Copyright Free on Youtube(Make sure you watch a subtitled version)
Enter into the macabre world
of "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," a silent horror film shot in 1920 by
director Robert Wiene. This was a cornerstone film for German
Expressionism and it merged visual style with psychological complexity that
the screen has yet to let go of.
Elements to look out for:
German Expressionist Visuals
Light and Shadows
Unreliable Narrator
Themes of Madness and Authority
Discussion Questions:
- How does the German expressionist set design enhance the atmosphere of the film and the psychological state of its characters?
- How does the unreliable narrator affect your view of what is occurring in the movie?
- Explain the cultural context and influence of this film (think about the time when it was made). Give an example of another movie you've seen that is similar to this film.
- Did you like this movie? Why/Why not?
1. Everything on the set is jagged and distorted which enhances the tense, uneasy, and confusing atmosphere within the film. Some of the character’s psychological state is that of scared and insane as we see the development of some of the characters within the movie.
ReplyDelete2.We don’t know what has really happened at times and sometimes we know things that the other characters don’t know about at the time. We don’t know why certain events such as the murders are occurring until much later into the movie.
3. This movie was filmed two years after the Great War(WW1) and the treaty of Versailles had greatly affected the German economy and society as the treaty created many economic and social problems throughout the country.
4. I didn’t like the movie as it didn’t really feel scary and there was very few pieces of dialogue that we got to see throughout the story.
1. In The Cabinet of Dr Caligary, the abstract set design is an indicator of German expressionism. The events that take place in the movie are being recalled by the main character. These events have left him distraught and disoriented. The director of the movie, Robert Wiene, makes use of crooked asymmetrical angles of the set to portray this disorientation. The set is painted to look cartoonish as a way of communicating the abnormality of the situation that is initially associated with Dr Caligary, his somnambulist and the recent murders. The walls and floors aren't bare, they have certain patterns on them which increase throughout the movie to draw attention to the protagonist's declining mental state.
ReplyDelete2. As the movie begins, the viewer only has skepticism toward Dr Caligary because he is painted this way by the tellings of Francis. Once the audience learns that Francis is a patient of the asylum, they are made to doubt the validity of his point of view. The audience was so convinced of the director’s insanity that when Francis faces the same happenings, this conviction shifts to Francis.
3. The Cabinet of Dr Caligary came out two years after World War One. It is a German made movie. Its uneasy tension mirrors how people felt at the time post WWI, it represents the disillusionment that came after the war. A film that is reminiscent of this movie is Doctor of Doom by Tim Burton. It shares the haunting look of the characters and the concept of a Madman using a vessel to commit crimes.
4. I did like the film because I stayed engaged the whole time and was curious to see what was next. I was not disappointed in the end, it served as an unexpected, reasonable outcome. The fact that it was an old film also brought interest to me because it is interesting to observe a difference in acting then versus now. The acting of that movie was more theatrical and exaggerated than what is normal these days.
-Loren de Guzman
Delete1. The German Expressionism this movie uses is present in their set design and atmosphere. The use of this design allows us to take a peek at the inner mind of the characters. The set itself makes houses and buildings jagged and at odd angles. It shows the deteriating pyschye of the characters as they struggle to know whats real.
ReplyDelete2. The unreliable narrator makes us seemingly distrust what is happening in the movie. We know he is unreliable as he simply is trying to recount things from inside of an insane asylum. We also know his mind is broken from the ending of the movie. This makes us realize he may be recounting false events, especially with the twisted set. All of this builds up in the audience and makes us reflect on what really happened and what didnt.
3. This film was published shortly after WW1. It was meant to reflect on how the German people felt which was disoriented, sad, and confused. It was also a presentation on how the mental state of the men who came back was altered. It helped bring awareness to the mental health of them and how the crumbling country also affected them. The ways it affected returning soldiers could've been healthcare or economic support, as we saw a fairly poor presentation of each in the film.
4. I thought the movie was interesting. For modern times it doesnt hold up well but when you just take a moment to understand and watch it its fun. Its great to try and think about if what your seeing really is true and how this could've been happening to someone in real life.
1. The German Expressionist set design directly reflects the psychological state of the characters, as the surreal environment registers as unnatural for viewers, instilling them with the same amount of confusion a person with an altered mental state may feel. Additionally, the atmosphere of the film is constructed through the setting, as it brings the audience in with captivating yet eerie landscapes, and the detailed patterns which can all force viewers to keep their eyes on the film.
ReplyDelete2. The unreliable narrator assists the filmmakers with creating an uneasy environment, which in turn leads to viewers inevitably questioning the validity of the content they are seeing. When the audience learns that the narrator, Francis, is in fact a patient at a mental asylum, this doubt is reinforced in viewers.
