The Filming industry in Weimar Germany: 3D Gallery

From Morn to Midnight (1920)

It tells the story of a Berlin society caught up
in hysteria over a series of child murders, and of the massive mobilization —
by police and criminals alike — to catch the killer. In 1929, there was the
great depression, which affected Germany as it had to pay back the 800 million
USD loan she owed to the Americans after the crash of the Wall Street. The
citizens fell back into a state of pessimism, there was chaos everywhere in
Germany and political uprisings as the citizens blamed the Weimar Republic for
the economic issues in Germany.

The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920)

The
nation of Germany was devastated after its defeat in World War I. Its imperial
government replaced by a democratic system known as the Weimar Republic,
Germany faced strict economic sanctions from the victorious Allied nations and
massive resource shortages. 700,000 Germans died of hunger in the post-war
period. For the citizens still alive, though, the war continued to take a toll.
While the nation’s exterior shined of industrialized modernity, the “double
wound of war and defeat festered beneath the glittering surface.” The morale
and spirit of German civilians was shattered to the point where many were
looking for a sense of escape from the realities around them. People in Germany
started to lose their minds, and Dr. Caligari in the film represents the people
that have been driven to insanity in the post-war period.

Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1920)

In this two-part film, the criminal mastermind
Mabuse, a pure product of his time, takes advantage of the unrest of the era,
wreaking havoc on the stock market and gambling tables with equal abandon.
Targeting the decadence and depravity that marked the post-war period, Mabuse commits
crimes in a quest to be in ultimate control of the city. In Lang’s vision, even
the police are viewed as a gang, when, in the justly famous finale, they storm
Mabuse’s lair in a manner reminiscent of the post-war street clashes in which
war minister Gustav Noske’s Freikorps, forerunners of the Nazi storm troops,
put down the communist Spartacus uprising by murdering its leaders, Karl
Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg.

Nosferatu (1922)

Given the fact that the film was produced in
1922, it is possible to take all of the imagery and instances of death within
Nosferatu and place them within the context of post-World War I life. During
World War I, unnatural death became a common occurrence, and Nosferatu
showcases the impact this fact left on modern German culture. The atrocities of
World War I deeply affected the idea of death. Orlok, as the representation of
death, can only be awake during the night. This film though not as popular, was
relatable for ex-world-war-one –soldiers as death was very common in World War
I.

Phantom (1922)

Phantom is similar to other films, because it
used a major theme that most movies in the 1920s revolved around; crime, murder
and theft. The main character of the
film, Lorenz goes crazy after owing many loans, and in the end starts to steal
from and murder people. Phantom is successful in depicting the social chaos in
Germany during the period of economic depression. The social unrest in Germany
continued throughout the early 1920s, which made this German expressionist
film, fit in perfectly in the situation in 1922.

The last Laugh (1924)

The main character of The Last Laugh is a doorman at the Atlantic Hotel,
who after years of service is demoted to bathroom attendant. Embarrassed at the
loss of a prestigious position, he hides the news from family and friends. They
find out, however, and subject him to ridicule. This depicted the losses for
many masses, as their savings and things that they own have all dropped in
value and it shows the drop in the quality of life. During the inflation, the
unemployment rate skyrockets and the film depicts this situation in Germany by
using characters to represent the classes of people.

Waxworks (1924)

Separated into three episodes, Waxworks explores three different
designs, each portraying a different sense of chaos in an environment. It shows
the chaos in Germany during the period of economic depression. The German
people had to fight for their lives like in the movie, to buy the food and
other daily necessities, before the value of the German Mark drops and the money
in their hands became worthless.

Faust (1926)

Murnau had a bold visual imagination, distinctive even during the era of
German Expressionism. The old tale of “Faust” dates back at least to the 16th
century. It’s been told and retold countless times, but its basic plot. By
1926, Germany has regained its respect and has completely swapped out its old
economy for a newer and more realistic one. The poor was now rich again, and
people started to live a more normal life, so the films that were churned out
were not as dark anymore. This shows Germany after the hyperinflation, the
uprisings and the chaos, that it is important not to give up during the harsh
times in the early 1920s to be able to get to what Germany was now in the 1926,
an internationally respected country.

Metropolis (1927)

Probably the best-known German expressionist
film, Metropolis is part-science fiction and part-social
allegory. It depicts a future society where citizens have been split into two
distinct classes: the elite, who enjoy lives of leisure in the sun, and the
workers, who toil monotonously beneath the ground. This was the peak of German
expressionist films where it shows what the people think Germany is going to
become in the next few decades, a city in ruins. This is a significant film
because it shows that even though at that time, it was Germany’s roaring 20s, however,
the Germans were still pessimistic and traumatised by the past thinking the
same economic depression might repeat itself again.

M (1931)

The Music Lesson or Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman by Jan Vermeer, is a painting of young female pupil receiving the titular music lesson. [more]

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The Filming industry in Weimar Germany