Topic > The Characteristics of German Expressionism in Alfred Hitchcock's Film Production

IndexElements Influenced by German ExpressionismEditing and CameraworkPlotLightingConclusionThe history of cinema would not be complete without the inclusion of Alfred Joseph Hitchcock; one director called the name Master of Suspense because of his significant film career. Hitchcock worked with the German expressionist in filmmaking throughout the 20th century, thus inspiring his work as a director and producer for the rest of his life. Having spent time as an apprentice at UFA, Germany's national film studio that excelled during the silent era, Alfred Hitchcock's film output depicted the influence of the German Expressionist movement of the 1920s, as indicated by the inclusion of expressionistic features such as high contrast and intense lighting. , sharp corners and dramatic shadows in films. Two Hitchcock films will feature features borrowed from the Expressionists; The 39 Steps of 1935 and The Lady Vanishes of 1938. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Lady Vanishes and The 39 Steps pioneered the director's work in the film industry and contained elements used by German Expressionists. In short, The Lady Vanishes is about a missing woman, Mrs. Froy, on a train to England. The train is delayed a day due to an avalanche and the travelers use this time to socialize. A young woman, Iris, befriends Mrs. Froy and when the train is about to leave, Iris is unable to see Mrs. Froy. He then sought help from Gilbert, a musician, and they began trying to find Mrs. Froy in the other compartments. On the other hand, The 39 step is about a middle-aged man, Richard Hannay, who returns home from South Africa. Once in London, he meets a spy who informs him of a war between Germany and Great Britain due to a planned attack by a shadowy group called The Black Stone. Shortly thereafter, the spy is found dead in Hannay's apartment. He escapes from the police and the assassins. He follows the assassins to Scotland where he works with the police officers to foil The Black Stone's plan and arrest them. Elements Influenced by German Expressionism Editing and Camerawork The German Expressionists used a unique camera and editing design to appeal to their audience. Their editing techniques were modest, utilizing skills such as cross-cutting and reverse shot. Furthermore, their films kept a slow pace, to allow the audience to experience the visual aspects. Furthermore, camera work was kept simple and functional. The sets were the center of the films. The camera movement was at right angles and level. You can see that The Lady Vanishes and The 39 Steps follow these shooting techniques. Let's take an example of The Lady Vanishes which begins with a slow panorama showing the fictional nation of Bandrika and the region. This also serves to define the situation that the actors will have to face. German expressionists also applied the use of drawing in their films. Furthermore, they used different and unique camera angles that conceptualized the audience in relation to other elements of the scene and also the importance of the situation, location or character. In the 1930s there was talk of the ideology of espionage and the director was not left behind, his films were almost all about spies. For The Lady Vanishes, the spy was Mrs. Froy while in The 39 Steps; the spy died in Hannay's apartment. Due to the avalanche, all passengers (1938).