German Expressionism

M (1931)

DIRECTED BY FRITZ LANG This film was created during the decline of the Expressionist movement. Expressionist elements include the experimentation of sound, bizarre camera angles, and fascinating imagery. This film inspired a sequel, The Testament of Doctor Mabuse.

Pandora's Box (1929) Directed By: Georg Wilhelm Pabst

 

This film was created during a period of transition away from German Expressionism, but still contains many of its elements. It is a morality tale in which the moral is elusive and obscure.
Expressionist Elements:

1. moved away from mass market storytelling and focused on delving into more psychological issues/ stories
2. urban setting
3. Anti-heroic main characters
4. illustrates that that realism should not be taken as a given. 

This film has since been rediscovered and is regarded as a classic of Weimar Germany's cinema. The expressionist values presented in this film are still present in modern media as the act of film-making itself is a form of expressionism. 

The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920)

Directed by: Robert Wiene

 

This film does not merely fit into the expressionist movement: it encapsulates it. It recounts the story of a traveling magician named Doctor Caligari and his sleepwalking assistant, Cesare, is an examination of mental instability and again probes at the strict box of realism. 
Expressionist elements include:
-Madness, paranoia, obsession
-moved away from mass market storytelling and focused on delving into more psychological issues/ stories
The influence of this film had a clear effect on Tim Burton and its influence is visible in his work, such as Edward Scissorhands.