german expressionist cinema

I have recently been to the Cinematheque francaise in Paris to see an exhibition on a magnificent collection of work done by Lotte H. Eisner (1896-1983). A standard reference of hers would be "The Haunted Screen". Other films such as "Nosferatu" by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnaui and Robert Wiene's "The Cabinet of Dr Caligari or even Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" were to be seen. I was quite marked by this expossition for its near nightmarish decorative style, notably towards abstraction. There was a certain passion for the interplay of light and shade and its technical, stylistic and philosophical mastery. The results of this symbiosis between art, architecture, light and film is unique and represents one of the high points of cinema history and aesthetics. From this, I have found the style of film i will use in my direction for camera project "The Clown". I have made contact with the theatre design cours leader Matt Hawthorn to build my own expressionist set.