Premium Essay

The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari Essay

Submitted By
Words 622
Pages 3
After its defeat in the First World War, Germany was left in a dismal state; there was a massive shortage of resources and thousands of German people had died. Many artists, including the creators of the film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, were forever changed after witnessing the horrors that war had caused. The effects of the war caused them to turn inward and seek ways to try and verbalize their emotional states. German citizens wanted a retreat from their bleak reality. This need to express their emotions led German artist to create a movement of expression that is known as German Expressionism. German Expressionism manifested the German people’s state of mind in cinema through the use of distorted sets, dark, compelling stories, and exaggerated performances. Expressionism was an artistic way to visually represent the inward anxieties felt by the German society after the war. One way this was achieved in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was through director, Robert Wiene’s use of set designs. The sets were jagged, angled, and gave the viewer feelings of being disoriented and unbalanced. These sets represent the uneasiness people felt about the future of their society. …show more content…
Caligari encompasses the postwar feelings of tension, uncertainty and dread that German citizens were feeling at the time. The film tells the story of the town of Holstenwall that is plagued with a serial murder after a carnival has come into to town. The citizens of the town were left in an unstable mental state, as were Germans during this period. By the end of the film, in a twisted turn of events, it is later revealed that the story is actually being told from the mind of a madman. After the war, the mental set of most German people was disillusioned. The film’s story encompasses these feelings by presenting a false start to the story and later revealing the truth, causing the entire plot to twist and turn and forcing the viewers to second guest themselves every step of the

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari Essay

...Robert Wiene’s silent film, “The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari”, is an early cinematic gem that uses expressionist form in order to convey social and political messages to viewers. This film is not only a representation of the artistic styles within Germany at the time, but also an insight on the opinions of the German people during the early Weimar Republic. Sociologists, such as Siegfried Kracauer, have praised this film for its artistic form and political message. The expressionist stylings of The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari are both immediate and abundant throughout the film. Gothic themes enter the storyline within the first scene when a man is observing the movements of the spirit of his fiancee. Title cards with disorderly designs narrate much...

Words: 758 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Cabinet Of Caligari

...In the 1920 film, The Cabinet of Caligri, Cesare symbolizes how the common folk can be lead to commit atrocities by a brutal government (Doctor Caligri). The people watching the film are represented by Francis, whose own sanity is shown to be questionable towards the end. This essay will conduct a visual analysis of The Cabinet of Caligri and focus on the characters Cesare, Doctor Caligri and Francis to establish how they represent different parts of society. The story takes place with Francis telling an older man about how his life was altered. He explains that he lived in Holstenwall, and everything begins to go shadowy. Francis tells the story about a string of murders that happen when a local fair comes to town and Doctor Caligri obtains...

Words: 1279 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Harvard Reference

...Harvard Referencing Electronic Sources How do I cite electronic sources? Citations for electronic sources are usually based on the same principles as citations for print sources like books and jounrals. The Harvard System requires two parts: you should have both in-text references and a list of references at the end of your work. 1. Within the Text—In-text Citations The Harvard referencing system requires you to include specific information about a source within the text of your work. This information is: • the name of the author or authors the year of publication While the page number is usually included for print materials, many electronic resources don’t have page numbering. Only include page numbers where applicable. • What are Electronic Sources? Electronic sources include: • web sites • • • • • emails films, videos or dvds podcasts and radio broadcasts journal articles published on the Internet journal articles retrieved from the full text databases available from the Library CD ROMs 2. At the End of the Text—List of References At the end of your assignment, you must include a List of References, a list of all the books, journal articles and other sources of information you have used to research your assignment. • What information should I include? Referencing electronic resources can be confusing. It can be difficult to know which information should be included or where to find it. However, as a general principle, provide as much information as possible...

Words: 3389 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Media

...for survival of man against man and man against nature. Some characters survive, others don’t. Most films can be analyzed more thoroughly to reveal deeper levels of meaning. A review (perhaps 400-1200 words) typically includes personal impressions and evaluations of a movie’s content and techniques. A good review may be subjective, yet still touch superficially on topics that might be explored in more detail in a longer formal analysis. An analysis (perhaps 1200-12,000 words) attempts to determine how the film actually uses various cinematic techniques and elements of film or narrative form to make a viewer react in a certain way and why it makes viewers come away with certain opinions about it. Serious film criticism, whether essays written for magazines, journals, books, or class assignments,...

Words: 3055 - Pages: 13

Free Essay

Child Labour

...10000 quiz questions and answers www.cartiaz.ro 10000 general knowledge questions and answers 10000 general knowledge questions and answers www.cartiaz.ro No Questions Quiz 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Carl and the Passions changed band name to what How many rings on the Olympic flag What colour is vermilion a shade of King Zog ruled which country What colour is Spock's blood Where in your body is your patella Where can you find London bridge today What spirit is mixed with ginger beer in a Moscow mule Who was the first man in space What would you do with a Yashmak Who betrayed Jesus to the Romans Which animal lays eggs On television what was Flipper Who's band was The Quarrymen Which was the most successful Grand National horse Who starred as the Six Million Dollar Man In the song Waltzing Matilda - What is a Jumbuck Who was Dan Dare's greatest enemy in the Eagle What is Dick Grayson better known as What was given on the fourth day of Christmas What was Skippy ( on TV ) What does a funambulist do What is the name of Dennis the Menace's dog What are bactrians and dromedaries Who played The Fugitive Who was the King of Swing Who was the first man to fly across the channel Who starred as Rocky Balboa In which war was the charge of the Light Brigade Who invented the television Who would use a mashie niblick In the song who killed Cock Robin What do deciduous...

Words: 123102 - Pages: 493