Formalism vs. Realism in Film Theory and Practice

Introduction to Formalism in Film

Formalism as a theory is not concerned with reality (Andrew 6). This is unlike realism, which engages with reality as a product of real-life experience (Braudy & Cohen 24–40). Formalism arose in response to the Modern Crisis. It is a concept in which the character of a film is determined by its forms — that is, by the purely visual aspects of filmmaking and the nature of its medium. Formalism holds that a film's potential lies precisely in its ability to move away from reality. At the same time, formalist film theory maintains that what makes film an art form is its capacity to create and portray its own version of reality (Braudy & Cohen 24–40).

Formalist film directors have no desire to show reality as it is. They intend instead to present their personal vision of the world, involving spiritual and psychological truths, which they convey through the distortion and exaggeration of images.

Formalism in Soviet, French, and German Cinema

In the cinemas of Soviet Russia, France, and Germany, formalism arose significantly within distinct film schools. Despite the fact that these countries had different technical emphases, they each approached filmmaking as a deliberate detachment from reality, with the purpose of capturing and presenting what they believed was a truer cinematic representation of experience (Andrew 6).

Analysis of Key Formalist Films

Considering Vertov's Kino-Eye (Soviet), Man Ray's Return to Reason and Léger's Ballet Mécanique (French), and Murnau's Nosferatu (German), it becomes clear that formalism encompasses a wide variety of approaches. Vertov's Kino-Eye demonstrates the possibilities of cinema to manipulate time and space, always bringing something new to the viewer. The film is perpetually forming and reforming its own system, moving both forward and in reverse. Its capacity to expose hidden labor practices further illustrates that it does not aim to portray reality in any realist sense. Instead, formalism pervades the entire work. Like many other formalist films, Kino-Eye lacks conventional narrative.

The title Return to Reason itself suggests a conservative impulse, yet the images in this film are not produced by a conventional film camera. There is considerable exaggeration in the imagery, which confirms that the film is not realistic. The film is notably short and lacks any narrative, indicating a disregard for traditional representational ideas associated with realism. Rather than reproducing reality, the film experiments by assembling colliding images to evoke emotional reactions. Images are repeated at intervals, and consecutive shots draw attention to the material structure of the film itself.

Much like Return to Reason, Ballet Mécanique presents a disjointed series of interconnected and strange images. This film also lacks narrative, thereby undermining conventional representational ideas of reality (Braudy & Cohen 282–291). Its soundtrack is as unorthodox as its imagery, suggesting that the auditory dimension of the film must be considered alongside its visual presentation when evaluating how it engages with — or departs from — reality.

Nosferatu is a German Expressionist horror film, though expressionism itself evolved considerably in the years that followed. The film's director became a commanding, almost monstrous figure in control of his own productions. The film regards women as vampires and destroyers, and portrays Van Helsing as a foolish scientist preoccupied with bacteria. Within the film's logic, women come to understand that the only way to save civilization is by sacrificing their own sexuality.

Formalism in this film is evident in its powerful treatment of a tragic dilemma: the idea that civilization and social reality depend on repression and on humanity's ability to restrain its own dark forces (Braudy & Cohen 282–291). Formalism is, in many instances, deeply concerned with what is real on a deeper level. Considering this film, its horror does not portray experiences possible in everyday life, yet through this very quality it demonstrates that formalism does not simply escape realism — it redefines and justifies its own relationship to reality.