The writer discusses the work of Bertold Brecht and the influence expressionism had on his work and technique. The writer also explains the concept of expressionism. The paper is fifteen pages long and there are ten sources listed in the bibliography.
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his field over the last few decades. But who inspired him? Who were the mentors, teachers, influences that influenced him? Many say it was the German expressionists. Expressionism has many
defining characteristics. It was a style of art and cinema which developed during the early part of the 20th century and was in fact pervasive in nearly all types of
artforms including sculpture, literature, drama and dance(Willet, 1979). Expressionism generally sought to present the internal rather than the external part of man. Like the Romantic Era to some extent, it
went a step beyond to utilize a heightened reality. This reality was shown in the use of non-objective use of symbols, stereotyped characters, and stylization in order to give awareness
of ones inner experience. This movement began shortly after World War II and was typified at the onset by the extreme stylization of sets and d?cor as well as
the lighting, acting and camera angles. It can be said that during this time the large abstract sets became just as much a part of the overall texture of the
film as the actors. To bring about the complete control and free manipulation of the d?cor, lighting and camera work, expressionist films were always shot in the studio, never
outdoors or on location. When there were scenes that called for exterior shooting, lighting was shown to be purposefully artificial, emphasizing deep shadows and sharp contrasts. Camera angles were chosen
to emphasize the bizarre and the grotesque and actors were encouraged to over act. Some examples of expressionist film from this time are THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (1919).
Other key films in the same strange, fantastic vein include THE GOLEM (1920), BETWEEN TWO WORLDS/DER M UDE TOD/BEYOND THE WALL/DESTINY (1921), NOSFERATU (1922), DR. MABUSE: DER SPIELER (THE GAMBLER)