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The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) - Review

Fig. 1 – Dr. Caligari Poster Art 

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is the story of a menacing hypnotist whose arrival in town

coincides with a string of murders, told through the character Francis who tells the story to a

visitor at an insane asylum. An expressionistic German film; inspiration for many works

including the “film noir” genre; Conrad Veidt also starred in “Casablanca”, one of the mostrenowned films of the aforementioned genre.

Fig. 2  – Dr. Caligari Rooftops  

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The entire film’s set style is seemingly presented in a way that represents the mindset of Dr.

Caligari and/or Francis to the audience, possibly flowing from the idea that his thought

patterns are abstract and distorted perceptions of reality.

“ He is making a film of delusions and deceptive appearances, about madmen and murder, and his characters exist at right angles to reality.” Ebert, Roger (2009) 

Using this theory as a basis, certain aspects may be analysed. The heavy use of triangles

suggests a menacing and violent thought pattern, the spider webs could be attributed to the

organised and intricate nature of the murders and the spiral may represent his downward

spiral into madness and/or obsession.

“ Robert Wiene has made perfect use of settings designed by Hermann Warm, Walter Reimann and Walter Roehrig, settings 

that squeeze and turn and adjust the eye and through the eye the mentality.” Variety Staff (N/A)

Fig. 3  – Cesare skulking about  

Moving onto the practical side of the design, the film lends itself well to the silent film genre.

Not only is the set design very expressionistic in itself, it arguably amplifies the exaggerated

movements the actors made to convey their emotional states.

“ "Caligari" creates a charcoal-drawn world that accommodates these extravagant mannerisms with heavy make-up and dark 

costumes intensifying the attitudes of the players.”   – Hilditch, Nick (2001)

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The intense contrast of the sets when used in conjunction with the costume design of

Cesare creates such intense and expressive silhouettes and helps exaggerate movements

to create a stylised reality.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is an excellent example of using set design to help tell a story.

With the absence of sound, visual communication was even more essential than it is intoday’s cinema. What was achieved with Caligari was a beautifully expressive and effective

film to which future genres and styles owe a lot to.

Cast:

Dr. Caligari  – Werner KraussCesare  – Conrad VeidtFrancis  – Friedrich FeherJane  – Lil Dagover

Director –

Robert Wiene

Bibliography

Ebert, Roger. (2009) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari review At:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090603/REVIEWS08/90603998

7/1023 

Hilditch, Nick. (2001) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari review At:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/03/01/cabinet_of_dr_caligari_1920_review.shtml 

Variety Staff. (N/A) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari review At:

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117789633/  

List of illustrations

Figure 1. Dr. Caligari Poster Art. (com) [Online image] At:

http://verdoux.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari.jpg (Accessed on

19/11/2011)

Figure 2. Dr. Caligari rooftops. (com) [Online image] At:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=EB&Date=20090603&Category=RE

VIEWS08&ArtNo=906039987&Ref=AR&Profile=1023&Maxw=366  (Accessed on

19/11/2011)

Figure 3. Cesare skulking about. (com) [Online image] At:

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltklqqJ1HQ1qljp4ho1_500.jpg (Accessed on 19/11/2011)

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