The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari directed by Robert Weine is considered to be one of the first horror films of all times. The movie was filmed in the early 1920's in Germany. The movie invokes feelings of fear, suspense and anxiety. It follows the expressionistic art movement during that time.
One of the most terrifying scenes of the film is when the young Francis is searching for Dr. Caligari in the insane asylum. The setting of the asylum is very dark, although the building itself is white The entrance ways into the building from the garden are very dark with a glimpse of stairs that lead to somewhere. The scenery is very eerie, the viewer can already anticipate that something is wrong with this place. Even the doctors themselves look a little off, sort of what a mad scientist would look like with the long white lab coats and darkened eyes. Francis asks the staff where is Caligari and unfortunately, they inform him that Dr. Caligari is not a patient there. Puzzled the staff recommend that he see the head of the asylum.
As Francis is walking to see the head of the asylum, there is a change of background. The asylum walls are white with dark black swirls, while the door leading to the directors room is a very odd trapezoid shape. Again the background sets a very mysterious and eerie mood for the viewers. Here, lies the biggest shock of the movie, the apparent murderer in the story, Dr. Caligari, is actually the director of the asylum. He is seated with his white hair and glasses and darkened, crazed eyes. Francis sees this and is so terrified that he runs out of the room in a frenzy.
The movie is a very unique form of expressionism, perhaps even more along the lines of dadaism. The film emulates a lot of mixed emotions for the viewers through the set design and story line. The moment when Francis sees the crazed murderer as the head of the asylum, the audience immediately feels shocked and frightened. The sets are very obscure, using light and dark to make it more dramatic. The costume design resembles almost a zombie like crowd, with the darkened wide eyes.
Dr. Caligari is a murderer and also the director of an insane asylum. While Francis contrasts Dr. Caligari; he is sane but ultimately has no control over the situation. Francis is supposed to represent the people of Germany, while Dr. Caligari represents the German government. The nihilistic ideals of Nietzche are once again appearing, people can not follow others blindly. This way of just accepting other people's views and opinions allowed a crazed murderer to with hold power, so much that he is the head of the insane asylum. Here, the similarities between Dr. Caligari and Adolf Hitler are indisputable.
Robert Weine's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is not only important for the social messages it had delivered in the past but for what it contributed to today's film industry. Weine accomplished many firsts with this film, such as being the first horror film, and integrating a surprise ending which was never done before.
This part of the film was very interesting. I figured how lost Francis felt when he realized that the person who he thought that could help him was the one that could harm him the most. When he realized that the Dr. Caligari was the head of the Asylum, he understood that nobody could control him. This is similar to what was happening in Germany. Nobody could do anything to control the German government because they got all the power over its people.
ReplyDeleteI like this part of the film, because its very interesting and humorous.
ReplyDeleteThis is also the part of the film that surprised me the most. It was ironic how the murderer was also the head of the asylum. And also, I agree with your comparison of Dr. Caligary with Hitler. Several people following orders of both without really knowing what exactly was going on. People got to the power without the vote of most of the German population and Dr. Caligary... well who knows how he got to be the director of the asylum but both are horror figures that were in a high charge and were committing terrible actions.
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