From ruination to renewal: the critical value of a proto-crystalline regime in German expressionist cinema

Abstract

In Cinema 1: The Movement-Image and Cinema 2: The Time-Image, Gilles Deleuze maintains that cinematic time-images first emerged after World War Two against the backdrop of the ‘any-space-whatever’ reflected in Italian neo-realism, and because of the corresponding crisis of the actionimage, which occurred around this time. In this regard, in Cinema 2, Deleuze distinguishes the organic regime of the movement-image from the crystalline regime of the time-image, through an explication of the four crystal states of the time-image – namely those found in the films of Max Ophüls, Jean Renoir, Luchino Visconti and Federico Fellini. However, only three years after completing his two volume work on film, Deleuze made a radically self-reflexive suggestion that time-images might exist in pre-World War Two cinema; that is, in cinema before the advent of Italian neorealism and its ‘any-space-whatever.’ Arguably, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that German expressionist films of the 1920s were the cinematic domain that Deleuze had in mind as the home of such prototype time-images, and in this article, evidence for this is explored and proto-time-images in films by Robert Wiene, Paul Wegener and Friedrich Murnau are identified. Moreover, the critical value for contemporary film theory of establishing the existence of such a proto-crystalline regime, and of linking it with the ‘any-space-whatever’ that resulted from the ‘death of God’ in the late 19th century, is also investigated.

In Cinema 1: The Movement-Image en Cinema 2: The Time-Image, voer Gilles Deleuze aan dat filmiese tyd-beelde die eerste keer na die Tweede Wêreldoorlog begin gebruik is teen die agtergrond van die “enige-ruimte-wat ookal” (‘any-space-whatever’) soos weerspieël in die Italiaanse neorealisme, en vanweë die ooreenstemmende krisis van die aksie-beeld wat rondom hierdie tyd voorgekom het. In hierdie verband, in Cinema 2, onderskei Deleuze tussen die organiese regime van die beweging-beeld en van die kristalmatige regime van die tyd-beeld, deur middel van `n verduidelik van die vier kristalstadia van die tyd-beeld – naamlik in die films van Max Ophüls, Jean Renoir, Luchino Visconti en Federico Fellini. Drie jaar na die voltooiing van sy tweedelige werk oor film het Deleuze egter `n radikale selfrefleksiewe voorstel gemaak dat tyd-beelde wel in die film van voor die Tweede Wêreldoorlog mag bestaan het; dit wil sê, in films voor die aanbreek van die Italiaanse neorealisme en die opvatting oor die “enige-ruimte-wat ookal.” Daar bestaan genoegsame bewys om te veronderstel dat die Duitse ekspressionistiese film van die twintigerjare die filmdomein was wat Deleuze in gedagte gehad het as die bron van sulke prototipe tyd-beelde, en in hierdie artikel word dit ondersoek en veral die proto-tyd-beelde in die films van Robert Wiene, Paul Wegener en Friedrich Murnau geïdentifiseer. Voorts word die kritiese waarde vir eietydse filmteorie van die vasstelling van `n proto-kristalmatige regime en die koppeling daarvan aan die opvatting van “enigeruimte- wat ookal” as gevolg van die ‘dood van God’ in die laat-negentiende eeu ook ondersoek.