The Influence of Dr. Caligari

     

        The acclaimed first horror film, Robert Wiene's "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," impressed me. It is clear why it was revolutionary for the genre, even withstanding the time period's obstacles. Instead of being a simple story that shows the intrigue of how terror is an effective way of keeping a viewer's attention, it also comments on some of humanity's flaws. 

        Being released in 1920, the obsolete technology is apparent but it does not hinder the film. Opposed to modern entertainment being reliant on flashy and often overused VFX and editing techniques, there is a charm to the old simplicity. The only major technological flaw holding back "Dr. Caligari" was no audio for the dialogue, making it rely on cuts for the viewers to read text. At first, it was overused but somewhat necessary to give exposition, but I enjoyed when it was used less and we were forced to understand what was going on using context, the score, and the acting. The theatre-like backgrounds had a surprising amount of depth and the minimal cuts where one camera angle was held for a while added to the effective simplicity.

        While visually the film is clearly at the time's standards, the storytelling stands the test of time. It was clear that Cesare, the somnambulist, was behind the murders, but the way Dr. Caligari was framed and his expressions foreshadowed how he was ultimately the true villain. This can represent many ideas, like how the mentally ill or disabled are used by others to carry out harmful actions. About how those in power can be perceived in a better light if they can influence others to be blamed and escape suspicion, even for a moment. It can also be an allegory for the unconscious conditioning that people can be put through. Since Cesare is constantly sleeping, he can be an example of how someone can be unaware of how they are being used, being suggested actions when they are most vulnerable and not portraying their true self.