Film Persona

  G.W. Pabst's "The Joyless Street" By 1925, Germany had all but cemented expressionism as the most efficient and creative means of visual expression in the film industry. It depicted the terror the country was experiencing after the first World War. The country was in a state of hyperinflation and the divide between rich and poor had never been greater. There were many in the film industry who grew tired of the pretentions expressionism was creating. Because Expressionism was being placed on such a pedestal, many felt that it was becoming too far removed from the economically downtrodden it purported to represent. So, an up-and-coming director named G.W. Pabst created a film that would shed away expressionist tendencies. This film was " The Joyless Street ." With this film, Pabst utilized a new form of expression and in doing so, regained the connection to the hopelessness that expressionism had seemed to forget.  The film takes place in Vienna during the Austr...

  Billy Wilder's "Double Indemnity" In 1944, America was in the middle of the largest war in history. Times were extremely dark, and chaos threatened American safety. Billy Wilder, a Polish Jew, had emigrated to the United States a decade prior in order to escape the rise of Nazism in Europe. He had his fair share of filmmaking by that time. He had worked with German filmmakers and had proved to be a great writer. After arriving in Hollywood, Wilder would eventually make a name for himself with a film that would break the mold of conventionality and ignite one of the most popular film movements in history with " Double Indemnity ." Both visually and thematically, the film is a fervent example of counterculture against the stagnant and constrained Hollywood standard. Visually, it was a stark contrast to the films Hollywood had produced in the last twenty years. The extreme use of light and shadow seemed more like a German Expressionist film than a Hollywood one. ...

  F.W. Murnau's "Tabu" After a series of unsuccessful films, F.W. Murnau turned his attention to the work of Robert J. Flaherty. Flaherty had created the concept of the documentary picture nine years earlier with " Nanook of the North ." Murnau had known Flaherty through Flaherty's brother, David. Murnau wanted to make a documentary-style film like that of " Nanook of the North ." Murnau instead wanted to focus on the island of Tahiti and its people there. Flaherty was familiar with the island and its people due to working directly with them for many years. However, the relationship between Murnau and Flaherty soured during the production of their new film. Murnau had taken Flaherty's script and reworked it, to Flaherty's chagrin. Despite Flaherty directing the opening scene of the film, Murnau took control of the rest. Flaherty became upset over Murnau's continued control over the production, so Flaherty left Murnau to film " Tabu...

  F.W. Murnau's "City Girl" F.W. Murnau's follow-up to " Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans " was of equal tonal comparison. It centers on a couple who must overcome adversity in their relationship. The film also uses the couple symbolically to associate the differences between rural and urban.  The film follows a farmer's son who is sent to the city to sell wheat. There, he meets a city girl, and the two fall in love. Whenever she arrives with the man back on his farm, she faces prejudice and misogyny from the people around her.  It is important to note that Murnau portrays the city and country as being equally full of prejudice and misogyny. The lives of these two lovebirds must bend to the perception and expectations of others. Neither character is ever truly free in a sense. In order to be free, they must stand up to others. The expressionism that Murnau was brought into Hollywood to create was not utilised in this film. There have been records indicating...

  F.W. Murnau's "Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans" After F.W. Murnau had massive success making Expressionist cinema in Germany, he was invited by William Fox to make on in Hollywood. Murnau adapted a script penned by Carl Mayer, his longtime writing partner. In channeling his greatest artistic success from Germany, titled " The Last Laugh ," Murnau wanted to create a film that had little to no title cards. This limitation would allow Murnau more creative freedom to express things via mise-en-scene, camera movement, and editing.  " Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, " tells the story of a couple who tries to mend their broken relationship. In a rural environment, a girl from the city tries to get a husband to kill his wife. He takes his wife out on the boat. He raises his hands to her but cannot ultimately kill her. She becomes terrified of him. After getting to shore, she runs away and ventures into the city. In the city, the couple visits various locations ...

  F.W. Murnau's "Faust" At the height of the German Expressionist movement in the 1920s, F.W. Murnau released " Faust ," an adaption of the legendary folktale of Faust. The film was a massive failure for the studio, as the budget was the highest ever recorded for a German film. Despite its lackluster commercial success, the film has been widely celebrated as an innovative use of the expressionist style.  The special effects were unlike anything seen before. Because of the supernatural and fantastical elements of the film, realistic effects had to be invented to achieve the visual spectacle. The demon Mephisto had to disappear and reappear. His dimensions had to constantly be changing. He had to supernaturally create fire. To achieve this, Murnau had to film with two cameras. In using two cameras to shoot, sequences could be edited together to make it look like fantastical occurences were actually happening.  By the time " Faust " was released, Murnau h...

  F.W. Murnau's "Tartuffe" It is hard to argue film's importance. Not only is it a mirror to the world around you, but it can also demonstrate how flawed your thinking is or grant you a new perspective. Sometimes, you will watch a film and think, "that's happening to me!" Well, with F.W. Murnau's 1925 film " Tartuffe ," that's exactly what happened.  Normally, when people think of Murnau, they think of German Expressionism or films with dark or serious subject matter. With " Tartuffe ," Murnau tries his hand at comedy. Because of how 'off-brand' " Tartuffe " is, many film critics hail it as 'underrated' amongst the Murnau oeuvre. But, how does this film comment on the nature of film? Well, Murnau takes Moliere's 1664 play and creates a framing device around it. A film version of Moliere's play is being shown by a grandson to his grandfather so as to warn him of his housekeeper's trickery. ...

  F.W. Murnau's "The Last Laugh" In the 1920s, Weimar Germany was in a state of unrest. Currency devaluation, food shortages, and economic turmoil were sweeping the nation. Its film industry, however economically deprived it was, was artistically thriving. The creative explosion from German filmmakers caused Hollywood to take notice. German and Hollywood producers created a co-operative venture, which led to a migration of German directors to Hollywood. It also meant that Hollywood and other English-speaking directors headed to Germany to learn from the best. One of these directors was Alfred Hitchock, who studied under F.W. Murnau. When working with Murnau, Hitchcock was very impressed with Murnau's attempt at an 'unchained camera' technique, which was employed while making "The Last Laugh." Hitchcock was so influenced by Murnau, that he called "The Last Laugh" an 'almost perfect film.'  This 'almost perfect film' follows a...