Figure

1Directed by Robert Wiene

Produced by Erich Pommer & Rudolf Meinhert Written by: Hans Janowitz, Carl Mayer Production Design by Walter Reimann, Walter Rohrig, Herman Warm Set Dcor by Herman Warm Costume Design by Walter Reimann Cinematography by Willy Hameister Original music by Alfredo Antonini Cast: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski, Rudolf Lettinger The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (German: Das Kabinet des Dr Caligari) is a 1920 silent horror film directed by Robert Wiene from a screenplay by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer. It is one of the most influential of German Expressionist films and is often considered one of the greatest horror movies of the silent era. This movie is cited as having introduced the twist ending in cinema. (Wikipedia) The Cabinet of Dr Caligari gives a glimpse into the disordered mind of insanity. Prior to WW1, German artists and architects were stretching boundaries in an effort to reach something new. Writing for the BBC, Nick Hilditch notes that after the war Germany was originating an entirely expressionistic cinema that would influence film noir, science fiction, horror, and the likes of Tim Burton and Terry Gilliam(Hilditch 2001). This is particularly interesting as both Burton and Gilliam are renowned for having explored new visual concepts and developed unique styles of art.

Figure 2

The set design is theatrical both in that it could fit onto a stage and in the drama and tension it creates. The scenery is jagged and tessellated, pushing the narrative forward. The only symmetry is in the asylum, which is where we might expect to find a sense of balance. Pommer had the film produced in expressionistic style partly as Janowitz and Mayer styled it that way, and partly because his studio had limited resources of power and light. Not every reviewer seems to have understood the concept behind the production design. Phil Johnson, reviewing for the Independent, gave it scathing treatment: Though it famously deals with somnambulism, it's also a film with an almost unequalled ability to send its own audience to sleep... Yes, the expressionist sets are wonderful, but for how long can one look at a set? The modernism of the decor is at odds with the Grand Guignol acting style scratchy print and indifferent projection at Midlands Arts Centre did not flatter [Wienes] masterpiece (Johnson, 1995) He has arguably missed the point. The set resembles distorted, dark German expressionist paintings that force the viewer to constantly twist and readjust to tonal differences. Perspective lines are skewed and furniture and buildings are offset and disproportionate. Phelim ONeill reviewed the same film for the Guardian and felt that Though the look of the film was partly dictated by the low budget, the theatrical, expressionistic imagery is a perfect fit (ONeill 2010). Hilditch identified that murderous mayhem and pursuit ensues in a cock-eyed artificial landscape of over-sized furniture and ill-formed spiky trees where everything tends towards spirals and spider webs. Alan's friend Francis narrates the story, giving it a dislocated and disorientating point of view (Hilditch 2001).

Figure 3

In silent cinema characters cannot use speech to convey emotions and so had to communicate with gestures and other visual clues such as dark/light. Hilditch describes this beautifully as shadowy symbolism, saying "Caligari" creates a charcoal-drawn world that accommodates these extravagant mannerisms with heavy make-up and dark costumes intensifying the attitudes of the players (Hilditch 2001).


Figure 4

ONeill reminds us that in the original story Caligari and Cesare were responsible for the deaths. The producers wanted a less macabre ending and the idea of Franciss delusion fitted the film. This had the added benefit of allowing strong visual representation of a disturbed state of mind. Caligari is often credited as the first feature film to incorporate the twist ending, a pattern that we now almost expect to see in conventional film. It is such an apt use of the medium as it existed in the first quarter of the 20th century that it is difficult to imagine the film done better with the benefit of sound, colour, or any innovation since (Hilditch 2001). ILLUSTRATIONS Fig 1 Title Cover from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441741/ [accessed online on 25/10/11] Fig 2 - diagonal scenery and Fig 3 - Spiky Trees http://thequietus.com/articles/01003- caligari [accessed online on 25/10/11] Fig 4 Caligari and the Somnambulist http://filmphest.com/Films/caligari.htm [accessed online on 25/10/11] REFERENCES Hilditch, N (2001) The Cabinet of Dr Caligari 1920 Review for the BBC online at http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/03/01/cabinet_of_dr_caligari_1920_review.shtml accessed on 24/10/11] Johnson, Phil (1995) Review: The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari for the Independent online at http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/jazz--film-the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari- 1576295.html [accessed on 24/10/11]

ONeill, P (2010) The Cabinet of Dr Cagliari: No 16 best horror film of all time for the Guardian online at http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/oct/22/cabinet-caligari- wiene-horror [accessed on 24/10/11]