German Expressionist Film Thesaurus – Classification

Powerpoint Presentation

German Expressionist Film — A Thesaurus

MLIS 7355 Advanced Classification

Fall 2011

Purpose/Scope:

There is no existing thesaurus on the subject of German Expressionist film. I believe that one would be useful for those studying German film history, the history and development of modern horror, film noir, and those studying 20th century German history in general. The target audience for this thesaurus is non-specialists with a general interest. Though some German terms will be used, this thesaurus will be targeted at English-speakers, and English titles will be used as preferred terms for the films.

This Thesaurus is limited to German Expressionist films released between 1910 and 1931. Though this film era influenced film noir and modern horror films, the thesaurus will not cover these topics, but the names of genres preceding and following German Expressionism will be referenced as appropriate, when considering their relevance to German Expressionism. Films released during this time period which aren’t considered Expressionist will not be included.

Description of Process/Problems encountered:

When I first began this project, I considered German Expressionist visual art as my topic, because it is a subject I have previously studied and enjoyed. After consideration, I decided it would be more fun to learn more about another aspect of the movement and selected film.
My initial research consisted of locating literature related to German Expressionist film and watching German Expressionist films. One of the first difficulties I experienced was locating these films. Often, remaining copies were damaged, unavailable for purchase, or lost from local libraries. Because many of the films now fall into public domain, however, I was able to locate several copies of the movies online, through websites such as Youtube.com and Archive.org.
Following my initial research, I began listing terms and sorting them, utilizing a bottom-up methodology. Finding this structure difficult to work with, I used a top-down technique when I began to prepare my thesaurus. I first created general categories and sorted them in a logical expansive progression, after which I organized existing terms and added new terms within categories when appropriate. I used an alphanumeric system of organization, and organized persons involved alphabetically according to the following number assignation:

1 ABC
2 DEF
3 GHI
4 JKL
5 MNO
6 PQR
7 STU
8 VWX
9 YZ

Similar to the Charles Cutter Expansive Classification System, I used the first letter as a precursor to the numeric representation, in order to maintain alphabetic organizational integrity.
When preparing the thesaurus, another difficulty I encountered was determining what aspects of the study of film should be included. Ultimately, I decided to focus on the aspects of German Expressionist film that would be of the most use to the general interest user. Rather than including technical aspects better suited to film and production experts, I included only terms relevant to the German Expressionist movement, as they related to participants, style, and themes. I did not include character names or plot details from specific films, and also excluded technical details such as equipment used. I did choose to include actors, directors, and screenwriters as participants in the German Expressionist movement. Additionally, I included cinematographers, because of the distinctly visual aspect which delineates German Expressionist Films from other motion pictures.

Completed Thesaurus:

