cinema"(12). The memorable settings are the most distinctive and the least timeless

feature of Expressionist film.

 These first three traits can be seen in several Expressionist films. The two most

prominent examples are The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu. The lighting in the

latter is particularly memorable, as with the scene when Count Orloff emerges from the

hold of the ship, his ghastly white face surrounded by shadow. The setting is what makes

Caligari stand out it is composed mostly of paper-and-paint sets that give a theatrical,

bizarre look to the scenes. Both films also have actors who exemplify the Expressionist

acting style that Eisner writes about; Caligari's Cesare and Nosferatu's Knock both use

overdone motions and bizarre poses to make themselves stand out. These films serve as

prototypical examples for the following traits as well.

 The fourth and fifth mechanic traits might be classified as belonging to both the

 thematic and mechanic categories. The fourth trait, identified by Paul Coates, is the

 uncanny. Coates writes in his introduction that the uncanny is the identification of more,

 of a world beyond the simple reality that we can see (1-3). While this is an extreme

 simplification of Coates' argument, it does bring to light a key to the Expressionist film:

 that which is otherworldly. Finally, the last mechanic trait of the Expressionist films -

 the opposition of interior and exterior is described succinctly by Weisstein, who writes,

 "With the Expressionists ... the function of art is not to reproduce the visible but... to

 make visible that which is not ordinarily revealed to the senses"(36). The opposition

 results in both interior emotions finding physical representation outside, and in an

 opposition being built between inside spaces and outside spaces.