movements, creatures, and most definitely, chaos. However, it is certain that Hitchcock is more characteristically modernist, with his angles and restoration of the disharmony of his films. Film Noir is another genre that seemingly stemmed out of expressionism. The use of stark contrasts of shadows and the obscurity of faces and landscapes is showing of expressionist qualities. The disorientation brought on by the camera direction style also echoes the disorientation, which was popular in the movement. The protagonists seem to be flawed, which is also a mirrored quality, exemplified by the main character in Sunrise, who has no issue initially with his infidelity or thoughts of murdering his wife to be able to be with the Vamp from the city. The urban settings of Noir films also seem to be reminiscent of German film themes of the 1920s (Naremore 12, 26). In fact, one might argue that Film Noir is basically expressionism revisited, keeping in line with most of the expressionist qualities, save the more stark landscapes and police themed-ness of the melodramas. Modern day directors still use themes and techniques associated with the Expressionist movement. Most notably and obviously would be the ever famous Tim Burton, where commonalities and homage exist heavily. For instance, it can be argued that Gotham City in Burton’s creation of Batman was modeled after the city in Metropolis, and his theme of the corrupt city is reminiscent of Sunrise. It is hard not to see the similarities of the character Edward from Edward Scissorhands and the somnambulist from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari from the inception of the character on the screen, in the major aspects. Most likely, expressionism will seep into cinema either subtly or overtly for many years to come. German expressionism can be seen as being the influencer of genres, groundbreaking creator of overly artistic production, and arguably the art of horror film. This movement itself has helped spawn the rise of other genres and movements, and has been looked upon for stylistic and creative (admittedly sometimes hyper-creative) reference in film genres in later years due to the innovation and canvas that was created in service of the period. Indeed, German expressionism is a major film movement which helped mold the face of early cinema, but one cannot contain the ideas and art that came from this movement into the years of the 1920s and 1930s as the impact it left is seen in many later genres and generations, the horror genre, film noir and modern day cinema.

Multinational Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Final Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Week 2 Discussion - Essay Example The following discussion aims to identify the factors that act as reason behind the difference in the crude mortality rate of these countries. There are certain important factors that determine the difference between the crude mortality rates in different countries. These factors include the average age and structure of the population, the quality and standard of healthcare facilities, diet, nutrition and the level and prevalence of infectious diseases (Farmer, 2003). In case of Haiti and US, there is an obvious difference in the economic development level of both the countries and due to low economic position, the population of Haiti has little access of quality healthcare and safe drinking water. The prevalence rate of HIV AIDS and other infectious diseases is also very high in Haiti as compared with that of US (Robert and Nancy, 1996). The serious situation of healthcare in Haiti caught the attention of world community and there are some important initiatives taken by the international health organizations in collaboration with the government of Haiti that are intended to improve the healthcare situation through the tra ining of healthcare professionals and creating awareness among people (Deibert, 2005). The improvement in the level of the healthcare has the tendency to affect the crude mortality rate of a country. The interventions of United Nations brought significant level of changes in the healthcare situation of Haiti. Though the poor and densely populated country Haiti still needs lot of work in the field of healthcare (Deibert, 2005) but it is observed that the improvements in the healthcare facilities and awareness in people reduced the number of deaths and the crude mortality rate in Haiti became as low as 6 deaths per 1000 in 2000. On the other hand, in United States there is change observed in the age structure of the population that is also among the important factors determining the crude death rate. The rate of the younger population is