• EF1000 Expressionists
  • EF1010 Characteristics
    • EF1012 Antiaesthetic
      • SN Includes references to the rejection of the bourgeois aesthetic and visual representation in Expressionist films.
      • RT Distortion EF1615
    • EF1014 Apolitical
      • SN The movement’s inclusion of persons across a broad political spectrum and lack of allegiance to a particular party.
  • EF1020 Role
    • EF1022 Actors
      • EF1022.A1 Abel, Alfred
        • RT Metropolis (1927) EF1150
        • RT Phantom (1922) EF1165
      • EF1022.A5 Andra, Fern
        • RT Genuine EF1125
      • EF1022.B2 Berger, Grete
        • RT Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922) EF1115
        • RT Phantom (1922) EF1165
        • RT The Student of Prague (1913) EF1175
      • EF1022.C3 Chmara, Gregori
        • RT Raskolnikow (1923) EF1170
      • EF1022.D1 Dagover, Lil
        • RT Phantom (1922) EF1165
      • EF1022.D2 De Putti, Lya
        • RT Phantom (1922) EF1165
      • EF1022.D27 Deutsch, Ernst
        • RT From morn to midnight (1922) EF1120
      • EF1022.D3 Dieterle, Wiliam
        • RT Waxworks (1924) EF1190
      • EF1022.F2 Feher, Friedrich
        • RT The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) EF1105
      • EF1022.F63 Fricke, Gerd
        • RT Torgus (1921) EF1180
      • EF1022.F65 Fröhlich, Gustav
        • RT Metropolis (1927) EF1150
      • EF1022.F65 Gottowt, John
        • The Student of Prague (1913) EF1175
      • EF1022.G61 Granach, Alexander
        • RT Nosfertu (1922) EF1155
        • RT Warning Shadows – A Nocturnal Hallucination (1923) EF1185
      • EF1022.G62 Gregori, Ferdinand
        • RT Torgus (1921) EF1180
      • EF1022.G65 Gronau, Ernst
        • RT Genuine EF1125
      • EF1022.G7 Gülstorff, Max
        • RT Warning Shadows – A Nocturnal Hallucination (1923) EF1185
      • EF1022.H2 Heinrich von Twardowski, Hans
        • RT Genuine EF1125
      • EF1022.H24 Helm, Brigitte
        • RT Metropolis (1927) EF1150
      • EF1022.J1 Jannings, Emil
        • RT The Last Laugh (1924) EF1140
        • RT Waxworks (1924) EF1190
      • EF1022.K4 Klöpfer, Eugen
        • RT Torgus (1921) EF1180
      • EF1022.K6 Krauss, Werner
        • RT The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) EF1105
        • RT Waxworks (1924) EF1190
      • EF1022.S1362 Schreck, Max
        • RT Nosferatu (1922) EF1155
      • EF1022.S1365 Schröder, Greta
        • RT Nosferatu (1922) EF155
      • EF1022.V2 Veidt, Conrad
        • RT The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
        • RT Waxworks (1924) EF1190
      • EF1022.W1 Wangenheim, Gustav von
        • RT Nosferatu (1922) EF1155
      • EF1022.W2 Wegener, Paul
        • RT The Student of Prague (1913) EF1175
    • EF1023 Cinematographers
      • EF1023.F6 Freund, Karl
        • RT The Golem : How He Came into This World (1920) E1F1120
        • RT The Last Laugh (1924) EF1140
        • RT Metropolis (1927) EF1150
      • EF1023.G5 Goldberger, Willy
        • RT Raskolnikow (1923) EF1170
      • EF1023.G6 Graatkjær, Axel
        • RT Phantom (1922) EF1165
      • EF1023.H1 Hameister, Willy
        • RT The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) EF1105
      • EF1023.L2 Lerski, Helmar
        • RT Waxworks (1924) EF1190
      • EF1023.R3 Rittau, Günter
        • RT Metropolis (1927) EF1150
      • EF1023.R7 Ruttmann, Walter
        • RT Metropolis (1927) EF1150
      • EF1023.S2 Seeber, Guido
        • RT The Student of Prague (1913) EF1175
    • EF1024 Directors
      • EF1024.B5 Boese, Carl
        • RT The Golem : How He Came into This World (1920) EF1120
      • EF1024.B6 Birinsky, Leo
        • RT Waxworks (1924) EF1190
      • EF1024.K2 Kobe, Hanns
        • RT Torgus (1921) EF1180
      • EF1024.L1 Lang, Fritz
        • RT Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922) EF1115
        • RT Metropolis EF1150
        • RT M EF1145
      • EF1024.L2 Leni,  Paul
        • RT Waxworks (1924) EF1190
      • EF1024.M1 Martin, Karl Heinz
        • RT From Morn to Midnight (1922) EF1120
      • EF1024.M7 Murnau, F.W.
        • UF Plumpe, Friedrich Wilhelm
        • RT The Last Laugh (1924) EF1140
        • RT Nosferatu (1922) EF1155
        • RT Phantom (1922) EF1165
      • EF1024.P4 Plumpe, Friedrich Wilhelm
        • U Murnau, F.W.
      • EF1024.R5 Robinson, Arthur
        • RT Warning Shadows – A Nocturnal Hallucination (1923) EF1185
      • EF1024.R9 Rye, Stellan
        • RT The Student of Prague (1913) EF1175
      • EF1024.W232 Wegener, Paul
        • RT The Golem : How He Came into This World (1920) EF1120
        • RT The Student of Prague (1913) EF1175
      • EF1024.W235 Weine, Robert
        • RT The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) EF1105
        • RT Genuine EF1125
        • RT Raskolnikow (1923) EF1170
    • EF1026 Screenwriters
      • EF1026.E8 Ewers, Hanns Heinz
        • RT The Student of Prague (1913) EF1175
      • EF1026.G1 Galeen, Henrich
        • RT The Golem : How He Came into This World (1920) EF1120
        • RT Nosferatu EF1155
        • RT Waxworks EF1190
      • EF1026.H16 Harbou, Thea von
        • RT Metropolis (1927) EF1150
        • RT Phantom (1922) EF1165
      • EF1026.H17 Hauptmann, Gerhart
        • RT Phantom (1922) EF1165
      • EF1026.J1 Janowitz, Hans
