The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari

The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari

The Expressionistic technique applied to cinema in Germany was determined by the time period in history (Reimer & Zachau, 2017). Expressionism originated in theater and painting, but in the 1920s-1930s, it made its way to the cinemas. This was following the WWI aftermath, where the excessive visuals were an escape from reality. In several instances, these films are seen as having lost reality. The formal qualities and stylistic techniques of films in German Expressionism include the exploration of elements such as schizophrenia, fear, and paranoia through the use of lighting, cinematography, and mise-en-scène. Expressionism films conveyed experiences, subjective emotions, and inner emotions through objective, external means. These emotions were translated visually on the screen by using sets that were deliberately exaggerated, dramatic lighting, and emphasizing horror and fear that encompassed the story (Reimer & Zachau, 2017).

According to Kracauer, The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari is an allegory for the social attitude in Germany. The critic argued that Caligari was a symbol of tendencies of autocracy that the German system was characterized with and observed that Caligari’s personality “stands for an unlimited authority that idolizes power as such, and, to satisfy its lust for domination, ruthlessly violates all human rights and values.”(Kracauer, 2019). Kracauer adds that Caligari is a symptom of the need for German society to subconsciously seek after a tyrant, which he refers to as the ‘collective soul.’ The critic further asserts that Cesare and Caligari are Adolph Hitler’s premonitions and the rule he had over Germany and that Hitler’s control over puppet-like, weak-willed, prefigures aspects of the society’s mentality is what allowed the Nazi Party to ascend into power. Kracauer says that the hypnotism done by Caligari was a preamble to Hitler’s soul manipulation. The film is an example of the obedience that Germany had toward authority or their unwilling nature to rebel against an authority that was clearly deranged. The films represented a general retreat following WWI. Kracauer also points out that there is a sharp contrast portrayed in the film of rigid control that was portrayed by the town clerk and Caligari, and the chaos caused by the people attending the fair and merry-go-rounds that did not seem to stop. The critic said that there is no middle ground left by the film between the two extremes, which then forces the audience to embrace authoritarian rigidity or insanity and leaves little room for freedom for individuals (Kracauer, 1947).

References

Kracauer, S. (2019). From Caligari to Hitler: A psychological history of the German film. Princeton University Press.

Kracauer, Siegfried (1947). From Caligari to Hitler: The Psychological History of German Film.Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-02505-6.

Reimer, R. C., & Zachau, R. (2017). German Culture Through Film: An Introduction to German Cinema. Hackett Publishing.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

Expressionism

According to Siegfried Kracauer, the film The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari by Robert Wiene (1919) was revolutionary not only because of its expressionist form but also because of its political message.

The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari

In your essay, briefly elaborate what this expressionist form consists of and how it reflects the movement as a whole. Then relate these general characteristics of Expressionism to the formal characteristics of Wiene’s film and to the film’s socio-political “message.” This will require you not only to reflect upon the overall situation in Germany at the time, but also the comment upon Kracauer’s view that the narrative frame added later to the film completely undermines its revolutionary impulse.