The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) - Film Review.

Figure 1.

The cinematic wonder that is The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) was directed by Robert Wiene and was written by Carl Mayer and Hans Janowitz. Janowitz originally being a German officer in war and Mayer a dramatist, both screenplay writers had developed an aversion violence due to the outcomes of war; causing them to convert to pacifism come the end of the first world war. Together they scripted and produced the fantastical thriller The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920). At the time the motion picture was produced, all other foreign films were banned from German screens, this causing the German film production to sky rocket due to the high public demand. Cinematics of this era hold a variety of different German expressionist styles. The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) was a prominent example of German expressionism at the time, ranging from the vast angular obscurities in architecture to the warped painting styles used in the set design; giving a very skewed and confusing view to the audience. Similarly to other expressionist films of the time where the plot lines dealt with the ideas of mania, insanity, obsession and betrayal; other feature films such as Nosferatu (1922) and The Golem (1915- 1920) embody these themes, which can then be reflected in the sets as well as enforce the moods/personas of the character(s) within the film. 

Figure 2.

It has be said that “The audience confined in the madman’s universe, sees what the madman sees….an angular, warped world of fears and menace.” (Kale, P. (n.d.)). This can especially be seen in the motion picture ‘Caligari’ where the lead protagonist (Francis) is made out to seem sane as he retells the story of Dr. Caligari and his somnambulist, but by the end of the film the audience come to learn that he (Francis) is in fact mentally ill and is of an unsound mind. This is then reflected in the set designs throughout the film as there is a stark contrast between bold scene art from the beginning of the film to the end where the colours (despite being black and white) are more washed out and dull. In addition to this, the complex set designs alternate in dimensions and scales further supporting the idea of the protagonist is in need of psychiatric help as the scenes either slope towards or away from the audience due to the confusing perspective angles placed on the infrastructure of the setting. An example of this can be seen in figure 1 of the town centre, where the buildings are set askew in the background of the shot but the set appears to be inclining down on a slope in the foreground of the frame. This effect can also be seen in figure 2 where the set ‘drops’ behind the railing in offset positions, creating a warped sense of depth for the onlookers, making it “Arguably the most visually influential movie of the silent period.” (Kermode, 2014) due to not only its revolving perspectives, but in the sense of character design as well. This being because like most horror concepts today the ‘bad guy’ is often depicted in dark clothing and tends to have an ‘evil’ look about them, which is further enhanced with make-up and costume design; ‘Caligari’s’ Cesare and Dr. Caligari are a prime example (figure 3) from either the tall, lanky and or stout figures, dark clothing/props and bold make-up to give a gauntly/menacing appeal to the audience.

Figure 3.

Throughout the motion picture ‘Caligari’ depicts various horror tropes within the scenes; the most illicit of the tropes being insanity, murder and the use of tall skeletal figures/shadows to evoke fear and unease within the audience. The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) was a stepping stone in the horror cinematic universe, it has been said that “Horror cinema was built upon such milestones; but this gothic masterpiece has seeped into the very soul of movie-making itself.” (Kermode, 2014) and can be seen as a “template for today’s scary movies, noirs and psychological thrillers … topped off with a surprise ending that still gets used all the time now.” (Bradshaw, 2014) making ‘Caligair’ the archetype of its time; as in more recent cinema archetypal traits of the 1920 motion picture can be seen films today, an example of this can be seen in Henry Selick's set/character designs for the stop-motion Coraline (2009) and Tim Burton's dramatical thriller that is Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007).

Bibliography:

Bradshaw, P. (2014) The Cabinet of Dr Caligari review – occult scary-movie touchstone from 1920, Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/28/the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari-film-review [Accessed on: 1st October 2019].  In-text citation: (Bradshaw, 2014).

Kermode, M. (2014) The Cabinet of Dr Caligari review – a timeless classic and a visual archetype. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/31/cabinet-dr-caligari-review-mark-kermode-timeless-classic [Accessed on: 1st October 2019].  In-text citation: (Kermode, 2014).

Kale, P. (n.d.) The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari. Available from: https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/cabinet-dr-caligari [Accessed on: 1st October 2019].  In-text citation: (Kale, P. (n.d.)).

Illustration List:

Figure 1: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0010323/mediaviewer/rm687085312?ref_=ttmi_mi_all_art_68 [Accessed on: 1st October 2019].

Figure 2: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0010323/mediaviewer/rm485054976?ref_=ttmi_mi_all_sf_54 [Accessed on: 1st October 2019].

Figure 3: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0010323/mediaviewer/rm515575040?ref_=ttmi_mi_all_sf_57 [Accessed on: 1st October 2019].