Upon watching “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” one is struck by how innovative the movie is for being produced in the early 1900s. Though the lack of sound, the special effects, and the acting might not compare to the evolved state that we currently have, the plot and the plot twists still make for a riveting film, and had this been produced nowadays it easily could have been a blockbuster movie. It actually strongly reminded me of a more recent movie, “Shutter Island”, because of how it ultimately leaves you on a cliffhanger regarding the reality of the characters’ roles and perspectives in the plot. Both movies take you on this whole journey, conveying the storyline through the eyes of an obvious protagonist, but then introduce new facts and perspectives at the end that make you completely question the validity of the protagonist’s storytelling. But again, whereas “Shutter Island” could use dialogue and real live scenery to convey the plot and its subsequent twists, “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” had to get more creative. Some scenery was hand drawn which adds yet another interpretive element to the movie, and although it is in black and white, they used different background colors to add some dimension in terms of aesthetics. In addition, the use of extravagant makeup and over-enthusiastic body movements were very expressive, and achieved the goal of conveying the emotions of the characters and a general sense of what was going on. The intertitles were yet another medium that the film used to convey the plot to us viewers, and “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” engaged them masterfully. The film placed them often enough to convey the plot to us, but also limited them so that they wouldn’t break up the visuals too much and become overwhelming. The text of the intertitles was also masterfully written, as they were in keeping with the dramatic feel of film. Overall “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” really mastered the art of the intertitle, as well as using different mediums to confuse the viewers’ sense of reality.
In thinking of New York City as a playground for a silent film, I was overwhelmed in trying to come up with different ways to play with the viewer’s perception on reality. The city is so dynamic and therefore there are so many possibly ways to achieve that. “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” used things like scenery and lighting to achieve that, but New York City offers more options than were available to the producers of that film. I would consider using reflections off storefront windows, or shots taken through a frame of a car window, or something similar to that, to add that extra dimension to reality that films are known for.
