Cinema History Flashcards
(74 cards)
What was the state of German cinema prior to World War I?
German cinema was less developed compared to cinemas in France, Italy, England, and the United States. It was primarily a “cinema of attractions” with many pornographic films and little narrative integration.
When and why did theater professionals begin to take cinema seriously?
Around 1910, in response to the success of the French film d’art movement, directors, actors, and writers from the theater started to take a serious interest in cinema.
What was the Autorenfilm?
The Autorenfilm (meaning “famous author’s film”) was the German version of film d’art, with the first example produced in 1912 by Max Mack, adapting a stage play by Paul Lindau.
What significant film broke away from stage conventions before World War I?
Der Student von Prag” (The Student of Prague) from 1913, directed by Stellan Rye, was the first prewar German film to break with stage conventions.
How does “Der Student von Prag” relate to German Expressionist cinema?
The film prefigured German Expressionist cinema by presenting a psychological horror story with supernatural elements. It was even remade in 1926 in an Expressionist style.
When and why was UFA established?
UFA was established by government decree in 1917, primarily to improve the quantity and quality of German film production and counter anti-German propaganda films.
Who was responsible for creating UFA?
General Erich Ludendorff, commander-in-chief of the German army, ordered the merger of main German production companies into a single unit.
What happened to UFA after World War I?
When the war ended, the government sold its shares to Deutsche Bank and corporations like Krupp and I.G. Farben, transforming UFA into a private company.
How did Germany’s defeat impact its cultural and artistic landscape?
The defeat led to a rejection of the past, establishment of the Weimar Republic, increased respect for Marxism, prominence of Expressionism, and abolition of military censorship.
What type of films did UFA initially produce after the war?
UFA’s first peacetime productions were lavish costume dramas (Kostümfilme), designed to compete with Italian spectacles.
What made Ernst Lubitsch’s historical films innovative?
Lubitsch introduced dynamic crowd scenes, brilliant artificial lighting, innovative camera angles, and rapid cutting. He was also known for painstakingly accurate period details.
Name some of Lubitsch’s notable historical films.
His notable films include “Die Augen der Mumie Ma”, “Carmen”, “Madame DuBarry”, “Anna Boleyn”, “Das Weib des Pharao”, and “Sumurun”.
Who wrote the scenario for “Das Kabinett des Dr. Caligari”?
The scenario was written by Czech poet Hans Janowitz and Austrian artist Carl Mayer.
What made the visual design of “Caligari” unique?
The film used highly stylized Expressionist sets designed by Hermann Warm, Walter Röhrig, and Walter Reimann, featuring exaggerated dimensions, impossible angles, and a visual representation of psychological state.
Why was the film’s set design partly a practical decision?
Due to post-war economic recession, electric power was rationed. Painting light and shadow directly onto scenery was cheaper and more convenient than electrical lighting effects.
How successful was the German film industry internationally after World War I?
For a brief period in the 1920s, German cinema was the only industry successfully competing with Hollywood in foreign markets.
What cultural shifts made artists more receptive to cinema?
The establishment of the Weimar Republic, abolition of military censorship, and a new enthusiasm for progressive and experimental art made artists view cinema as a new means of mass communication.
How did the influx of theater professionals impact early German cinema?
While elevating cinema’s social status, it also temporarily retarded the development of true cinematic narrative by binding it to stage conventions.
How did German cinema evolve from 1910 to 1920?
It transformed from a largely underdeveloped “cinema of attractions” to a globally significant industry, marked by innovative techniques, Expressionist aesthetics, and high-quality production.
How did political and economic contexts shape the development of German cinema during this period?
Government support through UFA, the cultural aftermath of World War I, economic challenges, and a spirit of artistic experimentation all played crucial roles in rapidly transforming German cinema from a minor to a world-leading industry.
Who is considered the first aesthetic theorist of film before Eisenstein?
Louis Delluc
What artistic movements were central to Paris’s cultural scene after World War I?
Cubism, surrealism, dadaism, and futurism
What was Louis Delluc’s primary mission for French cinema?
Founding a truly French national cinema that would be authentically cinematic
Name the four key filmmakers of the French “impressionist” school.
Germaine Dulac, Jean Epstein, Marcel L’Herbier, and Abel Gance
