Prominent Directors
Embedded Files
"I am profoundly fascinated by cruelty, fear, horror and death. My films show my preoccupation with violence, the pathology of violence." - Fritz Lang
Robert Wiene
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
A sinister hypnotist called Dr. Caligari uses a somnambulist to commit murders.
Considered to be the quintessential German Expressionistic film
Harsh lines and intense shadow contrasts
Encapsulate the expressionistic art style with the painted sets
Displayed Wiene's distrust of authoritarian figures
frame from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Genuine (1920)
An artist's portrait of a high priestess, Genuine, comes to life and uses her magical powers to seduce and control the men around her.
Generally disliked upon release
An example of the extent filmmakers' were willing to experiment with complex narratives
The Hands of Orlac (1924)
A world-renowned musician loses his hands, and is miraculously gifted a new pair - but not without a price.
based on Maurice Renard's Les Mains d'Orlac
Robert Wiene's adaptation inspired titles such as Oliver Stone's The Hand (1981) and Robert Florey's The Beast With Five Fingers (1946).
Fritz Lang
Destiny (1921)
A woman is obsessed with reuniting with her deceased lover. After an encounter with Death, she is given three opportunities to save him.
Themes of love and separation
The supernatural portrayal of “Death”
Metropolis (1927)
Metropolis (1927)
In a futuristic metropolis, the city's leader's son meets a girl named Maria. Together they work to bring hope to the working class.
Global impact on pop culture
Inspired Star-wars’ C3-P0
Blade Runner’s cityscapes influenced by the film’s cubist, futuristic architecture
Adapted into a popular manga turned anime
Stood the test of time
F.W. Murnau
Influence on large-scale productions by introducing new filmmaking techniques.
Went on to work in the United States for the Fox film corporation on Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Phantom (1922)
After a road accident with a woman driving a carriage, Lorenz becomes obsessed with the female rider - a mentality that begins to destroy his life.
Themes of obsession and death
The Last Laugh (1924)
When an aging doorman for a prestigious hotel is demoted, his shame leads him to conceal the truth from his friends and family.
Deliberately tried to avoid the use of title cards throughout the film
Klammerspiel film
explores lower-middle-class German life
Stepping stool towards modern filmmaking
Camera movement as a storytelling tool
Techniques such as strapping a camera to a body to show riding on a bike → dollys and steadicams
Nosferatu (1922)
Nosferatu (1922)
An unauthorized adaption of Bram Stoker's Dracula. The film explores the exploits of Count Orlok.
GLOBAL impact on the horror genre (had already been distributed by the time the lawsuit had taken effect)
Continues to develop vampire lore
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