Film review - The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari (1920)

'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' is a movie about a man's (Francis') encounter of a man that he names Dr. Caligari. At the beginning of the movie, Dr. Caligari is shown to be in possession of a somnambulist or sleep walker, known as Caesar, who he takes to an annual fair located somewhere in Germany to exhibit him to the local people, telling them that he is able to predict their futures. A man named Alan, who is later shown to be Francis' friend, asks at what age he will die, to which Caesar replies "Until tomorrow's dawn" resulting in the murder of Alan the following morning and more murders throughout the town. Due to the death of his friend, Francis then tries to find out the cause of these murders. 

Dr. Caligari and Caesar's costume and makeup designs 

As Dr. Caligari was created in the silent cinema time period, the director Robert Wiene uses both costume and makeup to emphasise the gothic representation of the characters. Characters such as Dr. Caligari and Caesar are shown throughout the movie in predominantly dark clothing which is used by Wiene to represent them as a warning to the viewers due to their contrast in clothing compared to the other characters throughout the movie. Both of the characters are also shown to wear heavy dark makeup around their eyes making their eyes the main focus to other characters and the viewers due to their high contrast with their skin colour.

Dr. Caligari's office

Lunatic Asylum

Shapes are used in certain scenes within the film to help 'push' characters and to make the viewers perceive them in a certain way. In the scene shown above, Dr. Caligari is in his office surrounded by mounds of books. Shapes such as triangles are shown on the walls throughout the scene to create the sense that Dr. Caligari is a strange and suspicious character which may suggest that he has something to do with the 1,000 murders that have recently occurred. Throughout the movie numerous scenes, which Dr. Caligari is either included in or is linked to, display shapes which are very unlikely to feature in the rooms that are shown, suggesting that the scenes are perhaps being imagined or have been warped by Francis who is describing the story throughout. Other scenes such as the one in the Lunatic Asylum are shown to not be covered in shapes, suggesting that these scenes may be real and from Francis' memories .

Alan being murdered

Town scene in the daytime

Opening scene of Francis telling his story

Lighting is another key feature that is used throughout the film to change the viewer's emotions. In the image shown above, somebody is murdering Alan using a knife. As only a shadow is cast in this scene, the viewer is left to their own imagination to guess that the murderer maybe Caesar due to the outline of his facial features which then causes them to believe Francis' description of the story more. Filters are placed over the camera throughout the film to suggest different times of the day, making it easier for the viewer to understand at which point throughout each day different events have occurred. A blue filter is used to show that it is night time while an orange/ yellow filter suggests daytime. At the beginning and end of the movie the scenes are shown in black and white, suggesting that each time a black and white scene is shown the film is in present day. 

I believe that 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' has been beneficial for me to watch, this is as it has allowed for me to see how different elements within a film, such as lighting, costume design and environment are able to influence both the viewer's emotions and overall thoughts on the film.