Kammerspielfilm


Kammerspielfilm is a type of German film that offers an intimate, cinematic portrait of lower middle class life.

History

The name derives from a theater, the Kammerspiele, opened in 1906 by a major stage director Max Reinhardt to show intimate dramas to small audiences. Few Kammerspiel films were made, but nearly all are classics. Kammerspielfilme formed a German film movement of the 1920s silent film era that was developed around the same time as the more commonly known Expressionist movement in cinema. The Kammerspielfilm was known as the "chamber drama" as a result of the influence from the theatrical form of the chamber play. It is distinguished by its focus on character psychology and its lack of intricate set design. Also, unlike Expressionist films, Kammerspielfilme rarely used intertitles to narrate the story.

Prominent figures