This film I’ve wanted to see for years. I just haven’t taken the time to acquire it, least of all actually sit down and watch it. Now that I started looking into more German silent films, it seemed like a good time to watch it, and add to my growing knowledge of this area of cinema. Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari is extremely famous and hailed as being one of the first films that spawned the horror genre.
One of the most interesting things about the film, and which has obviously been written the most about, is the highly impressionistic set design. Shadows are painted on the walls and floor, there are detached and eschewed angles, and overall the film looks very otherworldly. I am usually very suspicious of a film that tries to be “realistic”, and is therefore very excited about this film, which goes against realism. The effect at times is remarkable, and ominous. This works very well with the horror theme, and one can see why American films such as horror or noir films are influenced by the style of Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. The style is highly aesthetic, and very interesting and pleasing to look at. It is impressive that the film was shot in studio this way, and the film goes to show that realism isn’t always the way to go. The sets show the characters state of mind and the camera angles work well to establish the madness of it all. Indeed, anyone could go mad living in a place like the one portrayed in this film. Even with the great set design, the film wouldn’t be as good without the intricate cinematography and directing, which equally complements the set design. The style of the film is very coherent and it all goes towards a single goal. I believe this is very important to any film, and this film doesn’t just use style arbitrarily, but for a goal and specific purpose.
The plot is fairly simple, but it is enhanced with being of the mysterious nature. The mystery, the unknown, form the basis for the horror, and the audience will be at times asking many questions about the narrative and how it is going to unfold. There are some questions about the ending of the film, and apparently, the film company of the time tacked it on to please the audience, much to the avail of the writers of the film. I’m not sure exactly how accurate this is, but regardless, I find that the film works, both in narrative and thematically, better with the ending rather than without. The mysticism around Dr. Caligari is what I found the most fascinating about the film, and the horror that he creates around the city and some of his scenes are the best. Strictly speaking, the narrative is fairly simple, but for its time, I assume, it was something of a milestone. I’m not really for all that “appreciating something of its time”, even if a film might have been good 80 years ago, it doesn’t mean it is good today. Or perhaps, it wasn’t good in the first place, but people back then were idiots. Regardless, I can greatly appreciate silent films, if they are well crafted. Murnau for example, his films are better crafted than most films of today, so his films haven’t aged a bit. In narrative terms, I feel that this film is slightly dated, but in the end, it doesn’t hinder the great set design and chilling atmosphere from still being powerful to this day.
I like Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari a lot. I had some issues with the narrative and some of the structure of the film, but overall the main points that makes this film so famous, the great set design and cinematography, as well as the mysticism and cult of the film makes it worthwhile to watch to this day. Films don’t really age, if they are bad today; they were bad when they were made. Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari was good when it was made, and is still equally good today.
No comments:
Post a Comment