German Expressionist Cinema: The World of Light and Shadow

by Ian Roberts, Dorota Ostrowska

Before Hollywood's golden age, German expressionist film was arguably the most important cinematic movement in the medium's history. These 'symphonies of... iridescent movement' of Weimar cinema provide some of cinema's most iconic images, and its vivid contrasts and dark spaces constitute a major influence on Hollywood classics such as Citizen Kane (1941) and Sunset Boulevard (1950). This volume also offers insights into the technical and thematic developments of the Weimar film. Covering classics such as The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920) and Nosferatu (1922) as well as under-appreciated examples such as Asphalt (1929), this volume forms an essential introduction to one of cinema's most historically important movements.

Genres: Nonfiction, Film, Germany

144 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2008

Reviews

[Aliaa Talaat · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب مهم للغاية عن السينما التعبيرية الألمانية، به تعريف لبداياتها وسماتها وأهم أفلامها ومخرجيها بصورة مبسطة وفي 140 صفحة فقط
الترجمة جيدة، والكتاب مسلي للغاية، واعطاني فكرة جيدة عن هذه المدرسة السينمائية التي لم أعلم عنها من قبل غير القليل

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars, with a qualification. The book is good; informative, mostly accessible, well-structured, valuable contextualization. Basically, everything you want in an intro book. However. I can’t help but feel frustrated at the chosen films for discussion. All of them are great Weimar films. Not all of them are particularly expressionist. While Richards fairly persuasively addresses this in his conclusion, it still irks that a book about German expressionist cinema, is almost more about how expressionism wormed its way into other forms and styles. The difference is slight, but I think important considering there are films that are as thoroughly expressionist as Caligari, yet they receive no attention here. Instead, we get the greatest hits of Weimar cinema, and the strands of expressionism therein. This is perhaps most distracting with his discussion of Pandora’s Box. Expressionism is almost discussed in fleeting passing while more attention goes to other parts of the film and it’s themes.

For a deep-dive into expressionist films, this may not be the book for you. But, with some exceptions, it certainly gives a great overview of Weimar cinema. Fans of that era won’t be disappointed in Richards’ commentary and analysis.

[Rach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, wonderful intro to German expressionist film (with one caveat).

The wonderful and most annoying thing about this book is that there are multiple allusions to films and books that are not gone over in detail in the book. This of course, acts as a good list of books and films to read into the topic more heavily if that is the sort of thing the reader is interested in (like me), but for the casual reader this might be more to their detriment.

[Rasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

التعبيرية الألمانية في السينما من أجمل الحركات الفنية
ولدت ما بين حربين عظميتين
ولدت من المهانة التي خلفتها الحرب الأولى وتنبأت بكوارث وأهوال الحرب الثانية
حركة خلفت ظلالها على السينما حتى الآن، في عوالم أفلام تيم بيرتون، وجييرمو ديل تورور
يرجع لها الفضل في ميلاد افلام الرعب، والفيلم نوار
الكتاب يتقصى تاريخ الحركة في عالم المسرح والأدب والفن التشكيلي قبيل ميلادها في السينما الألمانية، والمصادر التي نبعت منها، وأهم مخرجيها، وقراءة نقدية تحليلية لأهم اعمالهم.

[Jonah Howell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative work about one of the most interesting periods in cinematic history, without the biases and prerogatives that many other scholars have written about the expressionist cinema with. I also admire that this touches on some of the lesser known works of the era, as well as its certified classics.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t actually read this book my friend with the same name as the author wrote a book that I read and I wanted to add it to my Goodreads goal but couldn’t so this works. 10/10 want to read the next book.

[Stephen Gillespie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A guide to a fascinating period that effectively historicises and analyses. A great introductory text.

[Kurt Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's actually a 3.5 but Goodreads doesn't do halves!

Very straightforward and competent look at the cool world of German Expressionism, albeit a little textbookish at times, but still good!

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favourite book that I used this year for my dissertation. It was an easy read right from the beginning and was filled with information and quotes that I was able to use proficiently.