        • RT The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) EF1105
      • EF1026.K1 Kaiser, Georg
        • From morn to midnight (1922) EF1120
      • EF1026.M1 Mayer, Carl
        • RT The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) EF1105
        • RT Genuine EF1125
        • RT Torgus (1921) EF1180
      • EF1026.M7 Musset, Alfred de
        • The Student of Prague (1913) EF1175
      • EF1026.W2 Wegener, Paul
        • RT The Golem : How He Came into This World (1920) EF1120
• EF1100 Expressionist Films
  • EF1105 The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
    • UF Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari
  • EF1110 Destiny (1921)
    • UF Der müde Tod
    • UF Weary Death
  • EF1115 Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922)
    • UF Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler
  • EF1120 From morn to midnight (1922)
    • UF Von morgens bis mitternachts
  • EF1125 Genuine (1920)
    • UF Genuine, the tragedy of a strange house
    • UF Genuine, die Tragödie eines seltsamen Hauses
    • UF Genuine: A Tale of a Vampire
  • EF1130 The Golem: How He Came Into the World (1920)
    • UF Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam
  • EF1140 The Last Laugh (1924)
    • UF Der letzte Mann
    • UF The Last Man
    • RT Kammerspielfilm
  • EF1145 M (1931)
    • UF M – Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder
  • EF1150 Metropolis (1927)
  • EF1155 Nosferatu(1922)
    • UF Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens
    • UF Nosferatu: A Symphony of Terror
    • UF Nosferatu: A Symphony of Terror
  • EF1165 Phantom (1922)
  • EF1170 Raskolnikow (1923)
  • EF1175 The Student of Prague (1913)
    • UF Der Student von Prag
    • UF A Bargain with Satan
  • EF1176 The Student of Prague (1922)
    • U The Student of Prague (1913) EF1175
  • EF1180 Torgus (1921)
    • UF Verlogene Moral
  • EF1185 Warning Shadows – A Nocturnal Hallucination (1923)
    • UF Schatten
  • EF1190 Waxworks (1924)
    • UF Das Wachsfigurenkabinett
• EF1200 Expressionism, History of
  • EF1210 Genres, related
    • EF1212 Concurrent
      • EF1214 Cubism
        • SN Use in relation to the influence of the abstraction and use of shapes on set designs.
      • EF1216 Expressionism
        • EF1216.I5 Instinct Films
          • SN Kammerspielfilm which does not qualify as a Street Film.
        • EF1216.K1 Kammerspielfilm
          • UF Chamber Drama
          • SN Used to describe film occurring in a single room, generally focused on the psychology of characters.
          • HN Term became associated with a naturalistic reaction to German Expressionist Film because of the progression away from abstraction, towards psychological drama within the single room.
        • EF1216.S7 Street Films
          • SN Films which make heavy use of street symbolism, often depicting people being overcome by their surroundings.
    • EF1222 Following
      • EF1224 Film Noir
      • EF1226 Horror
      • SN Movements originating in or inspired by German Expressionist film or elements of German Expressionist film.
    • EF1232 Preceding
      • EF1234 Art Nouveau
        • UF Jugendstil
      • EF1236 Impressionism
      • EF1238 Naturalism
      • EF1240 Romanticism
      • EF1242 Surrealism
      • SN Movements which influenced and led to the German Expressionist movement.
  • EF1400 Expressionism, Purpose
    • EF1410 Discontent
    • EF1420 Expression
    • EF1430 Rejection, Aestheticism
      • U Antiaesthetic EF1012
    • EF1432 Rejection, Representation
      • U Distortion EF1615
    • EF1434 Rejection, Tradition
      • U Revolutionary EF1440
    • EF1440 Revolutionary
      • SN Encompasses general Expressionist movement against the established, traditional, accepted norm of society.
• EF1500 Relevant Organizations
  • EF1510 Government
    • EF1512 German Empire
      • U Second Reich
    • EF1514 Second Reich
      • UF German Empire
    • EF1516 Weimar Republic
  • EF1520 Production Companies
    • EF1522 Decla-Bioscop
      • RT Phantom (1922) EF1165
    • EF1524 Universum Film AG (UFA)
      • RT Metropolis (1927) EF1150
• EF1600 Style
  • EF1605 Acting, exaggerated
  • EF1610 Caligarism
    • HN Originated with The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, the term refers to films inspired by it, with similar elements of obsessiveness, or madness.
  • EF1615 Distortion
  • EF1620 Film Techniques
    • EF1622 Filters
    • SN Films utilizing colored or other filters to convey an emotional or spatial difference.
  • EF1640 Lighting
    • EF1642 Chiaroscuro
    • EF1644 Shadows
    • EF1646 Spotlights
  • EF1650 Set
    • EF1652 Abstraction
    • SN Expressionist films with obvious non natural,unrealistic set design.
    • RT The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) EF1105
  • EF1660 Silent Films
• EF1700 Themes
  • EF1710 Emotional intensity
    • EF1712 Anxiety-ridden
    • EF1714 Desperation
    • SN Use for films with a frantic feel, established through speed or overacting.
  • EF1720 Somnambulism
    • RT The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) EF1105
    • RT Nosferatu EF1155
  • EF1730 Anthropomorphism
    • RT The Golem: How He Came Into the World (1920) EF1120
  • EF1740 The Street
    • SN Use for films with multiple or significant usage of street shots for symbolism.

