THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI’ FILM ANALYSIS
‘The Cabinet of Dr. Calgari’, directed by Robert Weine, is a widely regarded quintessential work of German Expressionist Cinema. The 1920 German silent horror film utilises a fragmented set, with unnerving and twisted visual style, unusual sharp- pointed forms, tilted sets, hand painted shadows and light and odd lines to create a film that was it’s own art form, when previously film had been more like filming a play. The oblique structures and hand painted sets were a completely different aspect of cinema that had previously never been explored by any director, and therefore contributed to the cinematic success of the film, with its relevance still intact almost 100 years proceeding its original release. …show more content…
While both were pacifists, Janowitz served as an officer and fought in Word War I, whereas Mayer feigned insanity to avoid service. The claim of madness from Mayer resulted in intense observation and examinations from a military psychiatrist, forming Mayers deep set distrust of military authority and, as a consequence, the basis of the character Dr. Caligari. Their distrust of authority as a result of their horrific and brutal experiences is clearly reflected in there film, with Dr. Caligari representing the federal monarchy of the German war government, and Cesare, the somnambulist, being a clear symbol of the common man being hypnotised by the government and conditioned to kill on …show more content…
Calgari’ is widely regarded as one of the most unique films in terms of its cinematography and visual style. The film is narrated by Francis, a patient in an insane asylum, and the distorted visual styles allude throughout the film to his madness. The film exposes Fracis’ emotional reaction to his life, as with German expressionist styles, representing his emotional response to his warped understanding and perception of reality that Cesare and Caligari represent. The use of contrast in this film between the bold strokes of black paint and the white of the highlights of the set contribute to the effectiveness of the
‘The Cabinet of Dr. Calgari’, directed by Robert Weine, is a widely regarded quintessential work of German Expressionist Cinema. The 1920 German silent horror film utilises a fragmented set, with unnerving and twisted visual style, unusual sharp- pointed forms, tilted sets, hand painted shadows and light and odd lines to create a film that was it’s own art form, when previously film had been more like filming a play. The oblique structures and hand painted sets were a completely different aspect of cinema that had previously never been explored by any director, and therefore contributed to the cinematic success of the film, with its relevance still intact almost 100 years proceeding its original release. …show more content…
While both were pacifists, Janowitz served as an officer and fought in Word War I, whereas Mayer feigned insanity to avoid service. The claim of madness from Mayer resulted in intense observation and examinations from a military psychiatrist, forming Mayers deep set distrust of military authority and, as a consequence, the basis of the character Dr. Caligari. Their distrust of authority as a result of their horrific and brutal experiences is clearly reflected in there film, with Dr. Caligari representing the federal monarchy of the German war government, and Cesare, the somnambulist, being a clear symbol of the common man being hypnotised by the government and conditioned to kill on …show more content…
Calgari’ is widely regarded as one of the most unique films in terms of its cinematography and visual style. The film is narrated by Francis, a patient in an insane asylum, and the distorted visual styles allude throughout the film to his madness. The film exposes Fracis’ emotional reaction to his life, as with German expressionist styles, representing his emotional response to his warped understanding and perception of reality that Cesare and Caligari represent. The use of contrast in this film between the bold strokes of black paint and the white of the highlights of the set contribute to the effectiveness of the