This
film review examines Robert Wiene’s 1919 film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a German expressionist film set in a
surreal world of an expressionist painting brought to life through the sets
designed by Hermann Warm, Walter Reimann and Walter Rohrig. The style of the
film is symbolism for the uncertainty of the German people at the time
following World War 1, and the emotions they were feeling having lived through
it.
The film starts out in a normal setting and
then becomes this surreal world during a flashback that the story of the film
takes place in, this world is later explained through the psychological state
of the main character. This is symbolism for the psychological state of Germany
at the time after world war 1 and uses expressionist paintings to show how
unsettled the country was feeling, which is portrayed through the characters
and the locations, Matt Holmes agrees
that ‘The imaginative sets show the deep psychological nightmare of Germany who
couldn’t quite believe the horrors they had been through in the previous years.’,
also due to constraints in budgets with the value of money dropping during the German
expressionist period, cheaper sets were used which allowed this style of expressionist
films to come forward and be more successful as well as the ban on most
international films in Germany. The film was also part of the extreme
anti-realism period of German expressionism, which worked as a form of escapism
to the public, from what had happened and their lives.
The
dimly lit spaces and contrast between dark and light in the film are typical of
German expressionism but add to the effect, creating a dramatic emphasis on the
characters and what is happening. Using dark cramped settings adds to the
suspense and build up to the climatic points, such as when the Sleepwalker is
creeping up to the victim, the camera angles are close to the scene and
enclosed creating a sense of claustrophobia while the victim is being attacked.
Kolar takes the view that ‘The story lines of German expressionist films
matched the visuals in terms of darkness and disillusionment. Often sombre in
mood and featuring characters from a corrupt underworld of crime, the films’
dramatic effects produced motifs of claustrophobia and paranoia.’, the visuals
are used to add to the narrative of the film, with the sets being used to start
the build up to a climatic point, and add emphasis on parts of the film. Everything
in the world created is familiar in shape and recognisable but is distorted to
become stylized in a way which adds to the psychological unsettlement in the
film, Reimer agrees that ‘The world, created to be both familiar and strange,
speaks to the physical and psychological horrors Germans experienced after the
end of the war’, which adds to the escapism of the film by the settings being
different to everyday life but while still familiar.
Bibliography
Kolar. German Expressionism: The World of Light and Shadow. http://mubi.com/lists/german-expressionism-the-world-of-light-and-shadow
Matt Holmes. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: Suffering creates
art? http://whatculture.com/film/55-the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari-1920-robert-wiene.php
Robert Reimer, Historical Dictionary of German Cinema (New
York: The Scarecrow, Inc., 2008)
Hey Tom! Getting there...but still not quite! Think about if you were reading this from the point of view of someone who knows nothing about the film, the books or sources you are using...nothing. Would 'Kolar' mean anything to you? This is why you have to reference the quote directly after it - so that the reader can follow up any of your sources. Also it is helpful to make a reference to what the source material was, so for example,
ReplyDelete'As Kolar says in his discussion on German Expressionism, ' The story lines etc...' (Kolar, s.d)
So now we know that Kolar was writing an essay on German Expressionism. The quote is referenced afterwards in brackets, and the s.d means there is no date available ( I looked at your bibliography!)
Similarly with Reimer...what was the source you used for this? Who is this Reimer?? When you talk about someone for the first time, you should use the full name - so 'Robert Reimer, in his book Historical dictionary of German cinema, agrees that 'The world...'etc (Reimer, 2008) (The book titles would be in italics, of course), and if you use him again, you would just use his surname.
A couple of other things - in your bibliography, the names are listed in alphabetical order, surnames first; so,
Holmes, M
Kolar
Reimer, R
The names of the book etc should be in italics.
And don't forget to reference your images!! :)
Lots of nit-picking, I know, but worth it in the end :)
Hey Tom, Jackie's right, you know - the nit-picking is worth it, because soon enough you'll be writing and thinking and presenting yourself like a degree student and junior scholar, and all these skills are transferable - i.e. as you become a more confident writer, you'll be more confident and effective whatever you're writing - job applications, cvs and business letters included! Onwards and upwards!
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