History of Films

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History of Films
The book section titled "Genesis of UFA" from the book "From Caligari to Hitler: A psychological history of the German film" by Siegfried Kracauer in an exhaustive manner outlines the events that followed the establishment of UFA (1917), a German film production company initially owned by the government. On the other hand, the film "The Last Laugh" (Murnau) produced in 1924 helps demonstrate the excellent work of art and the expertise the various film producers and cinematographers had garnered following the establishment of UFA. Besides the technical expertise, the film has also played a significant role in exposing the German nationalistic culture. It would only be fair for the film and the director to be credited for pioneering innovative and creative visual cues use.
The film "The Last Laugh" narrates a story of an old porter in a city hotel, initially proud of his job, and most importantly, his costumes, a typical German attitude. The creativity and the level of expertise expressed by Murnau in the film are evident from the flawlessness in the flow of the story narrated entirely using motion picture, bearing in mind that it was an era of silent films. Also, the complexities surrounding the hotel entrance setup and the star cast's neighborhood were perfectly captured in the film, with some scenes seamlessly styled with superimposition to bring out the desired outcome. One interesting scene in the film where superimposition played a significant role is when the star cast got drunk and had a dream. The scene is distinctively identified with distorted lenses, superimposition, and canting images, techniques that have remained vital in the contemporary era of the film i...