A Tale of Mimesis:

The Treaty of Versailles & German Expressionism

The Treaty of Versailles
Scene at the signing of the Peace Treaty in the Hall of
Mirrors; Trianon Palace, Versailles, 28 June 1919.
 Tracing the History of
the German Film Industry
Films made solely for attraction and entertainment

French Film D’Art movement and narrative

filmmaking

Control of the German Government & UFA

The Birth of THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI

Characteristics of German Expressionism
> exaggerated and distorted mise-en-scène / reflected inner psychology of the
characters
- long shadows, heavy vignette
- jagged, stylized shapes,
- creates an air of mystery
- invokes feelings of hallucinations and high emotional stress
- slow pace
- dealt with madness, insanity, betrayal, anti authority

> through the perspective of someone insane, making us experience what they’re
experiencing
> subjective
> rejected realism
 Rowland V. Lee
Son of Frankenstein
Tim Burton 1939
Batman Returns
1992

Alfred Hitchcock Guillermo del Toro

Vertigo Pan’s Labyrinth
1958 2006