Golden Age of Hollywood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Golden Age of Hollywood - Essay Example Katharine Hepburn was born in May 12, 1907, growing up in Hartford environs, Connecticut in a loving family, she attended her primary education at the Kingswood-Oxford School located in Hartford and later she attended college at Bryn Mawr. She in history and philosophy in the year and it is here she knew and later married Ludlow Ogden Smith, Katharine’s acting interest developed from college by participating in plays. Immediately after graduating, the next day she travelled to Baltimore where she met a producer, Eddie Knopf who cast her to play in various local routine productions. This marked as her start in professional acting and by 1928; she began to be known in Broadway in the plays like â€Å"These Days.† During this period, Katharine appeared in several plays but she developed a reputation of arguing with directors and was therefore, dismissed from several productions (Edwards 125).  Ã‚  Katharine’s success in the studio system came in 1932 when she play ed Amazon princess in a lead role in the play â€Å"The Warrior’s Husband.† George Cukor a director from Radio-Keith-Orpheum pictures was excited on how she played this role and decided to give her first role in a movie. She accepted to work with him and demanded a high salary in the film â€Å"A Bill of Divorcement† where Katharine’s performance was highly praised. She worked with Cukor in many other movies and therefore, raising to stardom. In 1933, Katharine won her first Oscar.... That same year she had an astounding performance as Jo in the successful screen adaptation of â€Å"Little Women.† Further, she had her second Oscar nomination in 1935 after appearing in the film â€Å"Alice Adams† and she became a rising star (Edwards 177). However, after her success, Katharine had a series of box-office failures threatening her career. The films â€Å"Spitfire,† and â€Å"Break of Hearts† in 1934 failed in box office while in 1935 â€Å"Sylvia Scarlett† did not do well. Further, â€Å"Mary of Scotland† in 1936 and â€Å"Quality Street† made in 1937 failed to succeed. It is was disappointing that even the film â€Å"Bringing Up Baby† created in 1938 that paired Katharine with the star Cary Grant as a comedy was not appreciated by the public although today it is honored as a comedy classic. In 1938, Katharine failures continued as she was voted â€Å"Box Office Poison† in 1938, which was largely because o f her reputation of failing to follow the behavior expected of super stars. She often refused to put on makeup, she wore trousers at the time when they were not fashionable for women, she did not want to give autographs or pose for photographs, and refused to talk to reporters (Edwards 224). Katharine fought to bring back her career success and she left Hollywood to find a stage project. She accepted an offer to star in Philip Barry’s play â€Å"The Philadelphia Story† that highlighted a character incorporating humor, aggression, nervousness, and vulnerability. She financed part of the play together with Howard Hughes and bought the film rights that were used in its creation. The play came out in 1940, it was an immediate success going for two fruitful tours, and Katharine

Olympic games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Olympic games - Essay Example The aggregate tally of the individuals who watched London Olympics amounted to 219 million. Upon observation of this trend, the media house chose to maximize the hours of coverage. Therefore, NBC showed the London Olympics for a total of 5,535 hours (Moraes, 1). This exhibits the massive and rampant figure of persons watching the Olympics. The united Greeks were the historical perpetuators of the Olympics. Olympic Games had their foremost occurrence in Greece (Toohey, 11). Therefore, the Greece people were the custodians of this culture of games. From Greece, Olympic Games stretched to other parts of the globe. Therefore, Greece was the birthplace of the Olympic Games culture. Inhabitants of Greece cherished the Olympics immensely throughout the nation. Their Olympic events would register a very high number of attendance and attention from the public (Toohey, 12). Other nations therefore observed this culture and incepted it in their native calendars. Ancient Greece was therefore the initiator of the Olympic Games culture. Greece was the source of the Olympic culture from antiquity. In the ninth century BC, there was no other nation with the Olympics. Therefore, the ninth century BC marked the approximate era of Olympic Games culture initiation in Greece (Toohey, 11). These were the times of the Ancient Greece community. The Olympic Games were part of the Greece culture during these times. They were a portion of a sacred tradition called the ekecheiria. The sacred tradition was also called the truce (Toohey, 19). It would entail maximum observation of peace for the participants in the Olympic Games to enjoy a harmonious environment. The tradition also had an objective to allow foreigners into the nation and travel back safely. Due to this peaceful environment, foreigners would come to Ancient Greece; enjoy the Olympic Games and travel home safely (Toohey, 19). In 1896, the other nations realized the essence of the

Groundwater pumping Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Groundwater pumping - Essay Example The signing of three bills regulating groundwater pumping in California will promote the management of groundwater since they adopt a fee-based structure and impose groundwater-pumping restrictions (Nijhuis, 2014). The fee-based approach defines pumping fees and restricts pumping. We can manage groundwater pumping for future uses by adopting fee-based measures that entail levying fees for groundwater pumping. The approach will enhance efficiency in consumption by mandating water users to pay for water on a full-cost recovery basis. Moreover, we can use tiered charges and water markets to enhance flexible and efficient consumption among large water users. Apparently, the fee-based measure will promote efficient water use in most areas facing excessive groundwater depletion thus enhancing sustainable groundwater pumping (Nelson, 2012). Additionally, an increase in irrigation costs and prices in areas relying on groundwater pumping enhances sustainability and resiliency. Indeed, this will motivate farmers to adopt water management mechanisms (Wichelns, 2010). As such, this fee-based measure will promote management and improvement of groundwater pumping in the agricultural sector thus conserving groundwater for future use. Water agencies can also relate water prices to the changes in groundwater levels, which will allow them to charge higher water prices during drought thus promoting efficient use (Wichelns, 2010). Water agencies can sue the fee-based measure to charge high water prices to new investments relying on groundwater, which would discourage increased dependence on groundwater pumping. These measures can help in managing groundwater pumping for the future, for purposes of sustainability and resiliency. Blanco, H. (2012). Water Supply Scarcity in Southern California: Assessing Water District Level Strategies. Retrieved from http://sustainablecities.usc.edu/quicklinks/H%20Blanco%20WSSC%20Exec%20Summary%2012%202012.pdf Nijhuis, M. (2014). Amid