From morn to midnight and the question of intermediality in expressionism

Abstract

This article aims to reassess the question of intermediality in expressionism in regard to From morn to midnight. Written between 1912 and 1915 by Georg Kaiser and published in 1916, the text has been staged in many theatres from 1917 on. In 1920 director Karl Heinz Martin undertook its transposition into film. The first part of this investigation examines the text in relation to theatrical traditions and possible adaptations of cinematic techniques. It then analyzes the scenic aspects of its staging in the context of the new visuality of expressionist theatre while the third part takes a closer look at the cinematic adaption in the context of the long lasting debate on expressionist cinema.