engleski

The Influence of German Expressionism on Classical Hollywood Cinema

This paper examines the influence of German Expressionism on Classical Hollywood cinema. It does this by first giving a historical overview of the rise of German Expressionism and the birth of the (sub)genres called street film and Kammerspiel film. After those genres have been analyzed, it is concluded they function as a secondary influence only. The street film, being notable for its urban setting, which is reminiscent of film noir, is one of the first film (sub)genres to depict the urban landscape as a metaphor, which was used decades later in Classical Hollywood cinema. The Kammerspiel film focuses heavily on a stylized setting, accentuating a subjective display of the character’s inner state. Furthermore, this paper analyzes a number of selected films made by directors that immigrated to Hollywood, giving birth to the theory of the so-called exile cinema, which can be interpreted as being not only a continuation of German Expressionism, but a new form of its own, implementing the Jewish heritage and the persecution complex of the aforementioned directors. However, certain films of Classical Hollywood cinema do show a large degree of influence of German Expressionism, which can best be seen in Lang’s Scarlet Street and Wilder’s Double Indemnity.

Expressionism, Kammerspiel, street film, film noir, exile cinema

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