Raw terms/Alphabetical index:

Abstraction EF1652
Acting, exaggerated EF1605
Actors EF1022
Abel, Alfred EF1022.A1
Andra, Fern EF1022.A5
Anthropomorphism EF1730
Antiaesthetic EF1012
Anxiety-ridden EF1712
Apolitical EF1014
Art Nouveau EF1234
Berger, Grete EF1022.B2
Boese, Car EF1024.B5l
Birinsky, Leo EF1024.B6
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) EF1105
Caligarism EF1610
Chiaroscuro EF1642
Chmara, Gregori EF1022.C3
Cinematographers EF1023
Cubism EF1214
Dagover, Lil EF1022.D1
De Putti, Lya EF1022.D2
Decla-Bioscop EF1522
Desperation EF1714
Destiny (1921) EF1110
Deutsch, Ernst EF1022.D27
Dieterle, Wiliam EF1022.D3
Directors EF1024
Discontent EF1410
Distortion EF1615
Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922) EF1115
Emotional intensity EF1710
Ewers, Hanns Heinz EF1026.E8
Expression EF1420
Expressionism EF1216
Expressionism, History of EF1200
Expressionism, Purpose EF1400
Expressionists EF1000

• Characteristics EF1010
• Role EF1020

Expressionist Films EF1100
Feher, Friedrich EF1022.F2
Film noir EF1224
Film Techniques EF1620
Filters EF1622
Freund, Karl EF1023.F6
Fricke, Gerd EF1022.F63
From Morn to Midnight (1922) EF1120
Fröhlich, Gustav EF1022.F65
Galeen, Henrik EF1026.G1
Genres, related EF1210

