Context Flashcards
How did German government take of the filmmaking industry following WW1?
They recognised the propaganda of cinema and encouraged filmmaking that supported its ideology: led to a rise in film studios being unified into one large company
What was the name of the first German expressionist film?
‘The Cabinet of Dr Caligari’ (Wiene, 1920)
How did the Wall Street crash of 1929 affect the German film industry?
It brought about world economic crisis and American loans to German were withdrawn, leading to unemployment
What film studio did Murnau work for after fleeing Nazi Germany?
Fox
How was ‘Sunrise’ received after release?
- Reviews were good but it failed at box office
- Won 2 Oscar’s (cinematography and actress)
How much did the sets for ‘Sunrise’ cost?
A city set cost around $200k, which was around the typical film budget at the time
What is expressionism?
An artistic movement that extended across all arts, emerging in Germany in the early 1900s
What did expressionists aim to represent?
The inner soul and psychology
What was expressionist music like?
Discordant with extreme volume and texture
When was the era of modernism?
Mid 1920s (America)
What was the modernism era?
An era that consciously thought of itself as new and ‘modern’, casting off the old ways and traditions
How is modernism reflect in ‘Sunrise’?
Simple wife vs corrupt city reflects the social change both in American society and the rest of the Western world
