9/27 Expressionism: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (LATE)

Assignment Due 9/27:  Choose a scene from the film and describe the scene. Then write your interpretation of the scene and the meaning of it. After that write why you chose this scene and how it relates to the class.



The scene the at I choose from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari film is the moment after Dr. Caligari wakes up the somnambulist Cesare for the first time and Alan asks him how long does he have to live. In this scene, you can see the horror in the eyes of the Cesare who although being under the control of Dr. Caligari expresses his own emotions. This moment is followed by Alan who immediately asks Cesare how long does he have to live to which Cesare replies he only has until dawn.

I chose this scene because it contains both the element of expressionist art as well as the Nihilism that was sweeping Germany during this time period post World War I. This scene (much like the rest of the film) is very dark both in lighting and atmosphere. One would think that a carnival is a happy place where people go to unwind and have a fun afternoon looking at both oddities and enjoying rides like the Merry-Go-Round that appears earlier in the film. However, when Dr. Caligari attracts people to see Cesare there is a feeling of overwhelming uncertainty of what to expect. This feeling is enhanced by the overall darkness of the film as well the weirdly shaped stage and other background making it look much more distorted. The look on Cesare's face when he opens his eyes is a look of horror as if he, himself was staring death in the face. This makes me believe that the audience to him is horrifying, although he is in a sleepwalking state, where he is unconsciously following Dr. Caligari's commands he seems to have some autonomy when it comes to his feelings although there might be nothing he can do. Cesare to me symbolizes the reaction of the rest of the world after seeing the horrors of war thanks to World War I. He sees man as a destructive monstrosity and his state of somnambulism represents the state in which the actual populous live post WWI where the purpose of living was lost amongst the tragedy of the millions of deaths resulting from the war. This then intertwines with the Nihilism that was sweeping Germany. The idea that life is meaningless and this is further seen (although it is not my chosen scene) when Cesare is getting fed by Dr. Caligari, we live in a state of submission and emptiness. Alan asking how long he has to live also expresses the fact that people believe their life was meaningless and that nothing could really save you. This is supported by the way after Alan learns of his impending death and is shocked he immediately forgets until his death becomes a reality. This scene embodies both the new form of expressionist art people were using and the Nihilism ideas that were taking over Germany.