In general, film is a significantly more imaginative medium than photography. It requires imagination, direction, and execution whereas photography is usually a visual representation of a preexisting scene or subject. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was an innovative exploration of the unknown and toyed with the viewers’ perception. Considering the time period, the cinematography of the film was especially riveting, given that special effects were not popularized or even particularly well developed yet. Cinematography aside, even the very plot of the film obscured the truth of the narrative, which was what made the film so interesting. For the majority of the duration of the movie, the viewer, not unlike the character Francis, is under the impression that Cesare (the somnambulist) was committing the murders. It seemed likely, considering that he predicts a murder with extreme accuracy.
Francis sparks an investigation of Dr. Caligari and Cesare, leading the police to discover that the Cesare that appeared to be sleeping at the time of the murder was just a mannequin, making it seem all the more likely that he was committing the murders. He goes on further to accuse Dr. Caligari of emulating a mystic from the 1700s that went by the same name that used a somnambulist (Cesare) to commit serial murders and cover his tracks. In Francis’ narrative, Dr. Caligari is the director of an insane asylum, in which he himself eventually becomes a patient due to his crimes (after Cesare is found dead). All of this is presented as truth in the film, even though it is simply Francis’ recollection of the events. For this reason, it is the viewer’s only account of the events. However, in the end it is revealed that Francis is the crazy one and belongs in the insane asylum- the entire story is revealed to be a delusion. This was an essentially unforeseeable twist that forces the viewer to question truth and reality as we know it. I found the most convincing feature of this plot layout to be how believable the acting was in what turned out to be Francis’ narrative- because we were watching the story as HE understood it, we had no way of discerning exactly what was real and what was not.
If I were to create my own silent murder-mystery film set in present day New York City, it would be very difficult, if not entirely impossible, due to the sheer amount of security cameras. For this reason, my film would be shot entirely in the style of security camera footage. However, because there a few select areas that Big Brother has not yet pervaded (such as bathrooms, private residences, and the hearts of public parks), not everything could be see by the viewer, making the plot “mysterious.” I imagine it would be set somewhere in Central Park, most likely at night. Since it is much more green and contains many more secluded corners than the rest of the city, it would be the perfect setting for an undetected murder. I would want the sound that accompanies this film to include shrill, screeching, violins, if it were to be possible to have this accompaniment when the film was being shown in a theater.
Veronica Funk
