Conclusion

German Expressionist Cinema was one of the greatest achievements in early cinema history and is often considered as one of the greatest horror films of the silent era. There were quite a number of German Expressionist films made during the Expressionist movement, and 'The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari' is notably the first film which fully shows the genre. Although this Expressionist movement is over, its ideas still lived on as we can still find its elements especially in Film Noir and horror films. Many filmmakers, such as Tim Burton, appreciated this movement and there are expressionist ideas and designs throughout his work, for example, Batman Returns, Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare before Christmas.

Hence, film, indeed is very enjoyable as it provides us entertainment. We should not just watch it for our entertainment, but we also must know how to appreciate it and understand the film in terms of the content or plot an the technique used by the filmmakers as every single thing we see in the film has its own meaning which is portrayed in the film and its characteristics which we have discussed. Everything is designed for a purpose, from the heavy, gothic makeup, expressionistic sets with distorted shapes, lines and oblique angles, unnatural and exaggerated actor movement, high-contrast (chiaroscuro) and low-key lighting to the blending and integration of all the elements in a setting to express the narrative and theme. This is how the syntax complements with the semantics.