Film Review - Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari

Fig 1. Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari (1920)

This review looks into Robert Wiene's 1920 film, Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari. "Subjective trauma becomes subaltern desire in Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a silent-era über-classic that’s most commonly been examined for its pioneering use of German Expressionist lighting, set design, and role as a proto-horror film" (Clayton D. 2014). A stylised and abstract film that through the years has set a ground for today's movies. From it's crooked perspective set design to the eerie and exaggerate acting from the characters, it sets you out thinking if it's the real world that's been painted in distortion and hysteria or it's been made to make you feel a sense of something is off or made up. Now that the movie has been Re-released in high definition, had sound and colour added to it, it definitely supports the movie's tone but in comparison both the original and re-release, they hold the same tone for a classic horror genre.

Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari Tells the story of Franzis who investigates into the murder of his friend Alan and it leads to the work of Dr. Caligari a mysterious individual and Ceasre, a somnambulist controlled by Caligari to commit these murders.

Fig 2 

"The whole atmosphere is of a world gone wrong; like a dream worthy of Salvador Dalí. Nothing is square or straight. The buildings loom in on you; windows sweep upward, slanted or curved; doors are obscenely angled holes beckoning you to enter and be trapped inside." (Tim E. 2002)  The set design having unrealistic perspective and proportion at first may seem hard to convey the reality but that's the point, it's supposed to make you feel uneasy like it shouldn't be like that and it seems to become more intense and so do the characters actions suggesting the the idea the madness that is being described by the main character.

Fig 3

"The use of lines and stripes, not only in the sets but in small places like in the good doctor's hair and on his gloves, adds to the telling of the character." (Sprio A. 2000) Not only by how the charters act but how the dress and look, as the story progresses the characters make-up have this effect of making look scared, paranoid or uneasy by highlighting creases in their faces, which suggests the idea more that it is made to look unreal.

Fig 4

As we reach the climax of the film it unveils a rather surprising twist that everything described by Franzis our main character, the chase for Dr. Caligari and his Somnambulist Ceasre - was all just depiction in his mind and that he was the one insane and not Caligari. The films transition from Franzis' head to the asylum show a very strict difference. The asylum seems to be the real world setting since there are no signs of the crooked set designs and characters like Dr. Caligari (Who is know as the Dirtector) looks normal compared to Frazis' depiction of him, his posture was proper, he didn't act mysterious and the black outlines he had on his face were clear. He was an Asylum director, not this obsessed madman that Franzis described.

Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari follows the reality of a madman who believes his world is in danger, but what he believes in is twisted and not the actual truth, his love for Jane, the grudge he holds against the director and the fear of Ceasre. it shows another side to mental illness and how things are seen differently by others. Wiene conveys this through not just the plot but the sharp and crooked set design, direction of characters behaviour and appearance, and the overall atmosphere that the still shots give off, this movie used one shot style and still manged to hold on to it's viewers. Making it an influence for movies in the horror genre and the style it was conveyed in.

Bibliography:

Clayton D. 2014 The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari-1920

Tim E. 2002 Discovering Silent Film...: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0010323/reviews?ref_=tt_ql_3

Sprio A. 2000 Caligari: A creepy, distorted gem of the silent era...: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0010323/reviews?ref_=tt_ql_3

Illustration List:

Fig 1 - Poster: http://stuffpoint.com/horror/image/190810/the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari-poster-picture/

Fig 2 - Screenshot: http://www.ukhorrorscene.com/das-cabinet-des-dr-caligari-1920-uk-cinema-release/

Fig 3 - Screenshot: https://imgur.com/gallery/QjsFl

Fig 4 - Screenshot: https://thoughtgallery.org/top-halloween-themed-things-to-do-in-new-york/