History Of Chosen Form

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.

Tih-Minh 1919

The Miracle of The Wolves  was said to be the most lavish French Historical film that was made, the use of the setting created an impact on the film especially to create the feel of it being a period film as the film was set in a medieval town called Carcassonne which fit with the mise-en-scene of the film. Directed by Raymond Bernara, white it may have been successful in Europe, no American distributor purchased the film which showed the difference of films in the market at the time.

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

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.

INSERT GIF OF MADAME DUBARRY 1919

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.