The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari Essay

The film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari can be considered one of the most famous examples of German Expressionism, and also presents themes on brutal and irrational authority. German Expressionism emulates its culture of preying upon the fearful, as a way of telling a story. This film narrates the story of an insane hypnotist who uses a somnambulist to commit horrendous murders. The unique use of mise-en-scene escalates the emotions and thoughts of the main characters, enticing the viewers to become immersed in the spiraling insanity of a madman’s world by using setting/set, makeup, and behavior. The film features a dark and twisted visual style, with sharp-pointed forms, askew and curving lines, structures and landscapes that lean and twist in unusual angles.The

Caligari, behavior also plays a special role. During the opening of the film, there is a scene where as Francis sits on a bench with an older man who complains that unworldly beings have stricken him from his loved ones, an oddly expressionless woman named Jane passes them. Francis explains to the older man that she is his "fiancée" and that they have suffered a great ordeal. Jane’s behavior in the beginning of the film sets an odd mood because it makes the audience wonder what has happened to her to put her in a zombie like state. It is not normal for a person so slowly glide around the forest with a glazed over look in their eyes. Another example of this is the transition of the director into Caligari. The director becomes obsessed with trying to delve into the mind of the once famous Dr. Caligari. After finding out that a real somnambulist has been admitted into the asylum, the director bolts out of the office and into the streets. Out of nowhere, the director starts seeing the words, ‘Become Caligari’ he is so frightened that he becomes like a caged animal that can't find a way to