Next week we will be viewing one of the starters of the horror genre:
Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Next Week: Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror
I figured I'd start announcing the upcoming film so that if you're interested you can have a chance to watch it before the discussion goes up.
Next week we will be viewing one of the starters of the horror genre:
Next week we will be viewing one of the starters of the horror genre:
Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari // The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
This week's film was The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). Written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer, and directed by Robert Wiene, the film is a little different from the screenplay. Here, I will be discussing the film for the most part, and will state "the screenplay" if I'm referring to the original write of it.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a wonderful spectacle of a film from the silent movie era. It has a framework story of the main character, Francis, telling a priest of the strange occurrences he and his fiancé had witnessed. In the flashback story, he tells of a man named Dr. Caligari who came to town for a festival, announcing that he would present a somnambulist, or "sleep walker", who would wake upon his call for the first time in 23 years. We don't see the somnambulist the first time around, but that night
the town clerk, who had previously been rude to Dr. Caligari when filling out a request to show his exhibit at the fair, is found murdered.
The next day, Alan and Francis visit the fair together, where they happen across Dr. Caligari's exhibit. The somnambulist, named Cesare, does indeed awaken to Dr. Caligari's command, who then invites people to ask him questions. Francis' friend, Alan, asks Cesare when he will die. Cesare informs him that he has until dawn the following day, and Alan and Francis leave in a fit of fright. When Francis manages to calm his friend, the two encounter Jane, who, Francis informs us, both he and his friend are in love with. Francis proceeds to tell us that he and Alan had agreed to remain friends, none-the-less, and would let her choose. Soon afterward, we witness Alan murdered by what we only see as a shadow.
Distraught at the news, Francis begins a hunt for his friend's killer. As he attempts to find the man responsible, the police arrest another who attempted to murder an elderly woman in the middle of the night. At first, the feel the case is closed, until the attempted murderer reveals that he was only trying to take advantage of the two previous killings, hoping the police wouldn't suspect him, assuming it was like the other two mystery murders.
At one point, Jane, in trying to track down Francis to tell him the news, runs into Dr. Caligari who brings her into his tent to show her Cesare. Frightened of the somnambulist, she runs and tells Francis what happened. Francis, who has begun to suspect Dr. Caligari, goes to his cart that night and watches him sleep over the open coffin of Cesare. While he is keeping watch over his suspect, however, we see Cesare creep into Jane's room. He at first attempts to stab her, but is overcome with emotion for her, and after a brief struggle, she feints and he steals her away into the night, pursued by a mob.
Exhausted, Cesare collapses, laying Jane down and running away. Meanwhile, when Francis hears that Cesare has kidnapped Jane, he brings the police to Dr. Caligari's cart, telling them he had kept watch all night, and wondering how it was possible to see the somnambulist still asleep in his coffin if he had been spotted in town. The police barge into the car and pull Dr. Caligari and the coffin out, only to discover that the coffin contained only a dummy of Cesare. Dr. Caligari escapes and Francis follows him to the sanitarium, where he discovers that Caligari is actually the asylum's director. With the help of the fellow asylum workers, they investigate "Dr. Caligari", going through his office in the middle of the night. They find his journals where he describes a monk from centuries before called "Caligari" who used a somnambulist to commit a series of proxy murders. The director had become obsessed with the psychology behind this and spends years trying to figure out if it was indeed possible. After they confront the Dr. with these charges, he only breaks down after discovering that Cesare is dead, and he flies into a deranged state, becoming a patient in his own asylum.
As Francis finishes the story, we return to the framework, where we see the priest give Francis a skeptical yet terrified look, before leaving. We are then shown that Francis is in fact, a patient in the sanitarium himself, along with Cesare, and Jane, and that the "Dr. Caligari" is in fact the director of the asylum.
Reflections
2. Motifs and Symbolism
The amount of symbolism in Dr. Caligari is amazing. Considering it was part of the German Expressionism Movement, that's not surprising. German Expressionism was a brief but monumental shift in the the arts, including literature, art, theatre, and film. It would eventually lead to the more global movement of Surrealism, but the advent of Expressionism created ideals and philosophies that are still practiced in part or entirety today.
German Expressionism reached its peak in the 1920's in Berlin and was a reaction to the turbulent times of Europe in that era. Arguably one of the fastest changing eras in history, Europe was teetering on the edge of the fall of Imperialism, which had dominated the continent for centuries. The rise of media brought the truth of the destruction war was closer to people, which many consider attributed to the ideals of honor and glory in war being lost forever. Furthermore, Germany has had a long and truly rich history of culture that's really far too much to even summarize here, but WWI had shaken the German people to the core. Political unrest, a shift in societal views, and a severe drop in the economy created country-wide disillusionment. Since the German government had worked to isolate the people during WWI, the loss of the war and the social strangulation was a huge blow to the once-proud peoples.
