It was the atrocities of World War I that started to manifest themselves in German cinema through the horror genre. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, released in 1920, has been labelled the quintessential example of German expressionist cinema. The most striking aspect of director Robert Wiene’s horror masterpiece is the style and tone of the film, which left the German public both horrified and enthralled. On the surface, the basic narrative is pretty straightforward. A young man named Francis (Friedrich Feher) relays the horrible circumstances that brought him and his fiancée, Jane (Lil Dagover), to their clearly distraught current condition. It began with the arrival of a fair to their town, and with it, Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss), who publicly
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The unique context of post-war Germany contributes to this, since memories of the war impacted broad societal attitudes and the creative forces of artists. The state of mind and conditions of the German people opened up the gates for artist to express their thoughts and ideas. A lot of it was political, much of it was opportunistic, and it was like a perfect timing presented itself. Many like, Wiene, took full advantage. The world that he presents to the viewer is dark and uncertain. This was achieved by painting much of the background props as oppose to building them. This helped to psychologically imprint an unnatural feel. The streets are twisted and spiral off into the distance, essentially going nowhere. The buildings and landscaped are disjointed and crooked, abruptly cutting off into sharp angles. Many of the scenes in the film contain unnatural shadows and lightening. It makes the town look like it could collapse at any giving moment. Shadows shroud much of the action, giving a nightmarish quality to the story. The narrative of Dr. Caligari is also fragmented, which gives the impression that all is not right in this world. The film’s use of expressionistic elements is a prime example of the director’s power to establish a narrative that creates a disconnect between subjectivity and reality. Simply put, Wiene presents a world of paranoia and fear and because anxiety, distrust, and uneasiness were at an all-time high in Germany following World War I, it was an perfect blend of art imitating
The unique context of post-war Germany contributes to this, since memories of the war impacted broad societal attitudes and the creative forces of artists. The state of mind and conditions of the German people opened up the gates for artist to express their thoughts and ideas. A lot of it was political, much of it was opportunistic, and it was like a perfect timing presented itself. Many like, Wiene, took full advantage. The world that he presents to the viewer is dark and uncertain. This was achieved by painting much of the background props as oppose to building them. This helped to psychologically imprint an unnatural feel. The streets are twisted and spiral off into the distance, essentially going nowhere. The buildings and landscaped are disjointed and crooked, abruptly cutting off into sharp angles. Many of the scenes in the film contain unnatural shadows and lightening. It makes the town look like it could collapse at any giving moment. Shadows shroud much of the action, giving a nightmarish quality to the story. The narrative of Dr. Caligari is also fragmented, which gives the impression that all is not right in this world. The film’s use of expressionistic elements is a prime example of the director’s power to establish a narrative that creates a disconnect between subjectivity and reality. Simply put, Wiene presents a world of paranoia and fear and because anxiety, distrust, and uneasiness were at an all-time high in Germany following World War I, it was an perfect blend of art imitating