The world of German expressionism. Main characteristic of the movement is the film sets. Unique and very artistic. Iconic example is the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. A few months ago I was once again impressed my the artistry of the movement. From Morning till Midnight. Dark movie and the story line simply. Won’t give too much away. If you view the film you will like the film set.
Dada was a provocative and irreverent art movement, founded in Switzerland in the early twentieth century, in which a seemingly chaotic, spontaneous, and pessimistic aesthetic influenced painting, sculpture, theater, literature, and film. The movement’s name is a willfully nonsensical word, intended to punctuate the meaninglessness artists saw in their contemporaneous worldview. Dada filmmakers such as Hans Richter, Man Ray, and Viking Eggeling were challenged by the developing technology of filmmaking in the 1920s. This confluence of technology and aesthetic experimentation suited the Dadaists’ passion for the machine-made object. The visual disruption created by the Dada filmmakers in the 1920s provided a legacy of aesthetic language for the cinematic experiments of future generations of avant-garde artists. The landmark films in this program—all produced between 1921 and 1928—are also on view within the context of other works in other mediums by the same artists in the Dada exhibition on the sixth floor of the Museum. All films are drawn from MoMA’s collection and are silent. Source MOMA
Norman Studios- Jacksonville, FL
http://www.normanstudios.org/?page_id=105
Niles Essanay Studio -Fremont, ca
http://www.nilesfilmmuseum.org/
Douglas Fairbanks- Austin, Tx
http://douglasfairbanks.org/
Ithaca Motion Picture Project AKA Wharton Studio- Ithaca, NY
http://www.ithacamotionpictureproject.org/
Legendary Slapstick comedians and stunt men!!!
1. Buster Keaton in Steamboat Bill, Jr. Circa 1928
2. Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times Circa 1936
3. Harold Llyod in Safety Last Circa 1923
Happy Birthday Charlie!!
Charlie Chaplin, considered to be one of the most pivotal stars of the early days of Hollywood, lived an interesting life both in his films and behind the camera. He is most recognized as an icon of the silent film era, often associated with his popular “Little Tramp” character; the man with the toothbrush mustache, bowler hat, bamboo cane, and a funny walk. sourceIMDb
The following clip is the only surviving footage showing Chaney Sr. dancing.
Lon Chaney Sr. born Leonidas Frank Chaney, was an American actor during the age of silent films. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and afflicted characters, and his groundbreaking artistry with makeup. source wiki
Tribute to Lon Chaney Sr. Films!!
Happy Birthday!!!
German Expressionism was one of the major movements of the Silent Era. Films of the movement were iconic and artistic. The film sets and the use of shadows was a major characteristic of the films.
Favorite Top 3
Metropolis director by Fritz Lang
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari director Robert Weine
Nosferatu director F.W Murnau
Written by sparkcharts.sparknotes.com
German Expressionism: Influenced by the art movements of expressionism and constructivism, German filmmakers working for the Berlin-based mega-studio Ufa created a series of important films from 1919–1933, until Hitler came to power. These films sought to express the individual and collective subjectivities, desires, and fantasies of their characters through chiaroscuro lighting; irregular, perspectival set design and camera angles; bold costumes and make-up; and melodramatic gestures and movement. Films of the period featured characters with regressive personalities, motivated to rebel against authority and tradition yet alienated by the chaotic social world of sensual excess and deception that surrounds them. The films’ mise-en-scène, though psychologically expressive, often threatens to reduce the characters into props, their actions into impersonal patterns, and their concerns into romantic abstractions.
Aging is hard and would you give your soul to Satan for youth? Satan’s Rhapsody is a short film by Director Nino Oxilia a masterpiece of style and depth. Contessa Alba d’Oltrevita is the aging aristocrat and Tristano is Satan’s.
IMDb review:
Rapsodia Satanica aka Satan’s Rhapsody (1915) was the last film directed by Nino Oxilia and is undoubtedly one of the finest achievements of the early Italian cinema. In it, Oxilia spins a variation on the Faust myth, embodied here by the diva Lyda Borelli. Typical of extravagant D’Annunzian aestheticism at its height, Rapsodia Satanica was one of the summits of what was later called the “tail coat film.” Diametrically opposed to the “cinema of reality” practiced by Serena, Martoglio and others, “tail coat films” set their melodramatic stories in the salons and villas of the upper middle class and the aristocracy, deploying narrative structures contrived to showcase their actors and especially its actresses. This had the effect of accentuating their physical presence and turning them into stars – probably the first stars in movie history. The success of the “dive” contributed to the development of motion picture grammar in its special use of the close-up.
– Written by Anthony Kobal
Amazing movie. The ending was brilliant!!
Silent Movies Era 