Film noir is one of the few genres of movies that not only define the generation it hails from, but also manages to reflect the culture it mirrors. Just before Wall Street collapsed and right after Germany was brought to her knees, a decisive Polaroid was taken that captured the essence of Inter-War America. Yet, with the continual threat of war and poverty at an all-time high, America was in the middle of an invisible revolution. The grit and grim of fading ideals and norms were being exposed and began trickling into movies. As film noir and history progressed, German directors began fleeing to America and slowly began inking their distinctive style of movie telling, expressionism, into the flesh of Americans. Much like a tattoo, German expressionism became permanent. It is through mise-en-scene and lighting that one can see how German expressionism has revolutionized film noir from a fad of the times to a timeless classic.

To commence, the mise-en scene utilized in Double Indemnity and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari are clear examples of German expressionism. Mise-en-scene, if correctly implemented, brings the viewer into a world that is, “jarring, unsettling and bewildering” (Place and Peterson 69). Camera angles allow different view points and perspectives to be drawn forth, sometimes offsetting the balance within the frame (Place and Peterson 69). By altering the angles and standpoints of the camera, the viewer is privy to a demoralizing reality that is unstable and claustrophobically hazardous (Place and Peterson 69). With Double Indemnity, a “dark mirror” is fashioned (Place and Peterson 69). Walter, at the beginning of Double Indemnity, has a solid code of ethics, an incredibly safe and promising job in insurance and the respect of his co-worker and superior, Keyes. Yet, within minutes of meeting Phyllis, Walter’s stability is undercut and disregarded and his moral values become scarce (Place and Peterson 69). On another note, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari uses obscure camera angles and scenery to portray the bizarre irregularity that is the asylum (lecture). With drawn on sets and crooked props, the viewer is continually bombarded with disorienting mise-en-scenes (lecture). Since The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is in fact a silent movie, the acting style is very mechanical and piercing, which only adds to the creeping fear that surrounds the film (lecture). By the time the sleepwalking murderer is introduced, the audience is already feeling paranoid and delusional yet genuinely terrified (lecture). Furthermore, by filming certain pivotal scenes from a high angle, a sense of domination is achieved, followed very closely by the sadistic conclusion (Place and Peterson 66).

Moreover, Double Indemnity and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari convey their sinister and malicious content through lighting. Although it has been said many times that the world is very rarely black and white, the lighting in film noir manages to conceal all the shades of grey. A key concept in expressionism is the disorientation and murky, often angular perspectives the artist applies to convey his message (lecture). Via German expressionism, feelings of displacement and mental instability are communicated in the dark and continually unsettling chiaroscuro evoked through lighting (lecture). In Double Indemnity, immediately after Walter kills Phyllis’ husband, there is a scene in which Phyllis is running through the streets, shrouded in darkness. Through night-for-night shooting, the night is an inky black that seems to ooze down from the sky, wrapping around Phyllis’ form (Place and Peterson 71). By having the sky appear as if it is falling, the turmoil, paranoia and the encroaching fear that surrounds Phyllis is symbolized. In essence, evil and vindictive glee that comes from the murder is almost literally following Phyllis as she hurries to implement the next stage in her plan. As well, the high contrast of low-key lighting conceals not only the faces of Phyllis and Walter in their climactic downfall, but also manages to hide the true nature of their intentions (Place and Peterson 68). Although Walter and Phyllis are in plain sight, their true motivations lurk in the shadows, as sinister as their actions and as deadly as the gun that ends both of their lives. As for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, the lighting is very bold and rudimentary, yet not necessarily amateurish (lecture). For a movie that flows like a demented flip-book, the characters are perpetually bathed in shadows that seem to define them from the light. Although makeup is primarily used to eliminate the cost of electricity, the key lighting serves to emphasize the rigidity and true harshness of the psychotic and often horrifying plot (lecture). Under lighting (or ¾ lighting) as well as horrendous makeup, assist to emit the illusion of dementia that embodies the characters perfectly (Place and Peterson 66).

In a nutshell, German expressionism has held a powerful hold on film noir through the interplay of light and dark and perplexingly powerful scenes. One can only speculate how far the genre would have progressed had not been for the brilliant contribution of German expressionism, yet all are glad that European suspicion and obsession made it through customs.



Place, Janey and Lowell Peterson, “Some Motifs of Film Noir”. Alain Silver and James Urisni: Limelight Editions; May, 1996.

Lecture notes: from lecture number one to present date.