German expressionism in the post-World War 1 era was designed to be rough and dark. Its main contributions were in live theatre, the graphic arts, and the cinema. The sharp angles and deep corners of the set, distort reality to make it tortured and as unrealistic as possible. All of the sets are painted, mainly black and white. Horizontal and vertical lines give way to diagonals. In The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Robert Wiene adds to this by painting the actors faces with intense shadows and features. The film does this to create a dream like feeling.
German expressionism was used primarily after World War I and in the early 1920’s, but Tim Burton used the same style in his film Sleepy Hollow (1999). In this case the expressionism is meant to increased the fear and anxiety the audience feels. I remember when I saw it for the first time, I was definitely scared. |