This is what led to the highly stylized anti-realism of the Expressionist movement. The people were in shock and disbelief, which lent itself to the dream-like qualities of the Expressionistic art. Shadows were a huge part of the movement's philosophy, which utilized chiaroscuro, or the study of light and dark and, most importantly, everything in between. As I mentioned earlier, in the loss of glory and honor in war, there came another way of thinking that came about as a reaction to the realization of the horrors of war and in contrast to Patriotism. This thinking was brought about by the moral conflict that struck many European countries at the time. There was a struggle for society as a whole to figure out which is more important to be loyal to: country? government? religion? humanity? self? There were no clear answers, and with the rise of Psychology, it was becoming an ever harder question to answer. Chiaroscuro was the embodiment of these struggles. There would never again be a villain and a hero, just more shades of grey.
(Further entries note specific examples of symbolism)
3. Staging: costume and makeup, acting and pantomime
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari explores this in great detail. The highly stylized sets were indicative of the previously mentioned dream-like state. This is further underscored by the contrasting styles of the framework story to the narrative. In the framework, the sets are more realistic, and the actors less "painted". Expressionistic films really touched upon the shift from theatre to film by using exaggerated acting, and this included heavily painted faces. In the framework story, the priest, Francis, and "Dr. Caligari" (I use the "" here to indicate that the character is in the position of sanitarium director,) have lightly painted faces. In the narrative, however, everyone is much more heavily painted in white and black, exaggerating their features. This is most notable with Dr. Caligari, who looks like an oil painting in the narrative. These made-up faces and stylized sets were symbolic of the dream-like state and distortion of reality that the German people were experiencing.
One my favorite aspects of the film is the dig at bureaucracy, of which the country was experiencing an explosion of. The shift of power from the Imperialist monarchy to the newly installed Democracy and its bureaucratic partner triggered a resentment among people. This is depicted in the film by the use of levels. When Dr. Caligari goes to register a permit for his exhibition at the fair, for instance, he's met with a grumpy town clerk who sits on a high stool and looks down at him. The police, too, sit atop high stools and look down at Francis as he asks their help in finding his friend's murderer.
*(The struggle of the people vs. bureaucracy is wholly explored in M by Fritz Lang, if you're interested in it.)
7. Message
Pinpointing a specific message is a little difficult since, given the written story, the filmed story, and the cultural and historical significance of the film, the interpretations can vary greatly. The part I choose to focus on then, is one of my favorite aspects of art: morality.
As I mentioned earlier, the look into the many shades of light and dark was in part a result of the widespread questioning of morality. This is also exemplified by the character's relations to each other and the way we can interpret them. Dr. Caligari seeks to control and utilize Cesare as weapon. He uses the somnambulist to kill those who have wronged him or seek to expose him. In his writing, he even says that he is fascinated by the idea of using a somnambulist to do what he (the somnambulist) would, in a waking state, find abhorrent. In this, we can see Dr. Caligari as the government, or power. Cesare, the tool of his destruction, is seen as the military, or singularly, a soldier.
A soldier carries out orders. That is their existence. For as long as it's been around, the ideal is that a soldier is simply to do as told, with the understanding that there is a trust that what they're doing is for the good of their country/people, like an unwritten contract. Here, however, there is a questioning of whether or not that contract is being upheld by the power.
You see, both Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer were soldiers who became conscientious objectors, which, while not a new sentiment, was certainly a fast growing one starting with WWI. Along with many like them, they began to question what they were really fighting for and, as mentioned, whether it was the right thing to be fighting for. Dr. Caligari uses Cesare to kill anyone that he feels, actively and consciously disregarding whatever Cesare might feel.
This throws into another argument: who is morally responsible? While the gut reaction to say that Cesare, despite being the one actually killing people, is innocent on the stance that he is essentially brainwashed and it's not his decision, the third victim puts that into question as well. When Cesare is ordered to kill Jane, he succumbs to emotion and cannot follow through with it. This demonstrates his awakening to his actions, to the horror at what he's actually doing. Suddenly, the audience is forced to wonder with Cesare being "asleep" justifies his actions, and by extension, whether a soldier's chosen ignorance, "sleep", to their actions, are justifiable.
The fact that he is a somnambulist would suggest a relief of responsibility. But the fact that he becomes aware basically negates that. When Cesare instead decides to kidnap Jane, it's like he's trying to steal away innocence, holding on to it for dear life with the his morality, the mob of townsmen, chasing after him. His burdens become too much, and he eventually collapses in exhaustion. The choices of Dr. Caligari, to use Cesare to do his bidding in exacting revenge and in an attempt to keep his secret, not only had a heavy toll of him, but brought about his destruction. This can be attributed to the feelings of destruction the people felt, which had been brought about by the greed and corruption of those in power seeking to maintain their power.
