The German expressionist movement began at the start of the 20th century. Expressionist pieces often display reality through a unique, and at times eerie, perspective of the painter, viewing the world outside from the internal depths of the mind. Such emotional states are expressed through a distortion or deformation of objective re
ality. Intense color, agitated brushstrokes, and disjointed space are common features of German Expressionist painting, as witnessed in the works of Edvard Munch.
ality. Intense color, agitated brushstrokes, and disjointed space are common features of German Expressionist painting, as witnessed in the works of Edvard Munch.These feature of distortion and disjointed spaces were translated to German expressionist films such as The Golem and Nosferatu, both these are considered to be highly symbolic and stylized. However, due to the films being produced before colour films, the black and white images were highly contrasted to mirror the intensity of the colour in the expressionist paintings. Alfred Hitchcock is an example of a director who was influenced by the German expressionist stylistic features, as seen in his films such as The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog and Blackmail.
