During the early days of film, different nations of the world utilised the medium of filmmaking in a variety of starkly juxtaposing ways in order to create meaning. Two key examples of this can be seen in German Expressionism and Soviet Montage.
German Expressionism
The image below is taken from The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (Robert Wiene, 1920), a quintessential example of German Expressionism. In this single frame alone, Wiene demonstrates his creative use of sharp angular sets, oblique architecture and expressive costume design. Shadows and streaks of light are also painted onto the set directly.
Another quintessential example of German Expressionism is Nosferatu (F.W. Murnau, 1922). Incorporating animated shadows, spectral superimposition and visual shock, it arguably pioneered the contemporary horror genre which is ever-present in modern cinema.
Throughout Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927), effects expert Eugen Schüfftan pioneered the scope of what visual effects could achieve. He utilised miniatures of the dystopian city, a camera on a swing, as well as the Schüfftan process. Through this, mirrors are used to illustrate the illusion that actors are living in the miniature sets.
Soviet Montage
The images below is taken from Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925) – specifically from the fourth sequence of the film – the iconic ‘Odessa Steps’ sequence. This depicts a fictional massacre of citizens on a giant stairway in Odessa, Ukraine. Eisenstein employs his apt knowledge of montage theory described above, through which an extremely harrowing scene is created. Juxtaposing a series of fast jump cuts and closeups with a series of wide shots and tracking shots, a strong emotional response in the viewer is evoked.
Throughout Man With a Movie Camera (Dsiga Vertov, 1929), a wide range of cinematic techniques are employed – most of which were invented by Vertov himself. Through a highly creative use of multiple exposure, fast motion, self-reflexive visuals and many more techniques which are listed above, an unashamedly avant-garde experience is created. The image below is an exemplary insight as to what the film offers in store.
Otis Morley’s A-Level Film Studies Blog 