Masterworks of Expressionist Cinema: Caligari and Metropolis
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art offers up an exhibition of artwork derived from two classic examples of German Expressionism, THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI and METROPOLIS. With its disturbingly unreal approach to cinematic imagery, Expressionism helped give birth to fantasy films, mystery movies, sci-fi cinema, and horror. LACMA’s exhibit, titled “Masterworks of Expressionist Cinema: Caligari and Metropolis,” will illustrate this impressive lineage with “projected sequences, vintage posters, and set stills” from the classic black-and-white silent films.
The exhibition is presented in conjunction a Masterworks of Expressionist Cinema film series, which includes both THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI and METROPOLIS, plus FAUST and WAXWORKS. Screenings take place on October 12 & 13.
Location: The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Exhibition Dates: September 22, 2012 through March 10, 2013
FROM THE LACMA WEBSITE:
Expressionist cinema of the 1920s, so masterfully realized in two iconic examples, Dr. Caligari (1920) and Metropolis (1927), had a lasting impact on visual culture, giving rise to such popular genres as film noir, horror, and science fiction. Filmmakers Robert Wiene and Fritz Lang drew upon the broader Expressionist movement, which emerged in the 1910s and encompassed literature, theater, dance, and the graphic arts. The installation includes projected sequences, vintage posters, and set stills from these two iconic films, as well as selected prints from the Robert Gore Rifkind Collection demonstrating the stark black-and-white contrasts, off-kilter compositions, and exaggerated gestures that found their way from page to screen during the Weimar Republic (1919–33). The Expressionist legacy continues to inspire the imaginations of filmmakers, graphic novelists, and artists today.
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