It's an amazingly difficult concept that is not only an interesting analysis, but really, a necessary one. Thoughts?
:WARNING - This blog contains spoilers for the movie, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. :
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a wonderful spectacle of a film from the silent movie era. It has a framework story of the main character, Francis, telling a priest of the strange occurrences he and his fiancé had witnessed. In the flashback story, he tells of a man named Dr. Caligari who came to town for a festival, announcing that he would present a somnambulist, or "sleep walker", who would wake upon his call for the first time in 23 years. We don't see the somnambulist the first time around, but that night
the town clerk, who had previously been rude to Dr. Caligari when filling out a request to show his exhibit at the fair, is found murdered.
The next day, Alan and Francis visit the fair together, where they happen across Dr. Caligari's exhibit. The somnambulist, named Cesare, does indeed awaken to Dr. Caligari's command, who then invites people to ask him questions. Francis' friend, Alan, asks Cesare when he will die. Cesare informs him that he has until dawn the following day, and Alan and Francis leave in a fit of fright. When Francis manages to calm his friend, the two encounter Jane, who, Francis informs us, both he and his friend are in love with. Francis proceeds to tell us that he and Alan had agreed to remain friends, none-the-less, and would let her choose. Soon afterward, we witness Alan murdered by what we only see as a shadow.
Distraught at the news, Francis begins a hunt for his friend's killer. As he attempts to find the man responsible, the police arrest another who attempted to murder an elderly woman in the middle of the night. At first, the feel the case is closed, until the attempted murderer reveals that he was only trying to take advantage of the two previous killings, hoping the police wouldn't suspect him, assuming it was like the other two mystery murders.
At one point, Jane, in trying to track down Francis to tell him the news, runs into Dr. Caligari who brings her into his tent to show her Cesare. Frightened of the somnambulist, she runs and tells Francis what happened. Francis, who has begun to suspect Dr. Caligari, goes to his cart that night and watches him sleep over the open coffin of Cesare. While he is keeping watch over his suspect, however, we see Cesare creep into Jane's room. He at first attempts to stab her, but is overcome with emotion for her, and after a brief struggle, she feints and he steals her away into the night, pursued by a mob.Exhausted, Cesare collapses, laying Jane down and running away. Meanwhile, when Francis hears that Cesare has kidnapped Jane, he brings the police to Dr. Caligari's cart, telling them he had kept watch all night, and wondering how it was possible to see the somnambulist still asleep in his coffin if he had been spotted in town. The police barge into the car and pull Dr. Caligari and the coffin out, only to discover that the coffin contained only a dummy of Cesare. Dr. Caligari escapes and Francis follows him to the sanitarium, where he discovers that Caligari is actually the asylum's director. With the help of the fellow asylum workers, they investigate "Dr. Caligari", going through his office in the middle of the night. They find his journals where he describes a monk from centuries before called "Caligari" who used a somnambulist to commit a series of proxy murders. The director had become obsessed with the psychology behind this and spends years trying to figure out if it was indeed possible. After they confront the Dr. with these charges, he only breaks down after discovering that Cesare is dead, and he flies into a deranged state, becoming a patient in his own asylum.
As Francis finishes the story, we return to the framework, where we see the priest give Francis a skeptical yet terrified look, before leaving. We are then shown that Francis is in fact, a patient in the sanitarium himself, along with Cesare, and Jane, and that the "Dr. Caligari" is in fact the director of the asylum.
Reflections
2. Motifs and Symbolism
The amount of symbolism in Dr. Caligari is amazing. Considering it was part of the German Expressionism Movement, that's not surprising. German Expressionism was a brief but monumental shift in the the arts, including literature, art, theatre, and film. It would eventually lead to the more global movement of Surrealism, but the advent of Expressionism created ideals and philosophies that are still practiced in part or entirety today.
German Expressionism reached its peak in the 1920's in Berlin and was a reaction to the turbulent times of Europe in that era. Arguably one of the fastest changing eras in history, Europe was teetering on the edge of the fall of Imperialism, which had dominated the continent for centuries. The rise of media brought the truth of the destruction war was closer to people, which many consider attributed to the ideals of honor and glory in war being lost forever. Furthermore, Germany has had a long and truly rich history of culture that's really far too much to even summarize here, but WWI had shaken the German people to the core. Political unrest, a shift in societal views, and a severe drop in the economy created country-wide disillusionment. Since the German government had worked to isolate the people during WWI, the loss of the war and the social strangulation was a huge blow to the once-proud peoples.
