Warning Shadows (1923)

An illusionist turns a shadowy puppet show into a violent premonition of what might occur if the wife of a jealous German baron continues to flirt with dinner guests.

Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922)

A criminal mastermind, Dr Mabuse, collects a fortune using unethical and murderous means, henchmen, disguises and hypnoses. But a resolute cop, is determined to jail him.

Genuine (1920)

Director Wiene created Genuine as a follow-up to his massively successful film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, using the same writer and cinematographer who had worked on the earlier film. Genuine is an ancient and cruel divinity, who seduces men and induce them to kill as a proof of love.

https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/2501c254-7858-4a41-b6b7-f09459288b03

The UFA was a German motion picture company founded in December 1917. It was located in Berlin and was the best equipped and most modern in the world. Its purpose originally was to promote German culture and WW1 propaganda. In 1923, the studio acquired one of the worlds largest production facilities, however, due to the increasing popularity the UFA suffered financial crisis, compelling the studio to produce mostly inexpensive documentary films.

On the brink of financial ruin the company was bought by Alfred Hugenberg in 1927. The resulting National Socialist films proved popular in Germany, however, rising production costs and shrinking international market led to large deficits.

The government purchased the company in 1937 and the content was highly controlled but after the second world war ended in 1945, a new company was launched in 1956 that eventually went bankrupt, and has now been incorporated into other companies.

The UFA was a movie company within Germany which was founded in December 1917. It was mainly used for propaganda for WW1 and to promote German Culture. During the 1930’s and 40’s it was used for Nazi propaganda due to it being purchased by Alfred Hugenberg in 1927, these films proved very popular within Germany at this time however internationally they were received very poorly due to the policies being shown within the films.

The government purchased the company from Alfred in 1937 and went bankrupt in 1945, was started up again in 1956 and declared bankruptcy again and so was absorbed into other companies and that is how the UFA still exists

Identify at least one other film which appears to have been influenced by the visual style of classic German Expressionist Cinema.

Corpse Bride appears to have been heavily inspired by German Expressionist Cinema, taking place in a vivid and distortedly crafted world. The films content is surreal and gothic revolving around an unnatural reality with a bizarre plot of Victor accidentally marrying a deceased, murdered, Emily.

Angles, lighting/shadows:

The film uses Dutch angles which was common within German Expressionist films in order to depict psychological tension/uneasiness.

German Expressionism also combines warm and cool lights, contrasting the two to achieve a dramatic effect as seen in the film when Victor’s first taken to the underworld.

The film also uses shadows which were common within Expressionist films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

Makeup:

Furthermore, the characters appear unnatural, being stylised to reject naturalism, with their appearance’s exaggerated making them appear disfigured/abnormal.

Setting:

The setting in which the story takes place is reminiscent of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari as it establishes a gothic mood with its use of gothic architecture.

Why has UFA managed to stay in business?

The UFA was founded in December 1917 during World War I as part of an effort to create greater competition against foreign films and as part of the German Empire’s propaganda machine. However after the war the company focused on popular genres. (e.g. Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis.”)

In 1921 UFA merged with Decla-Bioscop AG, Germany’s second largest film company. Decla was the company that started the era of “expressionist” film in 1919 with The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari.

Following a financial crisis, UFA is taken over in 1927 by the Scherl Group- Alfred Hugenberg.

In 2008 there’s the launch of UFA Cinema with UFA once again producing feature films.

https://variety.com/2017/film/global/ufa-history-production-powerhouse-1202615699/

https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/ufa-tv-film-produktion-gmbh

Between the years 1918 and 1933, Germany were trying to recover from the damages of WWI, such as having to pay back reparations as agreed in the Treaty of Versailles. This economic disruption ultimately produced an expressionist style in German film-making. These films often having unrealistic sets and featuring exaggerated acting techniques. The shortage of funding meant these atmospheric films had to be made on small sets with low budgets.

The sets and style of the films often reflected societies feelings of anxiety caused by WWI. Social, political and cultural factors played a huge role in the shaping of German Expressionism as a movement. It was built from discontent and the rejection of modernity, rather than technique or subject matter.