3. This film was released two years after World War One, which is very evident when viewers watch the film with this fact in mind. This context clarifies the reasons for the specific emotions conveyed by the filmmakers. When in war, civilians can feel powerless or disillusioned, as the atrocities committed by man regularly exceed their own expectations. All of these ideas are seen in the film, with the viewer feeling powerless behind the will of an unreliable narrator, or the film going beyond a slasher film, and becoming psychological warfare. This movie is very reminiscent of Eraserhead by David Lynch, as it is difficult to understand, including a main character whose trustworthiness is nearly impossible to gauge, and an off-putting integrated set.
4. Although I enjoy the heavy symbolism in this film and the ways it goes about conveying its information, I found this film extremely difficult to watch. I did not find it aesthetically pleasing which led to me missing out on a lot of the visual symbolism hiding in plain sight. I think this film is extremely impressive, but it's not for me in any way.
1. The German Expressionist set design enhances the atmosphere of the film due to its uneven, disproportionate look. It makes the audience feel uneasy as they watch the movie and creates an overall gloomy atmosphere; the buildings are oddly shaped or very skewed. Giving that kind of effect. The set shows off the psychological state of the characters because, for example, as Caesarr is carrying the young woman, we see the set become this very big, intense hill or mountain he's climbing up, It looks jagged and like a zigzag, showing not only his intense intent to murder the young women but also his state of mind as also being very uneasy. This corresponds to the scene that follows, when at the psychiatric hospital. The set is back to being normal, the walls are set straight again, and the hallways aren't as narrow or sharply turned. This shows the hospital as being a better place, both looks-wise and psychologically, for the characters within it. The set is just a reflection of its characters' states of mind, seen by Ceaser when he is kidnapping and attempting to murder the young women, as compared to Caesar when he's present within the asylum.
ReplyDelete2.The unreliable narrator affects the view of what's occurring because again, he's unreliable. At the very end of the story, we find out his story is just a delusion, that he is in a mental asylum, and that his perspective is shaped by his own psychosis. Therefore, what's happening in the movie probably isn't even a true thing or real, but just his imagination. This makes it unreliable as a true thing that happened, because it's just the character Francis reciting his delusion to another older asylum patient.
3. The cultural context of this film is that it was very close to the end of WW1. Influencing its main theme of psychological distress and abuse of authority. These things are shown by not only being placed within a mental asylum but also then “overthrowing” the guy running the place, calling him the crazy Dr.Caligari, although that is untrue. Another movie I can think of that follows the same similarities to this film is Douglas Fairbanks' film, Robin Hood. They both follow essentially the same principle as to overthrow whomever is in charge, in this case, the prince. Both these films came out only 2 years apart, probably both influenced by WW1 and its theme.
4 . I did not like this movie. When I watched it, it was at 2x speed and still went pretty slowly. Although I do understand how great it was for its time, it just doesn't suit my present-day taste in films for being that slow. The plot is also kind of hard to follow because there is no sound dialogue; rather, you have to read the screen for dialogue. Making it hard to understand because of its complex font, and also being very, very slow. I tended to forget what was said or what was currently happening, even at 2x speed. I also just didn't like how specific characters looked. The visuals weren't for me personally. That is why I didn't enjoy watching it.
1. The German Expressionism heavily enhances the eerie and offputting atmosphere in the film. This is because the characters are surrounded by very jagged, uneven edges with unusual patterns or coloration. In our normal everyday world, things are built to be perfect and symmetrical architecture wise. This unusual, unique background choice offputs the audience heavily and causes them to feel wary of what is to come because of the weird; eerie distorted background contrasting what we normally see in our everyday lives. The background also reflects the fractured mental states of the characters. The set designs are very jagged and look distorted, like what we might see in a cracked mirror. This reflects characters such as Caesar as he kidnaps and murders citizens, clearly a psychopath with a heavily fractured mental state just like the backgrounds.
ReplyDelete2. The unreliable narration made the audiences feel distrust in the actual story, feeling like it’s just some delusion constructed from a crazy man. Throughout the film I was unsure of what was real or what was fake with how odd the narrator appeared to be. The distorted backgrounds down to the irregular and overzealous plot narratives were hard to follow due to the unreliable narrator. Therefore, once the twist end is revealed to all just be the man's delusions it is not quite as surprising because all of the elements of the film (with the backgrounds and characters actions) were all just a reflection of the unreliable narrator's fractured mental state and delusions. We know that real life does not actually look like this and the distorted setting acts as a sort of different reality with how the narrator recalls the supposed events of his delusion. Thus, heavily affecting how we view the story.
3. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was released just two years after WW1. It was made to cope with the horrible, distraught and terrifying realities of World War One. WW1 was the first time a war on such a global scale ever happened. As a result, it caused a lot of disillusionment within nations citizens as their small little safe bubble got bursted and the harsher realities of the greed of imperialist nations and their leaders were revealed following WW1. This movie was meant to reflect that disillusionment as it highlights themes of an authority figure abusing power, with characters even attempting to overthrow the man who runs the Asylum. A movie similar to this would be Schindler's List. This is because it follows a German man who at first is very brainwashed by Nazi’s, he doesnt bat an eye at all to the torture of the Jewish. But as time passes, he becomes more and more disillusioned with Germany and sees the flaws of Hitler and just how much he has abused his authority and power within their nation to prosecute innocent Jewish people. By the end of the movie, he creates a safe haven for Jewish people imprisoned, protecting them from harm and death by recruiting them for his factory, effectively breaking the system of abuse and in a sense “overthrowing” Hitlers abuse.
4. I really did not like this movie. The plot was really hard to follow, the dialogue was forgettable, the character designs even more so forgettable with how similar they were to each other, and the visuals were terrible. If this movie was in color and a lot quicker and had sound it probably would have been more interesting but not even the music score they put was compelling in this film. There was no tether to hold my attention on anything that was happening and I did not really like any of the characters. Overall just not a great film.
- Riley Camera
ReplyDelete1. The set design enhances the atmosphere of the film, and the psychological state of its characters was distorted sets and the characteristics of the painted backdrops, and the shadows and angles. The jagged and distorted sets, such as the crooked walls, twisted streets, and sharp shadows, created a nightmare and surreal atmosphere for the characters and viewers. The artificial and painted backdrops blurred the reality and fantasy line and mirrored the unstable mental states that the characters had. The shadows and the use of exaggerated angles create a mood of paranoia, fear, and chaos for the audience to feel. Finally, the design amplifies the horror tone and also emphasizes the world of the characters being filtered through the disturbed mind of someone by the same of Francis.
ReplyDelete2. The story is told through the person Francis, who, at the end of the movie, is revealed to be insane, as in not mentally okay. The twist of this discovery causes the viewers to wonder what they just witnessed and ponder whether Dr. Caligari was truly evil or if he was just distorted by Francis’s imagination. This creates ambiguity and forces the audience to doubt appearances, and adds to the unsettling atmosphere that was created. The unreliable narration reinforces themes of madness, perception, and the fragility of truth.
3. The cultural context and influence of this film were that it was made in Germany after World War 1, which was a time of political unrest, economic hardship, and social instability. The style of the movie reflected the disillusionment, fear, and chaos of the society of how they were feeling at that time. Dr. Caligari, being the authoritarian figure, represented the blind obedience and critique of authority that the Germans had to feel during World War 1. The influential use of later horror, with how the lighting, distorted sets, and psychological themes are used, has also contributed to showing how there was cultural context’s influence. A movie with a similar influence of German Expressionism is Edward Scissorhands by Tim Burton, as the Gothic style of the set was inspired by German Expressionism.
4. Overall, I enjoyed the music of the film, but the film, overall, I felt was quite boring, and having to read had ruined the movie for me. This is because when I watch I movie, it is to relax my mind and give it a break from having to read, so reading in a movie ruins the movie for me unless the reading is something that isn’t for the whole movie and is just subtle, unlike this movie, which is a main piece of the movie. It felt boring because there was no dialogue, which is what catches my attention easily and gets me intrigued, and the lack of that created a boring setting.
1. The German Expressionist set is the element of the film that distincts it from the regular cinematic experience. It features the bizarre shapes of jagged buildings, crooked streets, and unnatural colors/tone, creating a distorted world with a dreamlike but uneasy, chaotic atmosphere. It especially mirrors the declining psychological state of the protagonist, such as Francis’ increasing fear and anxiety with the events unfolding around him. In turn, it mirrors the growing tension between characters, with the sets becoming more and more warped as the film progresses through murder and an overpowering sense of anticipation.
ReplyDelete2. In the end, the narrator, Francis, is unreliable as he is shown to be an asylum patient. This makes the audience question completely the events that had happened over the course of the movie, whether they were real occurrences or delusion. All the distorted, bizarre sets, wild performances and appearances may not be merely style, but reflect Francis’ state of insanity and twisted perception of reality. We are ultimately left to make the decision whether what we had witnessed was reality or a whole psychotic episode.
3. The film was released just after World War I, where Germany struggles with defeat, instability, and conflict within itself. The strange, abstract sets reflect the chaos and uneasiness inflicted upon Germany after the war. Accompanied by the unique and profound storytelling, it creates a story that emphasizes themes of madness and disorientation. This movie could be similar to other psychological horror films like The Shining, having a similar theme of psychological decline and descent into madness as tension increases.
4. I thought the film was alright. The plot definitely had potential, it is just that filming techniques and advancements were especially limited at the time, preventing the film from becoming a truly absolute experience. My main issue was the fact that the movie was incredibly slow, slow enough to lose my attention from just a single frame. Nonetheless, great plot, good acting, and truly a gem of the first eras of film.
