The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari was the epitome of expressionism in post war Germany. It took the form of a visually stunning film that portrayed a socio-political message. The uses of shadows, …show more content…
The defeat of Germany in World War I created a society of devastated individuals with their backs to a wall. While under the colonial invasion of the American government, the development of expressionism was a way to escape that reality. It provided a sense of fresh air, gave rise to a voice that could rattle an entire culture without a word being spoken about the presence of a tyrannical force. It brought joy, a reason to smile and established a fictional world people could indulge in. Furthermore, it brought the realization of a tormented society and provoked the motivation of people to do something. Nevertheless its creation can hold the banning of foreign films …show more content…
Caligari, brought to life the depths of the human mind and how frightening it can be. Renown as the first horror film, Robert Wiene’s film used visual and narrative elements to invoke moods, about society, from the audience while portraying the ideals of expressionism. Robert exploited slanted shapes and streaks during the set design that explained his perspective of 1920s Germany and his own emotional state of mind. Actuality was mimicked through the image of a glass on a television screen. A theme of misalignment and distortion was central to the production of scenes. An example of this is the Grotesque and drawn-out shadows that sat on walls of sets while misleading streets curved equivalently to the houses that were juxtapose to them. The interior of building matched the ominous designs of their exterior to enhance the loopy feeling presented throughout the whole film; for instance, desks in the real world were outrageously stretched in the film. Doorways and other furniture pieces were not left out in the twisted asymmetrical design. The strange realm was fashioned to express the agony and distress the Germans people were facing at the end of the First World War. The narrative portion of the film had a purpose of adding additional chill to the backbone of the audience while telling the story of Dr. Caligari and Cesare. The narrator explained the plot and exposed a crucial element of the film therefore diminishing its effect on the way society was viewed