Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari (1920)

Dir: Robert Wiene

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is said to be one of the most influential films of all time. Acting as the father to the sci-fi and horror genres with its use of German style expressionism to draw the audience into the world of the film. Without the use of aural language Director Robert Wiene uses the visual language in an exaggerated way. Released in 1920 it can be said that the First World War influenced the film greatly. Many soldiers suffered shell shock and other trauma related illnesses so, coupled with the new ideas brought by Sigmund Fraud a few years previously, the questioning of the hidden depths of the human psyche was something prominent within that culture. Robert Ebert observes in his review After the brutality of trench warfare, it would be difficult to return to landscapes and still life. (Ebert: 2009). The destructive nature of an endless war perhaps unstabilised the people of the era, such as Wiene, creating this Figure 1 - Film Poster distorted world. The film takes place within the delusion of the madman Francis (Friedrich Fehr) so the world around reflects his disturbed mind and the setting and performances suggest what that world might be like to experience. The whole films style seems to have been planned out thoroughly so even the characters fit into the world through how they look. Julia Merriam writes Cesare, in particular, almost blends into the harsh lines of the set. Tall and lanky, the somnambulist is dressed all in black, with a wild shock of black hair and dark-rimmed eyes. When he moves, it is slow and deliberate, accentuating his outline and making its almost too easy to imagine him as a one of the other painted-on shadows lurking on screen. (Merriam: 2008) Which suggest that the character of Cesare created by Francis in his mind is part of the fabrication, maybe even his subconscious inner self. Francis is in a battle with his friend Alan (Hans Heinrich v. Twardowski) for the affection of Jane (Lil Dagover) so his subconscious self (Cesare) kills his competition and snatches the girl while she sleeps while his conscious self is horrified by what he is capable of. The audience experience the horror as they can relate to the inner battle of conscious verses instinct/temptation. Similar to what Merriam wrote, Nick Hilditch writes about how the whole cast follow the same pattern of being really integrated into the scenery "Caligari" creates a charcoal-drawn world that accommodates these extravagant mannerisms with heavy make-up and dark Figure 2 - Cesare and Jane costumes intensifying the attitudes of the players. (Hilditch: 2001). The film appears as if every scene has been planned out and the background drawn to reflect the situation. This added to the style of make-up and costumes, mentioned by Hilditch, means that the film could

be paused at any point and the tableau created would express the mood of the scene and give an idea of the characters and their status. One of the most prominent aspects of Wienes Caligari is its use of light and shadow. The tones are actually painted onto the set rather than creating natural shadows with silhouetted light. Merriam writes in her review how the shadows lie in direct defiance of natural lighting... the shadows never fail, never move, giving the impression that even the town itself has descended into madness. (Merriam: 2008) The audience can tell that the shadows cast dont make sense and thus strengthening the delirious atmosphere. The influence of Dr. Caligari seems to be everywhere in cinema. In a modern viewing it all seems clich and predictable but it is from this film expressionistic cinema was born inspiring many ideas, styles and technique in its wake.

Figure 3 - Ominous Shadows

List of Illustrations Fig. 1 Film Poster (1920) From: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Directed by: Robert Wiene. [Film Poster] Germany: Decla-Bioscop AG Fig. 2 Cesare and Jane (1920) From: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Directed by: Robert Wiene. [Film Still] Germany: Decla-Bioscop AG Fig. 3 Ominous Shadows (1920) From: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Directed by: Robert Wiene. [Film Still] Germany: Decla-Bioscop AG

Bibliography Ebert, R. (2009) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) Reviewed in Chicago Sun-Times [online] http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090603/REVIEWS08/906039987/1023 Hilditch, N (2001) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) Reviewed for BBC [online] http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/03/01/cabinet_of_dr_caligari_1920_review.shtml Merriam, J (2008) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) Reviewed on Classic-Horror.com [online] http://classichorror.com/reviews/cabinet_of_dr_caligari_1920