Joshua Etienne

CG Arts & Animation

UNIT 2: Space

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) - Review

Fig. 1 Dr. Caligari Poster Art

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is the story of a menacing hypnotist whose arrival in town coincides with a string of murders, told through the character Francis who tells the story to a visitor at an insane asylum. An expressionistic German film; inspiration for many works including the film noir genre; Conrad Veidt also starred in Casablanca, one of the most renowned films of the aforementioned genre.

Fig. 2 Dr. Caligari Rooftops

Joshua Etienne

CG Arts & Animation

UNIT 2: Space

The entire films set style is seemingly presented in a way that represents the mindset of Dr. Caligari and/or Francis to the audience, possibly flowing from the idea that his thought patterns are abstract and distorted perceptions of reality.

He is making a film of delusions and deceptive appearances, about madmen and murder, and his characters exist at right angles to reality. Ebert, Roger (2009)

Using this theory as a basis, certain aspects may be analysed. The heavy use of triangles suggests a menacing and violent thought pattern, the spider webs could be attributed to the organised and intricate nature of the murders and the spiral may represent his downward spiral into madness and/or obsession.
Robert Wiene has made perfect use of settings designed by Hermann Warm, Walter Reimann and Walter Roehrig, settings that squeeze and turn and adjust the eye and through the eye the mentality. Variety Staff (N/A)

Fig. 3 Cesare skulking about

Moving onto the practical side of the design, the film lends itself well to the silent film genre. Not only is the set design very expressionistic in itself, it arguably amplifies the exaggerated movements the actors made to convey their emotional states.

"Caligari" creates a charcoal-drawn world that accommodates these extravagant mannerisms with heavy make-up and dark costumes intensifying the attitudes of the players. Hilditch, Nick (2001)

Joshua Etienne

CG Arts & Animation

UNIT 2: Space

The intense contrast of the sets when used in conjunction with the costume design of Cesare creates such intense and expressive silhouettes and helps exaggerate movements to create a stylised reality. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is an excellent example of using set design to help tell a story. With the absence of sound, visual communication was even more essential than it is in todays cinema. What was achieved with Caligari was a beautifully expressive and effective film to which future genres and styles owe a lot to.

Cast: Dr. Caligari Werner Krauss Cesare Conrad Veidt Francis Friedrich Feher Jane Lil Dagover Director Robert Wiene

Bibliography Ebert, Roger. (2009) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari review At: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090603/REVIEWS08/90603998 7/1023 Hilditch, Nick. (2001) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari review At: http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/03/01/cabinet_of_dr_caligari_1920_review.shtml Variety Staff. (N/A) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari review At: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117789633/

List of illustrations

Figure 1. Dr. Caligari Poster Art. (com) [Online image] At: http://verdoux.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari.jpg (Accessed on 19/11/2011) Figure 2. Dr. Caligari rooftops. (com) [Online image] At: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=EB&Date=20090603&Category=RE VIEWS08&ArtNo=906039987&Ref=AR&Profile=1023&Maxw=366 (Accessed on 19/11/2011) Figure 3. Cesare skulking about. (com) [Online image] At: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltklqqJ1HQ1qljp4ho1_500.jpg (Accessed on 19/11/2011)

Joshua Etienne

CG Arts & Animation

UNIT 2: Space