Hand it to Hans Richter

Hans Richter, a member of the Dada movement that took place during the early 1900s, experimented with film as a way to shed light on the unfair decadence of the bourgeoise.

During the turn of the 20th century, film became a larger influence on the general public.

“The Cinema was to offer a cheaper, simpler way of providing entertainment to the masses. Filmmakers could record actors’ performances, which then could be shown to audiences around the world” (Bordwell).

These films would consist of simple scenes, public events, sporting events or even slapstick humor—with very little editing and no sound.

Within the Silent Era of Film, Richter challenged the traditional use of the medium of film. Richter realized that the advancement and novelty of film was a successful was to showcase the issues that many people were not addressing.

In the short film Inflation, Richter uses overlays, stop motion, quick cuts and bizarre imagery to tell the story about the impoverished in the world of consumerism and commercialism. This feature breaks the mold of the traditional film by not sticking with conventional filming methods and throwing any narrative out of the window.

Richter created many more films that challenged the way viewers should approach the issues being faced. However, one can wonder, if juxtaposed against films and art with narrative—was it really that effective?