Film Review - Das Cabinet des Dr Caligari



Without Robert Wiene’s Das Cabinet des Caligari (1920) the way in which horror movies, as well as mainly other movies, are made today would most likely be very different. “Warped in all senses, fascinating and bizarre ….. that lay down a template for today's scary movies, noirs and psychological thrillers. And it is topped off with a surprise ending that still gets used all the time now.” (Bradshaw, 2014) This is mostly thanks to the way the set design helps to set the mood of the story that is being told as well as giving the audience an insight into the characters’ minds and the world they live in.

The world which Wiene sets the story is made up of a series of surreal locations that feature very sharp, dark angles and encasing house walls that helps to set the audience on edge, making them question if something is about to jump out from be hide a corner. The design of the world can also be said to illustrate the madness that is shown throughout the film manly that of Dr Caligari as he sets about his evil deeds. However, it is later revealed that it is not Caligari who is mad but the main character Francis, who is shown at the beginning to be the one telling the story, so it can be said that the world he imagines could be a glimpse in to his own state of mind.

There is one point at which the sharp angles are not used and is the main scenes with the character Jane. This change was most likely made to show the way she is viewed by Francis and the Somnambulist Cesare - beautiful, soft and pure.





The surreal style that has be used for this film is not just limited to the set but can also be seen in the facial make up that is used on Cesare and Caligari, this small detail was most likely made to highlight the unsettle manner of the characters. The sharp angles can also be found on the clothes worn by Jane which helps to create the idea that this world is real and lived in.



Bibliography

Comments

  1. Jackie6:34 am, September 22, 2016

    Hi Rhia - welcome to the world of CAA film reviews :)

    This is a very good start; you are touching on some of the important stylistic aspects of the film, and have used and referenced a quote correctly. Just be aware that the brief asks for at least 3 quotes - this is in order to allow you to explore different sides to an argument.
    You should also reference your images using the Harvard method, and compile an image list after the bibliography.
    Just one other little nit-pick; you have 'shape angels' on Jane's clothes?

    Looking forward to seeing what you make of Metropolis :)

    ReplyDelete

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