Webb, Michael

From Caligari to Hitler: 1920s German Cinema at the LACMA - 18 November 2014 - London EMAP Publishing Limited 2014

Only eight years separate The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, an Expressionist nightmare filmed against painted canvas sets, from Metropolis, a dystopian parable set in a futuristic city. The first was made on a shoestring budget in 1919 and it evokes the chaotic aftermath of defeat; the second was a prestige production that still inspires awe. They are the best-known of 25 classics featured in an exhibition, Haunted Screens: German Cinema in the 1920s at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Each was conceived as a work of art, and many put a strong emphasis on architecture and urbanism. Michael Maltzan and Amy Murphy have created an extraordinary installation for that short-lived burst of creative genius.


ARCHITECTURE GENERAL (AR-GEN)