German Expressionism’s Legacy Examined in Video Essay on Cinema

German Expressionism’s Legacy Examined in Video Essay on Cinema

by Alex Billington
June 28, 2022
Source: YouTube

“It isn’t just the characters who have gone insane, but almost the environment itself.” Can films from the early days of cinema still influence movies being made today? Of course they can! And they still do all the time. But this is still worth examining in closer detail. This video essay is from Thomas Flight, a popular YouTuber creating videos about cinema. It’s titled “The Art Movement That Changed Film Forever“, but it’s really about German Expressionism – and how this cinema movement still influences films today. Obviously Flight was inpsired by the cinematography in Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, and wanted to make this video about why it looks this way. He references three iconic films from the 1920s: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu, and Metropolis; then goes on to connect how this distinct visual style is still evident in modern films from Blade Runner (both of them) to The Humans last year. Watch and learn more below.

Brief description direct from YouTube: “From Euphoria to The Tragedy of Macbeth, the stylistic influence from one of the earliest and most radical film movements, German Expressionism, is still strong today.” The video is created by a YouTube filmmaker called Thomas Flight – watch all of his videos on his YouTube or visit his official website or follow him on Twitter @thomasflight. “I’m fascinated by the potential of moving images as a medium and examining how we can best live in the digital landscape that surrounds us,” he explains. This video essay features footage from tons of films, including The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021), Nosferatu (1922), Double Indemnity (1944), The Third Man (1949), Eraserhead (1977), Apocalypse Now (1979), Trainspotting (1996), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Inland Empire (2006), and Blood Simple (1984). For the full list of films, visit YouTube. To watch even more video essays, click here. Your thoughts?

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