The Formalist Cinematographic Theory: a Refined Thinking of the Expressionist Film Conception?

Abstract According to many researchers, Russian formalists do not want to recognize the influence of German expressionism on their work. This statement leads to a distinction between both theories in many fields, such as the field of cinema. In this sense, it is common to read nuanced definitions of expressionism and formalism. The present article tends to verify the truthfulness of these definitions and to show that formalism could be an extension of expressionism through an analysis of two reference works: Expressionism and Film (Expressionismus und Film) (1926) by Rudolf Kurtz et The Poetics of Cinema (Поэтика кино) (1927).