• Concurrent EF1212
• Following EF1222
• Preceding EF1232

Genuine (1920) EF1125
Goldberger, Willy EF1023.G5
The Golem: How He Came Into the World (1920) EF1130
Gottowt, John EF1022.F65
Government EF1510
Graatkjær, Axel EF1023.G6
Granach, Alexander EF1022.G61
Gregori, Ferdinand EF1022.G62
Gronau, Ernst EF1022.G65
Gülstorff, Max EF1022.G7
Hameister, Willy EF1023.H1
Harbou, Thea von EF1026.H16
Hauptmann, Gerhart EF1026.H17
Heinrich von Twardowski, Hans EF1022.H2
Helm, Brigitte EF1022.H24
Horror EF1226
Impressionism EF1236
Instinct films EF1216.I5
Jannings, Emil EF1022.J1
Janowitz, Hans EF1026.J1
Kaiser, Georg EF1026.K1
Kammerspielfilm EF1216.K1
Klöpfer, Eugen EF1022.K4
Kobe, Hanns EF1024.K2
Krauss, Werner EF1022.K6
Lang, Fritz EF1024.L1
The Last Laugh (1924) EF1140
Leni, Paul EF1024.L2
Lerski, Helmar EF1023.L2
Lighting EF1640
M (1931) EF1145
Martin, Karl Heinz EF1024.M1
Mayer, Carl EF1026.M1
Metropolis (1927) EF1150
Murnau, F.W. EF1024.M7
Musset, Alfred de EF1026.M7
Naturalism EF1238
Nosferatu(1922) EF1155
Organizations, Relevant EF1500
Phantom (1922) EF1165
Production Companies EF1520
Raskolnikow (1923) EF1170
Revolutionary EF1440
Rittau, Günter EF1023.R3
Robinson, Arthur EF1024.R5
Romanticism EF1240
Ruttmann, Walter EF1023.R7
Rye, Stellan EF1024.R9
Schreck, Max EF1022.S1362
Schröder, Greta EF1022.S1365
Screenwriters EF1026
Second Reich EF1514
Seeber, Guido EF1023.S2
Set EF1650
Shadows EF1644
Silent Films EF1660
Somnambulsm EF1720
Spotlights EF1646
The Street EF1740
Street films EF1216.S7
Style EF1600
The Student of Prague (1913) EF1175
Surrealism EF1242
Themes EF1700
Torgus (1921) EF1180
Universum Film AG (UFA) EF1524
Veidt, Conrad EF1022.V2
Warning Shadows – A Nocturnal Hallucination (1923) EF1185
Wangenheim, Gustav von EF1022.W1
Waxworks (1924) EF1190
Wegener, Paul, actor EF1022.W2
Wegener, Paul, director EF1024.W232
Wegener, Paul, screenwriter EF1026.W2
Weimar Republic EF1516
Weine, Robert EF1024.W235

References

Barlow, J. (1982). German Expressionist film. Boston: Twayne Publishers.

Coates, P. (1981). The Gorgon’s gaze: German cinema, Expressionism, and the image of horror. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Eisner, L. (1974). The haunted screen: Expressionism in the German cinema and the influence of Max Reinhardt. California: University of California Press.

Roberts, I. (2008). German expressionist cinema : the world of light and shadow. London: Wallflower Press.

Silberman, M. (2011). Soundless Speech/Wordless Writing: Language and German Silent Cinema. Imaginations Journal, 1(1), 40-71.

West, N. (2005). Lecture four: German Expressionism. Retrieved from: http://web.missouri.edu/~westn/courses/film1/handouts/09.13-lecture.html

Filmography:

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Destiny (1921)
Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922)
From morn to midnight (1922)
Genuine, the tragedy of a strange house (1920)
The Golem: How He Came Into the World (1920)
The Last Laugh (1924)
M (1931)
Metropolis (1927)
Nosferatu(1922)
Phantom (1922)
Raskolnikow (1923)
The Student of Prague (1913)
Torgus (1921)
Warning Shadows (1923)
Waxworks (1924)