The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Review

        The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is in my opinion, the best silent horror film to come out in the 20s. It came out at a time where the medium was being experimented. I can attest that it’s one of the first film before Citizen Kane to utilize a non-linear way of storytelling. I’m revealing too much, here’s what I think of this gem. 

1. German Expressionism 

        When viewing the film, the immediate thing to notice is the overall set design. The style is referred to as German Expressionism. The style is from what I gathered, a style that emphasized the artist’s inner feelings or ideas over replicating reality, and was characterized by simplifying shapes, bright colors and gestural masks and brushworks. Just to make it simple, the shots that you see from the film stills is the style.

        Everything is bent at an odd angle and a door doesn’t even look what we think of a door. It’s something to look at since at a glance, it looks like a unique set design to set up this unique world that the film takes place in. Even the title cards in various parts of the film replicate that style. So with all that, why exactly does the film look like that? This is one of those moments where the art style actually serves the point in the entire film. 

        The film is mostly a recounting of memory from the main character Francis. He tells his story of encountering Dr. Caligari to an asylum inmate. As I mentioned prior, the film acts like a flashback. Francis and his friend encounter a circus that is run by Dr. Caligari who uses a somnambulist named Cesare to answer the questions of the audience. Throughout the film, a series of murders happen throughout the town. Francis thinks it was Caligari and tries to have him arrested. 

        What is great about the film despite being 101 years old is that even though it’s not scary as a horror movie, it can at least be appreciated as a movie that was succeeding at that time. No one could’ve imagined just how visually striking and good the plot is. Those are probably the main reasons as to why anyone should at least watch an old horror film. To really see just how quaint it was and see just how influential the film was in the succeeding years.

        If there is one more thing to talk about is the monster in this story. Cesare is the mascot of the film due to his body and purpose in the film. He is the circus freak to Caligari and the overall focus in the whole film. What I like about him is that his body is very lanky. In a way that when he runs away from the Dr. he mirrors what the human body can look like with German Expressionism. No one could've thought that the succeeding films that have come after this one, is that the monster usually goes for the girl. Sort of like King Kong where he carries the girl, Cesare is the first instance of where we see that. 

2. Authority

        If there was an actual theme around the movie or just the overall point of it is that it’s mostly about authority. We see that Dr. Caligari controls the hapless somnambulist to do whatever he wants with no shame or empathy. Even with the town that the film takes place has that theme being presented visually. With the painting of the town having the main building be at the top with the surrounding buildings being lower due to class status. 

        There is one other thing that is actually part of the plot. It happens near the end and it encapsulates the whole theme in general. To save myself from spoiling the film, I’ll say that with how the film is being told is supposed to be anti-authority. With the whole set also representing just how Francis’ mind is. Considering he’s from the asylum and from the story he is telling makes him seemingly be an unreliable narrator.

3. Overall

        No question that the film has been influential. For one, Tim Burton perhaps watched the movie and adopted its unique visual aesthetic. With the small things like the mad scientist, monster who steals the woman, and the psychological aspect to horror, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is one of the most important horror films to be made in the early 20th Century.