Alternative film styles had a major impact on the way silent
films looked and were created. Although Hollywood played an important role,
many independent filmmakers were encouraged to be experimental in their work in
order to compete in the world market, as Hollywood films were mainly dominating
the market at the time.
The three main avant-garde movements were:
- · French Impressionism (1918-29)
- · German Expressionism (1920-27)
- · Soviet Montage (1925-33)
The use of different styles were another influence as well,
due to Hollywood being a commercial force and their films being very stylistic,
and this meant a large increase in competition as it was the decline of war
time European production which allowed Hollywood to enter the larger markets of
the world. Exporting the films seemed to be an advantage in the market. Foreign
films didn’t appear to be very popular in particular market, especially in America
which meant that not only would they be competing with American films which
were more popular. But it is important to note that a tiny number of French films
had success during this particular period which shows that even competing in
such a market there was success somewhere if the right audience watched it and
found it appealing.
Popular Genres
There were three major popular genres in France at the time.
- Historical Drama
- Fantasy
- Comedy
Two popular French films studios Pathe and Gaumount’s research found that for a successful film, a
high budget drama or even a popular literary adaption would make a good profit,
being that they were divided into several parts. Cliff hanger endings became a
regular pattern at the end of the films, in order for the audience to go and
watch the next part.
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| Tih-Minh 1919 |
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| The Miracle of The Wolves 1924 |
Even after the war, Comedies continued to be popular. Max Linder co-wrote and starred in the
film Le Petit Café after he returned
to France to make the film which became a surprise hit, as well as the comedy
genre being given the respect it deserved after the war. During the war, comedy’s
will have been popular because of the fact that the audience would have wanted
something to take their minds away from the reality that was happening. Cinemas
were growing in popularity and comedy grew along with it as well.
INSERT GIF OF LE PETIT CAFÉ (1919)
The French Impressionist Movement
After
the end of the First World War, the new generation of filmmakers saw cinema as
an art. Many of them preferred the Hollywood films which dominated
France during the war. It was the fascination with beauty and the intensity of
the psychological exploration which led to the start of the movement.
One
of the major directors to break away from the traditional stylistic form was Abel Gance. His film La Dixieme Symphonie (The Tenth Symphony) was
one of the first major films of the movement. He believed that being able to
convey sensations and emotional impressions would become central to the
movement, as the audiences emotional reactions were able to be a visual device.
INSERT GIF OF THE TENTH SYMPHONY
The Impressionist Theory
Many believed that emotions should be the basis of films. Art seen as a form of expression, the vision
of the artist creating an experience that would later lead to emotions for the
audience. Defining the nature of the film, rather than a object being photogenic, many directors for something more complex to wield as an emotional trigger. It was argued that cinema's should not imitate any theatrical or literary narratives, but that the form should be based on visual rhythm, a main focus being on what the audience see's rather than hears.
There are traits of the impression that shows the nature of cinema and how it had an impact on the film style and the structure of the narrative. The techniques that were used, often conveyed the characters subjectivity. Some of the examples are:
- Mental Images
- Dream or Memories
- Point of View Shots
- Characters Perceptions of Events Without Point of View Shots
The release of the 1923 film Coeur Fidele (The Faithful Heart) saw the introduction of fast rhythmic editing and became a symbol of the impressionist movement. And this was achieved as part of the visual rhythm. There is also the use of shooting a scene through a textured curtain, and the lighting was essential so that the characters were still able to be seen through out. The setting were also essential to the the impression, so many employed modernist decors and even filming on real locations, which was usually done before the impression movements began.
Devices were becoming very innovative, but the narratives were also changing. The plot tended to place the characters in an emotional situation which would more than likely trigger a memory which would soon lead to a flashback, followed by two alternatives routes. One being that the viewer begins to see what the character desires, or they will simply have a motive that distorts their view by the end. The narratives depend on the extent of the psychological motivation especially in this movement, but sometimes they're based upon the characters traits and obsessions.
Camerawork, Editing & Mise-en-scene did not occur much throughout the narrative. Usually it was the action that progressed and even punctuated the scenes showing the characters emotions and even mental states.
The German Expressionist Movement
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| Ernst Lubitsch |
Before the First World War started, Historical films were proving to be very successful across the world. But Germans were beginning to grow tired of have a lot of emphasis on such films, because while some gained success others didn't. After the war, the first major German director was Ernst Lubitsch. His 1919 film Madame Dubarry reportedly cost $40,000 but many have since argued that a film like that would have cost $500,000. Spectacular costume films appeared in many countries, but due to the cost of how much they were to produce, only companies that could afford to make these large budget films went ahead with it. Large German companies found it easy to finance, so this meant that they were able to sell them abroad at prices no other country would be able to beat.
The release of the 1920 film The Cabinet of Dr Caligari introduced the audience to stylized sets that look very different from you typical set which was seen in most films. The use of disoriented buildings that were painted onto a canvas backdrop resembled a theatrical manner of the type of backdrop that was being used. Expressionism became very important in films, and this had an influence on how the actors acted. In many traditional films, actors would be realistic about their performance and the message that they was trying to get across to the audience. However, German Expressionist actors made no attempt to even make their performances realistic and even their movements were dance like.
The start of this movement began in late 1908, when painting and theater realism was taking a more outward appearance, this was just one of the several trends that were growing popular at the turn of the century and this turned in the direction towards extreme distortion as well as expressing inner emotion, rather than surface appearances. But by the end of the 1910's, Expressionism went from an experiment into being a widely fashionable and popular trend until it's decline in 1927.
