Aesthetic characteristics of European avant-garde films

French Impressionists advocated that films should reflect real life according to people's initial impressions, opposed formalism, and paid attention to absorbing nutrients from national literature, which had a far-reaching influence on French film schools in the 1930s. However, impressionism ignores the important role of ideological generalization and typicality, and opposes rational analysis and perceptual impression. Delluc is a film theorist, an accomplished playwright and director, and his film theory has become the aesthetic basis of impressionism. He put forward the theory of "photonics", emphasizing that there is something in life that is more suitable to be expressed by movies than formalism. He attached great importance to the actors' performance and put forward the "mask theory", which required actors to portray the unique character and inner activities of the characters. Delluc's films also have a populist style, reflecting the "civilian society". His style also shows that he attaches great importance to the popularization of movies.

Besides Delluc, Drucker and Gans are also important impressionists. The former turned to the avant-garde after Delluc's death.

The German expressionist film school is characterized by taking subjective idealism as its philosophical basis, using art as a tool of "self-expression", expressing personal feelings or opinions with art, attaching great importance to exploring the forms and techniques of "expression" and excavating the characteristics of films, and making certain achievements in photography, lighting, scenery and so on.

In artistic expression, we attach importance to freehand brushwork and emphasize artistic hypothesis. This genre is deeply influenced by painting, and some film artists, such as Langer, have deep attainments in painting. Expressionist artists often have strong pessimism and fatalism, showing the incompetence and cruelty of life.

Pioneer is basically a poetic film. Epstein said, "Movies are the most powerful and poetic means". Based on the philosophical foundation of subjective idealism, film poetry is regarded as a hand to express subjective and random fantasies, which is opposite to all the principles of realistic poetics. Oppose the creation of unified characters, be keen on expressing things, express abnormal inner activities, and express strange and grotesque scenery and characters materialized into inner activities.

Drucker's Shells and Monks and bunuel's An Andalusian Dog are avant-garde surrealist films.