CINEMATIC EXPRESSION-Surrealist and Weimar Cinema

In Surrealist cinema, arbitrary, disparate elements are conveyed as such, and are intended to reflect the Surrealist removal from reality to a dream like internal “playful” reality. In the world of Weimar cinema, with reference to “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”, this film appears Surrealist at first glance in its distorted set, abandonment of perspective, exaggerated reality. However, it probably leans more to German Gothic literature in that it conveys a nightmare of madness, not a surreal dream. But the film is more than this. What is interesting in “Caligari” is the aesthetic of the film. “Caligari” conveys a sense of claustropobia, static shots, close ups, imposing border encloses the viewer in a world of darkness. The contrived set, over the top performances create a sense of being immersed in a world that is crazy, and the narrative reflects this. In comparison to say Griffiths, “Birth of a Nation”, where the narrative finalises to a logical conclusion, with the editing used to result in this, in Cagliari, the narrative is all over the shop! Introducing an element that could be considered new in terms of filmic expression. The lines of movement reflect a zig zag, creating a sense of disorder and confusion that is possibly more reflective of German Expressionist art movement, taking its cue from the Futurist movement.

American vs. Soviet cinema and the concept of space

The” Kulshov Experiment”, 1920, offers a starting point for a review of American vs. Soviet Cinema: “what matters most in terms of the screen impression is not what each piece represents, but how the pieces are arranged....the essence of cinema, its own vehicle of impression, is montage.” Montage, the division between distinct spaces in the same film is the concept that appears most striking in the difference between the development of American and Soviet cinema. Griffiths, in “Birth of a Nation”, used editing techniques that produce montage that has been described as “streaky bacon”. Parallel cuts to scenes that progressively become smaller, a cross cutting of different spaces that result in a final “coming together”, the birth of the modern day “blockbuster”. In contrast, Soviet cinema, represented by Eisenstien, used editing techniques that intercut, that provide no sense of defined co-ordianated space. The images edited are separate and collide as seen in “Strike”. Where the emphasis is not on movement between space, but a representation of social/political ideas that interject the moment. As in the final scenes where in quick 2-3 sec intervals, the bulls head cut in, providing shock value. A representation of Soviet call to ideology and revolutionary consciousness. American montage contributes to the narrative, Soviet montage considers intellectual ideas not overtly represented, but require the viewer to synthesise the intellectual information presented.