Films are very different from photographs because such a large aspect of time can be captured. It is no longer a single moment that is being captured, but rather a whole timeline. The Cabinet of D.Caligari is a silent German horror movie from the 1920s. The main actor, Francis, goes into a flashback and that is how the movie begins. Throughout the movie, Dr. Caligari- a mysterious doctor, Francis, and Alan go through events of murder, mystery, and suspense. The most fascinating aspect of the whole movie, is that it is a silent movie! The idea of a silent movie in the 20th century almost sounds bizarre. As of now, we are used to huge cinematography films, with ridiculous scripts, animations, and music. Back then, the idea that something can even be simply recorded and put on a screen to show others, was a break through. Despite there being no script, voices wise, the story line was nonetheless still powerful and easily understood.
The aspect of the movie that stood out to me was definitely the music. Music is able to express emotion and feeling in ways that words sometimes cannot. The suspenseful and dramatic music at times helped me understand the movie as a whole. The music helped me understand that this was in fact a horror thriller, and that there was the test between murder and mystery throughout the whole time. Throughout the whole movie- truth versus reality was tested. The fact that there were no actual words being said, the viewers focus moves to the movement of characters. Their movement as well as facial expressions helped understand the reality aspect of the movie. Despite this, looks can be very deceiving. Some understanding was still lost in translation because not everyone interprets the same emotions and feelings the same way.
If I had to construct my own horror movie in New York City, I would definitely use the advantage of being able to stage it in Central Park. Being one of the most popular tourist attractions the city has to offer, it is the perfect location. Central Park stretches through midtown, upper east side, and Harlem. All these different areas of the city are home to millions of people, races, and nationalities. Once the lights go down, Central Park is practically empty. During the day, it’s hustling and bustling with tourists taking pictures, joggers and bikers, and simply people laying on the lawn admiring the view. At night, things get skeptical. Being a tourist in a park with practically no people, is a very dramatic scene for a murder. I would use the idea of the park to my full overall advantage to convey reality and suspense. Overall, the movie helped me branch out into a style of cinematography that I have never been exposed to before and I am glad I was because it led me to interpret movies in a completely different way.
