His most popular films contain characters and sets that have many striking similarities to German Expressionist cinema. These similarities are most noticeable in Burton's use of chiaroscuro, the use of shadows, fantastical, geometrical, and angular sets, brooding and mysterious characters, and intellectual plots.

How is German Expressionism used in film?

As the name suggests, German expressionist filmmakers used visual distortion and hyper-expressive performance to show inner turmoils, fears and desires of that era. German Expressionism reflects the inner conflicts of its 1920s German audience by giving their woes an inescapably external presence.

What kind of Expressionism did Burton pull from?

Well, in modern film culture, German Expressionism is best seen in writer/director Tim Burton, known for his crazy, quirky and outlandish films. Batman Returns is cited as a modern attempt to capture the essence of German Expressionism.

How does Edward Scissorhands show German Expressionism?

Edward's scissors as hands is also a blend of actor and props, such that the scissors are mounted onto the actor's real hands and work in tune with his movement in the film. This shows how the expressivity in German Expressionism “extends into every aspect of the mise en scene”.

What directors were inspired by German Expressionism?

Aspects of Expressionist techniques were later adapted by such directors as Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Welles and were incorporated into many American gangster and horror films. Some of the major filmmakers of this time were F. W. Murnau, Erich Pommer, and Fritz Lang.

Tim Burton & German Expressionism

What was the impact of German Expressionism?

German Expressionism in cinema is known for dramatic camera angles, looming shadows, optical illusions, haunted anti-heroes, claustrophobic cinematography, and shocking twist endings. It's difficult to imagine what the landscape of cinema would look like today without the breakthroughs of this 1920s film genre.

What films did German Expressionism influence?

What defines German Expressionism?

German expressionism was an early twentieth century German art movement that emphasized the artist's inner feelings or ideas over replicating reality, and was characterised by simplified shapes, bright colours and gestural marks or brushstrokes.

Is Edward Scissorhands a German Expressionism film?

Key German expressionist films

This can be seen in the Expressionist cityscapes (with Oscar-winning designs by Anton Furst of Batman (1989), as well as Edward Scissorhands (1990) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1994).

What is Tim Burton's style called?

Tim Burton's visual style is often influenced by the artistic movement known as expressionism. Expressionism emerged in the early 20th century as a reaction to the realism of the time, focusing on expressing emotions and subjective experiences through distorted and exaggerated forms.

What style did Tim Burton work in?

This opens in a new window. Burton's own aesthetic reflects German Expressionism more than any other style. Expressionism began as a modern art movement and quickly expanded to influence art across Europe in the 1920s.

What is Tim Burton known for?

He quickly struck out on his own and became known for creating visually striking films that blend themes of fantasy and horror, including Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Batman and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

What are the main features of German Expressionism?

These include a fascination with the enticing yet often sordid experiences of modern urban life; the enduring solace associated with nature and religion; the naked body and its potential to signify primal emotion; emotionally charged portraiture; and, most pivotally, the need to confront the devastating experience of ...

What makes German Expressionism different?

German Expressionism was an art movement that emerged in the early 20th century and was characterized by a focus on emotion and ideas as inspiration. The basis of the movement came in stark contrast with other movements that preceded it, which focused on more accurate depictions of reality and nature.

What was the cause of German Expressionism?

Though the German Expressionist movements were born of an essentially optimistic ideal, a desire to revitalise the stale world of art academies and the bourgeoisie and offer a spiritual balance to the sight of mechanised factories, their experiences of the First World War and the subsequent economic and political ...

Which artists were involved in German Expressionism?

What is the legacy of German Expressionism?

In the end, the legacy of German Expressionism was the creation of a new movement that was an escape for its artists and criticized society by either showing a world of color – which early 20th century Germany lacked –- or the darkness that haunted the throes of modernity.

What are the dark themes in German Expressionism?

Dark or brutal themes

Most of the German expressionist films felt like twisted horror movies that reached right into the realms of disturbing nightmares for a plot. They often explored themes of insanity and innate evil, mostly depicting the ugly side of humanity or the paranormal.

What is Tim Burton's darkest film?

What impact did Tim Burton have on film?

What did he contribute to the film industry? Tim Burton contributes to the world of animation in the film industry and redefined stop motion. Stop motion (also known as stop frame) is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own.

What makes Tim Burton a unique director?

Burton, as the director auteur, is comparable to other such directors as Eisenstein and Rossellini, but his style of filmmaking is intrinsically different for its focus on animation and the idea of the fairytale. To elaborate in simple terms; he is not just the author of the film, but the illustrator.

When did German Expressionism become popular?

The classic phase of the Expressionist movement lasted from approximately 1905 to 1920 and spread throughout Europe.

What style is considered the peak of German Expressionism?

Die Brücke is typically seen as the fountainhead of German Expressionism, chronologically the first of two groups (the other being Der Blaue Reiter) that pushed German modern art onto the international avant-garde scene.

How does German Expressionism influence noir?

These social and psychological concerns are expressed in film noir through stories and styles hugely influenced by German Expressionism – claustrophobia, obsession, madness, peculiar narrative frames and importantly, chiaroscuro lighting and the juxtaposition of light and shadow.