Film has certainly evolved since its inception. Its purpose, however, has remained the same over the century: to conjure emotion and thought. Of course, emotions people feel vary across a wide spectrum, from hope and joy to bordering on fear and terror. This margin often evokes emotions that raise questions about what we are seeing. Is film, with images of real people living and moving, an accurate depiction of reality, or is it reinterpreting and distorting our view of it? I tend to find psychological thrillers and horror movies a distorted lens in which people view reality, but somehow, they contain some element of truth, although it is quite difficult to pinpoint. Evidence of this, though, is seen in one of the earliest films in the aforementioned genre: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
One of the most notable aspects of the film is its silence, filled in only by brooding, and often foreboding, musical score. Words and sounds, be it a scream or a gasp, have a way that connects the mind of a viewer to the events happening on a screen. Without them, how can a powerful response or emotion be evoked. Throughout the film, the actors have made up for the words with exaggerated facial expressions and gross motor movements that border on histrionic. The eyes of the actors are horribly defined and their actions border a grotesque dance. In this way, the film is playing with how one interprets reactions that are normally evident in reality. Yet, it also speaks volumes of the importance of facial expression and movement and how they alone can tell a story that words may not be able to.
The lighting is also an interesting element of this film. The set is made of exaggerated lines and curves with jagged light painted directly on to the forms of buildings and scenery. This, perhaps, mirrors the deranged thoughts and views of the “mentally insane” that are evident throughout the film. Everything about the scenery is exaggerated and grotesque, something that translates to many of the characters, especially Dr. Caligari and Cesare. They seem like the only characters that actually fit in with the film while all the others seem out of place in a twisted world. This almost created a reality for me that gave me a glimpse into the mind of a madman and an unprecedented understanding on how he views reality. At the end of the film, there is an understanding that it was narrated by the madman, thus the reality he depicted can’t be accepted as a truth.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a work of genius that challenges the notions of sanity, insanity, and the thin line that divides them. It’s cinematic elements would be quite difficult to recreate in a modern setting, most notably the silence and distortion, for we are living in a society where sound and accuracy in film is prevalent. However, if I were to try to create a film set in the modern-era Manhattan, I would be afforded great opportunities to convey messages and ideas. The city is unique in a way that it is both old and new, both decrepit and gleaming. Manhattan is also illuminated by bright lights and has been deemed the city that never sleeps. Wouldn’t it be eerie to see it soulless in complete darkness? The reality of the city as the public knows it instantly becomes distorted. Like Dr. Caligari, I would also choose to end the film in a way that contrasts everything the viewer has seen, perhaps leaving it unsolved, a reality that humankind tends to shy away from. In the silence of the film, acting and raw human emotion, along with scenery and cinematography, perceptions of reality will be shouted.
Grace
