"The Cabinet of Dr. Calgari" - A German Expressionist Masterpiece

 Before our cinema class even began to study expressionist or German expressionist films, I accidentally stumbled upon a movie called “The Cabinet of Dr. Calgari”. I was reading out of our week one text and I saw a phrase that I was unfamiliar with - “mise-en-scene”. So, I Googled it and a very informative wiki page came up, but at the bottom of the page, a little picture caught my eye. I thought it was just a distorted drawing; it looked a bit Dr. Suess-like, with the exaggerated angles and dramatic blocks of contrasting color. It was a very old picture and upon closer inspection I realized that the two human figures were actually real people in the midst of cardboard cut-outs and painted scenery. I was immediately fascinated and I did a little research, come to find out, this was a silent German expressionist film called The Cabinet of Dr. Calgari directed by Robert Wiene in 1920.  I’ve always enjoyed the odd side art and film and even though this was not an assigned film for our class to watch, it did fit all the criteria, so I decided to give it a shot.

“The Cabinet of Dr. Calgari” was one of the first films to gain international acclaim and when it was released in Britain in 1922 it was billed as Europe’s greatest contribution to modern picture art. It is one of the most influential German expressionist films, is considered one of the greatest horror movies of all time, and is cited as having introduced the twist ending in cinema. German Expressionist Cinema was a short lived but extremely influential movement in film history that is still portrayed in modern cinematic productions. German expressionist cinema created a theatrical look to its films by using dramatic, painted scenery and exaggerated make-up, as was used in theaters. This was an inexpensive way of making films that created very iconic results. The cabinet of Dr. Calgari absolutely embodies every bit of the term “German expressionism. The visual style of the film is distinctly expressionist- with the painted backcloths, dominated by curves and cubes, deliberately distorted perspectives, and unnaturally elongated furniture. The effect was to disorient the viewer and it was enhanced further by the overdramatic,

 expressionist style of acting.

    

 I don’t want to spoil the famous twist ending, but the shortened synopsis of the film is that Dr. Calgari is the title character, a sinister hypnotist who travels the carnival circuit displaying a somnambulist named Cesare. In a small German town, a series of murders coincides with Caligari's visit. When the best friend of hero Francis is killed, he, along with his betrothed Jane, investigate Caligari and Cesare, which eventually results in Cesare kidnapping Jane. Francis suspects Caligari, but he is ignored by the police. Investigating on his own, Francis seemingly discovers that Caligari has been ordering the somnambulist to commit the murders, but near the end the story eventually takes a more surprising turn.

        

The story plot was partially based on reality. One of the writers, Hans Janowitz, drew from an experience he had on a dark night during 1913, in Hamburg. On his way home from a fair, he had walked into a park and glimpsed a stranger as he disappeared into the shadows after having mysteriously emerged from the bushes. The next morning, a young woman's ravaged body was found. I thought that is was interesting that such a seemingly fantastic story line was put together from a few, scattered, real-life occurrences.

        

Calgari’s distinct German expressionist style paved the way for future expressionist movies like Metropolis, and Nosferatu, which in turn ultimately led to the dark shadows and sharp angles of the film noir and urban crime dramas of the 1940’s. 

     

Course Concept: Expressionism and German Expressionism