- Eli M
The German Expressionist set design used by the director is derived from the recent World War I, and is expressed by jagged lines, abstract buildings, and unsettling set designs as seen in the entirety of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. The result is a world in which the titular doctor can fit in with his somnambulant assistant, Cesare. The set design also increases the fear factor as the environment is inhuman, and there are many edges where people can hide behind.
ReplyDeleteThe unreliable narrator relates to the setting and the story told, as it leads us down the wrong direction in thinking that the Asylum warden was actually Dr. Caligari, along with the main character really being the insane man, creating two plot twists that were masterfully done for the time. The setting also reflects the unreliable narrator, as the insanity in the set design is reflective of what is going on in the mind of Francis.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was reflective of the German Expressionist movement that was occurring in Germany post World War I, and the setting is reflective of the melancholy and dark mood of Germany during this time. Another work that I have seen the trailer for is Metropolis, which has oversized sets and insane set design.
I did not like this movie. I tried to act interested in at least the set design and musical score, but once the first screen of text appeared with dialogue, I mentally checked out. The movie also felt very slow, and while watching a summary of the film after viewing, I thought the scene of Casare was taking a while until I later realized that I had the summary at 1.5 times speed.
1. Within the film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligary, the use of German expressionism to set an abstract and perplexing atmosphere enhances the film’s ability to manipulate and display its characters’ psychological state. The events that occurred within the film were recollections of the protagonist. These occurrences had left him in a state of distress and confusion, which was further amplified by the nature of the environment. Several techniques, such as angle usage, are one of the ways in which these feelings are amplified, as they distort the set itself. The set was constructed in a manner that associates abnormal occurrences with Dr Caligary. As the movie progresses, the abstract nature of German expressionism is further expressed through the recurring and expanding patterns on the floors and walls, which reflect the declining mental state of the protagonist himself.
ReplyDelete2. The unreliable nature of the narrator derives from his background, as he is a patient in a mental asylum attempting to regurgitate his experience; however, because of his wavering mental state, the audience can only be skeptical of the validity of his point of view. For all the audience knows, the information coming from Francis could all be figments of his imagination created as a result of his instability, which only builds tension within the audience and leaves them to reflect on whether they can believe if these events truly occurred.
3. The Cabinet of Dr Caligary came out relatively close to the conclusion of WWI. Its purpose was to reflect the consequences of WWI on the German people and how the war was detrimental to their mental state. It assisted in promoting mental awareness of the people on the losing end of the war by creating an abstract replica of their disorientation caused by the war. Another film that I’ve seen that is of a similar nature to this film is Nosferatu, not because of aspects of reflecting WWI, but because of their shared use of German expressionism.
4. I can’t say I enjoyed watching this film. Although the abstract environment was interesting to observe, the film itself wasn’t very enjoyable compared to newer films. This film obviously wouldn’t hold in the modern era, as it lacks color and a relatively easy plot to follow. It felt more like I had been sitting through the piece rather than watching it. Even at a faster speed, the film felt like it went by so slowly.
1. The set design of this film sets up the very odd atmosphere that is this film, with the winding walls to the weird stairwell. It is meant to distract the audience's attention at times, and acts as a character in and of itself. It also captures the very unstable mental state of the characters, and helps the audience understand their manic state of mind, making us know these people are not normal.
ReplyDelete2. The unreliable narrator makes it hard to determine what really happened and what was a fable of his imagination, especially since we the audience know that this narrator is a former mental asylum patient. It provides a sort of mystery to the whole film, as we struggle to find the motive of why he lies, why he speaks the truth, and what exactly he fabricates. It is overall a great use of an unreliable narrator that somewhat advances this film as a whole.
3. The cultural context of this film is quite fascinating, as it was made soon after the first World War when Germany's economic state was in shambles. The people were crying for help, and with no vessel, it was hard to express themselves in any other medium but art. This inspired Caligari, as it was a cry for the mental health help the people needed. It was a fine use of propaganda. Another film of similar context is Apocalypse Now (1979), as it was made only four years after the Vietnam War, and was an American film trying to promote mental health awareness in soldiers, not by showing the aftermath but by showing the action. Both of these films touch on mental health without ever explicitly talking about it.
4. I despised this film, and hated every single frame of it. With that being said, I really appreciate what it did for film as a whole, and I completely understand why this is Robert Eggers' favorite film. It builds a unique atmosphere, and its slow pace sometimes works to its favor in suspension. And thank God, I mean, thank GOD, it is only about 75 minutes. Overall, the film certainly inspired the greats of filmmaking, and for that I appreciate it and sing its praises, but it is now an insufferable bore that has aged like spoiled milk. 4.5/10