The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

 

What is the essential story?

Essentially, the story is a murder mystery about a man named Franzis and his friend Alan who visit a show displaying a man named Dr. Caligari and his somnambulist Cesare. Cesare has the ability to read one's past and future. Alan asks Cesare when he will die, Cesare exclaims at dawn, and soon enough (at dawn) he is murdered. The story then follows Franzis attempting to solve and catch who murdered his friend, with heavy suspicions towards Cesare and Dr. Caligari.

How does the film tell its story?

The story is told as a flashback. The film tells its story through exaggerated movement and expression on the characters' faces. There are also text screens that come after the visuals to show what the characters are saying.

What conventions of cinematic storytelling does it use?

The setting plays a pivotal role in storytelling. The environment we are set in as an audience is very jagged and sharp and even in scenes with light, it looks very dim and dark. Characters are very expressive and text dialogue informs the audience on what is going on. Music cues in different scenes invokes anxiety and eeriness.

Explain the final "plot twist." 

The final "plot twist" was that once we returned to the present from the flashback, it is revealed that Franzis is actually an inmate at the asylum, along with Jane and Cesare, and that "Dr. Caligari" is the asylum director who exclaims can cure Franzis of his delusions. The plot twist makes the audience think that Franzis made up the whole story since he, Jane, and Cesare are all inmates there and he got restrained after attacking the director.

How does the final plot twist comment upon cinematic storytelling?

It is probably one of the earliest uses of a plot twist in modern cinema, popularizing its use in the future and revolutionizing the industry with it.

What do the set designs say about early filmmaking?

In design, they are plain, which keeps the focus on the actions made by the actors on screen. 

What do the set designs imply about stories and storytelling?

Despite the simple design, the set gave you a sense that the world we as an audience were placed in was not safe. Dark lighting, and sharp and jagged backgrounds (makes you think anywhere you step could get you hurt - it's dangerous everywhere), which was perfect for a horror movie like this.

How do the answers to questions 6 and 7 move us to contemplate the cultural relevance of this film?

This film is very relevant in inspiring horror movies after this, from the techniques and devices it uses to develop and move the plot. It is also a great reflection of the time it was released (Post World War 1) and the horrors the people of Germany faced inkling out in cinema like this.

If you had to think about a more modern, 20th century film with traces to Caligari, what would they be? Why?

I would say one modern movie could be Scream because that movie showed the audience that not everyone can be trusted (the twist revealing who the actual murderers are showed this). The Caligari film with the unreliable narrator relates back to this.

How do questions about the reliability of a narrator suggest meanings, cultural relevance, and the nature of film?

Having an unreliable narrator invests the audience much more into the story since nothing you see from the perspective of the narrator can be trusted. You start to question what is fabricated and what is real.

My Thoughts on The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

The age of this film certainly shows. However, considering the time this film was released, it is far advanced to what was expected at the time. A film that takes place in a constructed set rather than outside inspired many films after. This film was an iconic case of German Expressionism and a first step in horror. I especially admire the cinematic techniques employed in the movie (slideshow dialogue, plot twists, and the exaggerated expression of the actors). It shows how they worked with what they had at the time.