From Morn to Midnight (Von morgens bis mitternachts)

A bank cashier gets bewitched by the beauty of an enigmatic Italian lady and steals a large amount of money from his company. After being ridiculed by her, he leaves his family and sets off on a journey into the heart of a large city, hoping to find satisfaction.

Expressionism was defined as a general tendency in art, literature, theater, and music, which developed in the first twenty years of the twentieth century, mainly in Germany.

The defeat of Germany in the First World War and the subsequent economic crisis had a special impact on the enforcement of German expressionism, giving a dark and disturbing tone. Artists extracted macabre fantasy, horror and cruelty from the traditions of German
dark romanticism, where the heroes, harassed by extreme, violent feelings, were capable of unpredictable, impulsive deeds. The classic expressionist film was characterized by painted decorations, sharp-edged architecture, distorted perspectives, and refined light. Consciously artificial and deformed surroundings reflected the complicated states of the psyche of the heroes, among whom were mentally ill, deviants, somnambulists, and monsters. The pessimistic moods prevailing in German society and the fears of demonic individuals who can dominate, exploit and enslave, became especially relevant during the heyday of nationalistic movements in the 1930’s.

The manifesto of film expressionism was Robert Wiene's movie "The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari" (1920), although earlier other directors used similar themes, including Stellan Rye in "The Student from Prague" (1913) and Otto Rippert in "Homunculus" (1916). In the 1920s, almost all German directors were influenced by expressionism, i.a. Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau in "Nosferatu -symphony of horror" (1922) and "The Last Laugh" (1924), Fritz Lang in "Destiny" (1921), "Doctor Mabuse" (1922) and in "Metropolis" (1926), Ewald Andre Dupont in "Variete" (1925) and Paul Leni in "Kitchen Stairs" (1921).

Directed by Martin Karlheinz
Written by Georg Kaiser
Artistic direction and costumes: Robert Neppach
Cinematography: Carl Hoffmann
Cast: Ernst Deutsch, Roma Bahn, Erna Morena, Adolf Edgar Licho, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski, Frida Richard, Eberhard Wrede, Hugo Döblin, Lotte Stein, Lo Heyn
Year: 1920
Duration: 73 minutes
Country: Germany (Weimar Republic)
Language: Silent film
German intertitles and English subtitles

Introduction: Ewelina Sochacka
Entrance: 2,5 EUR