The Weimar Cinema - Essay Example

The Weimar Cinema Introduction The contributions of the Weimar cinema in the development of the modern German-language cinema and international filmmaking are worth noting. The cinema of the Weimar Republic is mainly covered in the period between 1918 and 1933 in the history of Germany (Isenberg, 43). The development of the film industry in Germany as practiced in the modern day has been significantly influenced by the developments introduced by the Weimar cinema. The film industry in Germany stands on a strong foundation that was laid down during the period of the Weimar cinema that was faced with difficult economic times after the World War I. “During the era of the Weimar cinema, there was experienced stylistic, economic and cultural transformation in the film industry of Germany,” (Isenberg, 44). Isenberg’s quote is highly relevant as it higlights the various aspects in which the Weimar cinema impacted on the film industry in Germany. The economic, cultural and stylistic changes encountered at the time have had a profound effect on the history of cinema as practiced in Germany. The Germany film industry in the present day has been thoroughly influenced by the establishments of the Weimar cinema, whose influence is evident in the modern making of films (Kaes, 120). The contributions of the Weimar cinema in the modern day production of films in Germany has been elaborated in an analogy of one Weimar cinema films, a modern German language film, and a modern film. The films that will be compared and contrasted in the essay for purposes of illustration are the first version of Nosferatu, a 1922 Weimar cinema film by Murnau, ‘Nosferatu the Vampyre,’ a 1979 modern German language film by Herzog and ‘We are the Night,’ a 2010 German vampire horror film by Dennis Gansel. The Weimar Cinema The Weimar cinema occurred during the Golden Age of cinema that notably was the silent era of filmmaking in Germany and elsewhere in the world. While the modern day production of films in Germany has advanced tremendously following the technological developments, a lot of credit goes to the Weimar cinema for such advancement (Isenberg, 44). “During the Weimar cinema period in Germany, an exceptional variety and number of films were released on various themes that have continued dominating the film industry in Germany and internationally,” (Isenberg, 45). Isenberg’s views are significantly important in pointing to the contuinity of thematic issues in the modern time of filmography as was during the Weimer cinema. The beginning of the film industry globally was challenging given the surrounding circumstances of war and hard economic times such as the Great Depression and acute inflationary periods. However, the development of styles like imagery, symbolism, and expressionism and other artistic styles during this era has impacted on the modern day practice of filmography. The Weimar cinematography was fundamentally inspired by the sordid politics that surrounded the aftermath of the World War I (Kaes, 122). The volatility of the political and social atmosphere at the time as explained by Isenberg (46) created an immense interest in social concerns that were addressed by the Weimar filmmakers in an entertaining and relevant manner. The focus on historical epics as was embraced in the Weimar cinematography has continued in the modern German filmography. Spectacular films continue to dominate the industry and convey features that were pertinent in the Weimar cinema. German expressionism that began during the Weimar cinema has exerted significant influence on the style that is adopted in todays filmography in Germany and internationally. Just like in Weimar cinema, the modern filmmaking in Germany and elsewhere in the world especially the United States, the use of exaggerated shadows, geometric shapes and stylized acting continues to thrive. The development of the cultural films during the era of Weimar cinema in Germany has been embraced in the production of short films in the modern day practice of filmmaking. According to Isenberg (48), the focus of the short films in the present day just like it was during the period of Weimar cinema focus on psychology as opposed to the setting and action. The development of such films in the modern Germany film industry and internationally has been founded on the styles established during the Weimar cinema though with alterations for improvement of film quality. The practice of filmography around the globe today is highly focused on the portrayal of in an objective and realistic manner (Kaes, 125). The achievement of such intentions in modern filmmaking has been greatly influenced by the developments of the New Objectivity style of filmmaking that was developed during the Weimar era of cinematography. The 1922 Nosferatu film by Murnau is a symphony of horror that incorporated several of the stylistic features that were developed during the Weimer cinema period (Jensen, 3). The 1979 ‘Nosferatu the Vampyre’ film by Herzog is a stylistic remake of the 1922 film. The 1979 version of the film as was directed by Herzog contained three main versions. In one version, the characters speak the English language while in another version, the characters speak Germany. In the third version, the film was written in the Romanian language and hence became widely accepted as a pace setter for the subsequent vampire horror films in Germany and abroad. Similarly, Jensen (2) notes that the 1922 version of Nosferatu by Murnau was written in both English and Germany for the purpose of its international and local marketing. The production of films in different languages to increase the acceptability globally and in different cultural settings has become a common practice in the modern era. “The use of the local language in the production of the films has become a popular culture and continues to be embraced in the modern practice of filmography” (Prager, 101). Based on the observations of Prager, local languages are highly preferred in settings where the primary target market for the films is the local people. During the Golden Age of cinematography and particularly the silent era of filmmaking to which the Weimar cinema period belongs, the use of local language that targeted the local audience was a common practice as seen in the Nosferatu release of 1979. The use of local language in filmmaking in the present day continues and has been valued for the increased marketability of the films locally and their remaking elsewhere to fit in different cultural settings. The 2010 ‘We are the Night film as directed by Dennis Gansel is a good