This is what led to the highly stylized anti-realism of the Expressionist movement. The people were in shock and disbelief, which lent itself to the dream-like qualities of the Expressionistic art. Shadows were a huge part of the movement's philosophy, which utilized chiaroscuro, or the study of light and dark and, most importantly, everything in between. As I mentioned earlier, in the loss of glory and honor in war, there came another way of thinking that came about as a reaction to the realization of the horrors of war and in contrast to Patriotism. This thinking was brought about by the moral conflict that struck many European countries at the time. There was a struggle for society as a whole to figure out which is more important to be loyal to: country? government? religion? humanity? self? There were no clear answers, and with the rise of Psychology, it was becoming an ever harder question to answer. Chiaroscuro was the embodiment of these struggles. There would never again be a villain and a hero, just more shades of grey.
(Further entries note specific examples of symbolism)
3. Staging: costume and makeup, acting and pantomime
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari explores this in great detail. The highly stylized sets were indicative of the previously mentioned dream-like state. This is further underscored by the contrasting styles of the framework story to the narrative. In the framework, the sets are more realistic, and the actors less "painted". Expressionistic films really touched upon the shift from theatre to film by using exaggerated acting, and this included heavily painted faces. In the framework story, the priest, Francis, and "Dr. Caligari" (I use the "" here to indicate that the character is in the position of sanitarium director,) have lightly painted faces. In the narrative, however, everyone is much more heavily painted in white and black, exaggerating their features. This is most notable with Dr. Caligari, who looks like an oil painting in the narrative. These made-up faces and stylized sets were symbolic of the dream-like state and distortion of reality that the German people were experiencing.One my favorite aspects of the film is the dig at bureaucracy, of which the country was experiencing an explosion of. The shift of power from the Imperialist monarchy to the newly installed Democracy and its bureaucratic partner triggered a resentment among people. This is depicted in the film by the use of levels. When Dr. Caligari goes to register a permit for his exhibition at the fair, for instance, he's met with a grumpy town clerk who sits on a high stool and looks down at him. The police, too, sit atop high stools and look down at Francis as he asks their help in finding his friend's murderer.
*(The struggle of the people vs. bureaucracy is wholly explored in M by Fritz Lang, if you're interested in it.)
7. Message
Pinpointing a specific message is a little difficult since, given the written story, the filmed story, and the cultural and historical significance of the film, the interpretations can vary greatly. The part I choose to focus on then, is one of my favorite aspects of art: morality.
As I mentioned earlier, the look into the many shades of light and dark was in part a result of the widespread questioning of morality. This is also exemplified by the character's relations to each other and the way we can interpret them. Dr. Caligari seeks to control and utilize Cesare as weapon. He uses the somnambulist to kill those who have wronged him or seek to expose him. In his writing, he even says that he is fascinated by the idea of using a somnambulist to do what he (the somnambulist) would, in a waking state, find abhorrent. In this, we can see Dr. Caligari as the government, or power. Cesare, the tool of his destruction, is seen as the military, or singularly, a soldier.
A soldier carries out orders. That is their existence. For as long as it's been around, the ideal is that a soldier is simply to do as told, with the understanding that there is a trust that what they're doing is for the good of their country/people, like an unwritten contract. Here, however, there is a questioning of whether or not that contract is being upheld by the power.
You see, both Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer were soldiers who became conscientious objectors, which, while not a new sentiment, was certainly a fast growing one starting with WWI. Along with many like them, they began to question what they were really fighting for and, as mentioned, whether it was the right thing to be fighting for. Dr. Caligari uses Cesare to kill anyone that he feels, actively and consciously disregarding whatever Cesare might feel.
This throws into another argument: who is morally responsible? While the gut reaction to say that Cesare, despite being the one actually killing people, is innocent on the stance that he is essentially brainwashed and it's not his decision, the third victim puts that into question as well. When Cesare is ordered to kill Jane, he succumbs to emotion and cannot follow through with it. This demonstrates his awakening to his actions, to the horror at what he's actually doing. Suddenly, the audience is forced to wonder with Cesare being "asleep" justifies his actions, and by extension, whether a soldier's chosen ignorance, "sleep", to their actions, are justifiable.
The fact that he is a somnambulist would suggest a relief of responsibility. But the fact that he becomes aware basically negates that. When Cesare instead decides to kidnap Jane, it's like he's trying to steal away innocence, holding on to it for dear life with the his morality, the mob of townsmen, chasing after him. His burdens become too much, and he eventually collapses in exhaustion. The choices of Dr. Caligari, to use Cesare to do his bidding in exacting revenge and in an attempt to keep his secret, not only had a heavy toll of him, but brought about his destruction. This can be attributed to the feelings of destruction the people felt, which had been brought about by the greed and corruption of those in power seeking to maintain their power.
It's an amazingly difficult concept that is not only an interesting analysis, but really, a necessary one. Thoughts?
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