The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
... shadow in new and inventive ways. Although expressionism only lasted from 1919 to about the mid-twenties, it has had a lasting impact on film. Caligari is a definitive example of the play on shadows and light. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is basically a story of murder and intrigue set in a small German town of Holstenwall. When this film was made, World War I had just ended, and Germany had been humiliated by Britain and France with the Treaty of Versailles. Basically, Germany was in chaos, and many put Kaiser Wilhelm to blame, including Robert Wiene, the director. In using Cesare the somnambulist as a metaphor for Germany in the war and Caligari as a metaphor for the Kaiser, he warns against a country blindly following their leader into anything. This of course happening way before Hitler hit the scene with his crazy antics. The way in which Germany is represented is through the mise-en-scene. The scenery of this chaotic world gives off an imagery of instability with twisted streets, over-hanging buildings, crazily squeezed rooms and contorted scenery. . In fact, most of the film is shot in medium long shots which allow the decor to be fully seen by the viewer. These amazing stylized sets capture the subjective perceptions of the main character by shaping the scenery from his thoughts and emotions, which is extremely important in the evolution of cinema. What usually sticks in peoples heads are the amount of acutely angled shapes and pointed objects dotted around. This could be seen maybe as mirroring the stabbings Cesare carries out for Dr. Caligari. The set also gives off a sense of danger and evil throughout the city which,might be because the story could be that of a paranoid delusionist. However, there are two places which don't have such menacing outlines. These are Jane’s house and inside the insane asylum wherethere is a more sane 'round' feel to the set. However, by Using these Expressionistic themes the connection with reality could be either the eccentricity of Caligari or the madness of Francis, or has been said could be Jane's delusion of a female fantasy, but either way is incredibly unsettling It is this framing story which surrounds the main narrative, apparantly suggested by Fritz Lang, that turns most of the film into a delus...