example of a modern day film. The vampire movie is written in the German Language similar to the Nosferatu versions of 1922 and 1979. The influence of the Weimar cinema on the use of German language for the widened acceptability of the films and adaptation of the German culture into the films has been continued as seen in the 2010 release of ‘We are the Night,’ (Ingram, 7). It may be expected that later versions of the film just like the case for Nosferatu would emerge written in different languages to meet the requirements of different cultural backgrounds. The scene set up in the 1922 and 1979 version of the Nosferatu are quite similar. In both settings, the films begin in a formal setting where purchase transactions and contract deals are being conducted (Prager, 106). However, as the films advance in their plot, the vampire encounters begin to approach and strange horror happenings are encountered by the characters. The development of the vampiric occurrences that result in death is done later in the films. On the other hand, 2010 ‘We are the Night vampire movie does not directly begin in a formal setting. Instead, the film begins with horror in which people aboard a plane are killed by a vampire. The movie, however, is influenced by the versions of the Nosferatu in that in its setting; there are incidences of travel by boat in which case the vampire forces are used by the characters to commit murder. The settings of the three films are highly similar in that their plots are developed on related themes of vampire horror in which strange deaths occur as a result of immortal forces. Another critical influence of the Weimar cinema on the modern German-language films and international filmmaking is that modern films significantly borrow from the Weimer cinema in the development of their storyline. For instance, the storyline adopted by Murnau and Herzog in the 1922 and 1979 versions of Nosferatu respectively have been a significant influence on the storyline development in 2010 ‘We are the Night film (Prager, 106). In a critical sense, the plot and subplots of the three films draw on a related occurrence of events that are marked by the interplay of horrific acts of immortal characters. The storyline in both films is pegged on the fictional narrative work that is largely borrowing from fictional stories written during or before the silent era of filmography (Ingram, 109). Considering the narrative threads that different characters in ‘We are the Night encounter and those that are encountered by characters in the 1922 and 1979 Nosferatu versions, one would feel that the later productions in the modern era are a replica of the stylistic experiences developed during the era of Weimar cinema. The use of background music in filmmaking is not a recent practice. “In the 1922 Nosferatu film by Murnau, the background music used is cool and soothing similar to that used in the 1979 version,” (Jensen, 6). Jensen’s idea is relevant in the light of the how the practice of background music as embraced in the modern era has been influenced by the Weimar Cinema. However, during the silent era, the role of dialogue in films was not highly valued. Films like the 1922 Nosferatu cinema involved more instances of action and prolonged silence with intervals of background music. The silent era was taken from the fact that the films involved little or no character dialogue. The use of the background music during the Weimar cinema era was less of a stylistic approach since it did not reflect the actual scene of horror and impending doom. In the modern era, filmmaking in Germany and elsewhere around the world has valued the importance of background music and the communication it sends to the audience. The advancement in technology has resulted in better background music in the making of the films that is attuned to the thematic issues being addressed in the cinema. For example, in 2010 ‘We are the Night film, the selection of the background music as played by Haiko Maile reflects doom and the impending doom and death in the film (Ingram, 11). Nevertheless, the change in the use of the background music in line with the film theme is a development of the establishments that were made during the Golden Age of cinematography. Technological advancement has been pivotal in the improvement of the film industry. One particular area that has been influenced by such technological advancement is the choice of film color at the age of advanced animation capability. The use of film color during the Weimar cinema was importantly considered. However, it was limited by the technological know-how of the then studios such as UFA. The film color used in the 1922 Nosferatu version is black and was preferred for the symbolic representation of doom (Jensen, 8). The 1979 version similarly adopted the black film color based on the cultural consideration that black would demonstrate the idea of doom in the vampire film (Jensen, 8). In the modern films as seen in ‘We are the Night’ a better combination of the black and red color is achieved through advanced technology (Ingram, 10). The level of animation has increased tremendously, and different color combinations can be achieved in the modern filmography. The red and black colors as used in the film ‘We are the night particularly represent blood and doom and offer a better silent communication to the audience on the expectations of later developments in the film. Conclusion The influence of the Weimar cinema in the history of Filmmaking in Germany and elsewhere in the world has significantly being the reference point for modern developments in filmography. The influence of the Weimar cinema is particularly visible in the stylistic approaches adopted in the modern day making of the films. The development of the storyline, the choice of the set up and the film color in the modern making of the films has greatly borrowed from the establishments of the Weimar cinema. The adoption of expressionism and symbolism has also been developed on the foundations of the Weimar cinema in the making of modern German-language films and other international films. Works Cited Ingram, Susan. World Film Locations Berlin. Chicago: Intellect Books, 2012. Print. Isenberg, Noah William. Weimar Cinema. New York: Columbia University Press, 2009. Print. Jensen, Lisa. Horror Film - Analysis of Nosferatu from 1922 and 1979. Grin Verlag, 2013. Print. Kaes, Anton. Shell Shock Cinema: Weimar Culture and the Wounds of War. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009. Print. Prager, Brad. A Companion to Werner Herzog. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. Print. Read More