Montage, Expressionism and SurrealismEarly 20th century Film in Europe

Russian History• In 1917 there have been two revolutions in Russia. The

February Revolution eliminated the Tsar's government. The second revolution took place in October. Vladimir Lenin was the leader of the revolution and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was created. Narkompros, founded in 1918, controlled the film industry.

• Narkompros established the State Film School in 1919. A year later Lev Kuleshov joined the State Film School and formed workshops. Kuleshov's experiments were showing how important editing was and he developed the central idea to the Montage theory and style.

Lev Kuleshov• A central aspect of his experiments was that the

viewer's response in cinema was less dependent on the individual shot than on the editing or montage.

• Lenin saw cinema as the most important art, most probably because it is an effective medium for propaganda and education.

Aesthetic of Montage • Downplaying characters

(stereotypes or types are used)

• Strikes or violent clashes are often storylines

• Style revolves on cuts or edits

• Cuts are meant to stimulate the viewer

• Cuts are noticed by the viewer

Overlapping or Elliptical Temporal Relationships

Overlapping• the second shot repeats

part or all of the action from the previous shot

• the time an action takes on the screen expands

Elliptical jump cut

The time action takes on the screen is reduced

Eisenstein• shots should not be seen as linked, but rather as

conflicting with one another. The spectator can create a new concept in her or his mind realizing the conflict between elements.

• Rhythmic Montage• Meaning (Intellectual, Tonal and Overtonal)

German Expressionism• Expressionism is the

movement in the fine arts that emphasized the expression of one’s inner self and their angst rather than solely being realistic

• Expressionism was a reaction to impressionism which projected stark and absolute realities.The Scream by Edvard Munch (1893), which inspired 20th-century Expressionists

History• Germany at the time had just recovered from the

consequences of World War I• Disillusionment • Many Germans felt betrayed by their government • 1.7 Million lost in the war (7 million casualties)• Shortage of food and resources• Weimar Republic took over after the fall of the

Kaiser• Political beliefs became extreme and polarized

Aesthetics • Dark strong

shadows• Cynicism about

people • Warped, distorted

and surreal looking

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (German: Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari) is a 1920 silent horror film directed by Robert Wiene

Themes • Depressed/dark

stories• Corrupt characters

and authority figures

• The primary villian in The Cabinet of Dr. Callgari was a doctor

--Screened

• Metropolis communicated a growing sense of skepticism towards industrialism and the roles that society had placed on its citizens.

Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionist science-fiction film directed by Fritz Lang

The End of the Movement• When Adolf Hitler had complete control over the

German government he called Expressionism degenerate and established Propaganda as the dominant form of filmmaking

• Many Expressionist directors left Germany and moved to Hollywood

• At the time German Expressionism had advanced beyond Hollywood films in terms of technique

• Many Studios funded projects by these immigrants

• This influenced Hollywood greatly and was partly of the birth of both the Noir and Horror genres

• (Dracula (1931) and The Mummy (1932), by Karl Freund and The Black Cat (1934), directed by Edgar G. Ulmer)

Nosferatu, is a classic 1922 German Expressionist horror film, directed by F. W. Murnau

Universum Film AG (UFA)• significant champions of the movement and the

art of film making in the country• One of the most important people to have visited

UFA would eventually become one of the most important directors of Hollywood— Alfred Hitchcock

• Hitcock’s films like Psycho or The Lodger all feature super saturated shadows and zoomed in camera angles which he learned about when studying at the UFA –- “screened”

Film Noir• One of the most important

movements of American Film • Ex-patriots like Josef-von

Sternberg, an Auatrian exile would go on to make films such as Shanghai Express (1932) and The Devil Is a Woman (1935) --www.screened.com

• The rich shadows and deep focus of Josef von Sterberg’s work would influence Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane

Scene from the movie "The Big Combo." --Joseph H. Lewis Notice the low camera angle and saturated shadowsas well as the fog. All techniques perfected byGerman Expressionist directors and cinematographers

French Impressionism and Surrealism 1918-1930

• Alternatives to Classical Hollywood form• Impressionism was a French Avant-Garde Film movement that

was made by the French Film industry and was profitable• Surrealism was made independently of the French System and

did not prove financially successful

Impressionism • In 1915 American Films flooded in to the French Market• By the end of WW1 the French Film industry never fully

recovered• The Impressionists focused purely on emotion and

subjectivity, but their aesthetic did not take off as an international success

Surrealists • The Surrealist

filmmakers relied on private patronage

• Screened their works to small artist gatherings

• Films perplexed and shocked audiences

• Linked to Surrealist painting and literature

Surrealism• Dreams, subconscious and

free association as opposed to…

• Reason and Logic• Overtly anti-narrative • Attacks causality• The films tease the audience

into finding absent narrative logic

• Events are juxtaposed for their disturbing effect

The End of the French Surrealist Movement • In the 1930’s the movement led by Andre Breton had

disbanded • Individual Surrealist Artists like Luis Bunuel, Max Ernst and

Salvador Dali continued to paint and make films• Bunuel created films until the 60’s including The Discreet

Charm of the Bourgeoisie and Belle Du Jour

Un Chien Andalou • Released in 1929 to a limited showing in Paris• Ran for 8 months following the premiere• the only rule for the writing of the script was that "no idea or

image that might lend itself to a rational explanation of any kind would be accepted."[9] Moreover, he stated that, "Nothing, in the film, symbolizes anything. The only method of investigation of the symbols would be, perhaps, psychoanalysis.