These shadows that were so instrumental in Expressionist film help the film achieve its title that some have given it, that of the ``first horror film.'' When Cesare kills a person in the movie, we see his shadow, not him. We see his dark shadow looming over the man's soft, white, angular bed. The horrific effect that the shadows give would be echoed later by several other horror movies, including the notable film Nosferatu, where we see the frightful, angular shadow of Nosferatu ascending the stairs to meet his prey. In both movies, we see that the roles of shadows and the nighttime hours are very important in promoting the horror of the movie. The film capitalizes on one of the most terrible thoughts that one could ever think of-the prophecy of certain death within hours.
Another important aspect is that expressionist art was intensely psychological; it was not concerned with being realistic. It depicted the world the way it felt, not the way it looked. These Expressionist concepts made the film especially suited towards one of the primary themes of the movie, that of madness.
Madness is central to the movie. Cesare is a somnambulist who has recently been admitted to Caligari's mental institution. Dr. Caligari tours with Cesare, exhibiting him at freak shows at the Holstenwall Fair of ``sideshows, wonders, marvels, and miracles.'' One of the first sentences we see in the film is ``Spirits surround me.'' We immediately feel this strange paranoid, insane tension in the film.
During Francis' search to find his sweetheart, Jane, who is attacked by Cesare but manages to escape, Francis goes to the insane asylum, hoping to find Cesare, and discovers that the director of the asylum is none other than Dr. Caligari. We also find out that Francis himself is a patient in a mental asylum, as is Cesare. But it is not only in asylum scenes that madness is felt. Everywhere in the movie, from Caligari's actions, to his control of Cesare, to the irrational killing, to the scenery, makes us feel that insanity is one of the major parts of this film.
Coupled with this theme of insanity is the theme of truth. What is wrong and what is right in this film? At the end of the film, when we see the mad director in a straitjacket, Francis concludes his story. The viewer sees that he himself is also within that mental institution. He is mad, and he is obsessed with Dr. Caligari. We then see him, as well, being confined in a cell.
This was one of
the most fantastic silent films I have ever seen. The amazing jagged scenery,
the shocking role reversals, and the convoluted, freakish storyline kept
me engrossed for the entirety of the film.
I enjoyed The Cabinet
of Dr. Caligari because it was the first silent film that I saw, and it
incorporated theatrics that are not seen in the movies of today. Since
ideas cannot be expressed through the spoken word, expressions, gestures,
and physical features were exaggerated in the film to convey both the characters
emotions and sentiments.
Many of the characters
are heavily clad in makeup. Dr. Caligari and Cesare have black outlines
around their eyes and makeup on their hands. Close up scenes on the characters
faces bring out the eye makeup and details that allows the viewer to sense
the characters without the use of words. The movements of Caligari depict
him as an old mischievous miser. Cesare's slow movements, which are void
of expression, convey his characteristics of a vile somnambulist. Even
the backdrops are painted and add to the expression of the characters and
the scenes.
A major theme of
the film is that of madness which in one form manifests itself through
the senseless murder of the characters. Cesare, the somnambulist, would
follow out the orders of Dr. Caligari and kill at will. The film was released
right after Germany had lost World War I. To the German society, millions
of innocent civilians were brutally killed for no apparent reason. They
began to harbor feelings of discontent towards authority. Cesare is the
typical civilian soldier sent out to war with the orders to kill. He is
a product of authority, who obeys his master and follows out commands,
much like a soldier. Cesare first kills the town clerk, which is representative
of the disillusionment felt towards authority after the war. Also Dr. Caligari,
the authority figure of Cesare, is seen as a type of mad scientist, parallel
to society's view of military leaders from the World War who knowingly
sent thousands of soldiers to their deaths.
I thought that the
film was a very good indicator of the attitudes many people had during
the period after the World War. It was even more striking for me because
it incorporated a form of expressionism in a silent film, which was something
new to me.
The first scene reveals Francis and an unknown man having a
conversation, sitting on a bench in the middle of a garden. The scenery is
dreamlike and complements the entrance of Francis's betrothed. Her
appearance and motions are ghost-like. Francis establishes the plot of the
frame story as he explains his betrothed's hardships to the man. During
the frame story all of the scenes have realistic props but the backgrounds
are skewed. For example, the buildings and walls have striped contrasting
colors, no corners meet at right angles, and all of the shadows are
irregular. This is also noticeable when the cardboard town is pictured in
the background, which is so fictitious it seems more suitable for Sesame
Street.
These aspects of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari culminate into the
overall mysteryof the story: who is insane, Francis or Caligari? Through
whose perception do we interpret reality?
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari can be interpreted in many ways. I
believe the control of Dr. Caligari over Cesare, his sonambulist, depicts
the power that one man can possess when he controls the rational thoughts
of others. This idea can be accounted for in a modern context in light of
the recent massive cult suicides, where one person takes Caligari's
influence to the extreme and convinces his followers to take their own lives.
Vikas Sodhani
Derek Rinderknecht
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) is a classic example of an expressionist
movie. The distortion of reality and exaggeration that characterizes this
genre, accompanied by the frame story from the perspective of Francis, are
why I find this movie interesting.