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Expressionism played a very important role in the artistic scene of Germany, primarily occurring at the onset of the 20th century. It talks about humanity’s role on earth and with each other, and how broader society alienates individuals, while also trying to give off empathy and compassion artists had for each other. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a silent horror film directed by Robert Wiene can be used as a prime example of the permanence of the expressionist movement in this time of Germany’s history, as well as acting as a leaping point to further popularize the traits of the artistic style. The film’s narrative is surrounded by strange and dark scenes, warping common sights and sounds in an unimaginable barrage of ideas and images. There is always a feeling of unease and intentional surrealism that makes the audience feel uneasy. It brings in the idea of evil and wickedness into the narrative and the people who inhabit a dark, angular world as well. The visuals connect with the internal struggles of the German people. As the film shows the stifling of life and extreme and corrupt order, the Germans felt the same way. The people of Germany had to endure the hardships with the trauma of extreme violence and loss of life post WW1. The films gloomy tones and angular style doesn’t just intend to represent the loss of life that occurred after WW1, but also the loss of freedoms and happiness citizens would have felt before the war. Germans were forced to work for the politicians running their government, just as Dr. Caligari manipulates individuals within the film to do his bidding. While Dr. Caligari is just a single human, the film uses expressionism and its different reality to show that for the characters and the actual citizens of Germany, their tough ways of living were not able to come to an end. Through his film, Robert Weine saw the plight of his fellow German man; the feelings of loneliness and loss of control over one’s life. Instead, they felt like they had been put in a dark reality, asking to the one The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari takes place in.
Expressionism aims to change reality into one that on face-value would not be recognized but is on an emotional level. Within the medium, the same features continually are used, and a pattern is used to identify if a work falls under this exact movement. There is a very distinct emphasis on the distortion of the overall piece. No matter how far removed the visuals may seem from one’s own life, it should still offer a tiny look into the views of the artists. The expressionist movement takes one’s worst feelings and turns them into something you can see. The medium allowed different artists to take their confusion and beliefs and create a very different version of them. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a vehicle for this tendency in Weine, who takes the low morale of the Germans and lets people watch the amazing visuals. It shows the Germans being forced into acts of violence and war against their own well-being, just as Dr. Caligari does to character such as Cesare.
With such a striking and violate display of emotions in his film, and the darkness that Weine places his characters in, it’s not far-fetched to take away an anti-government message from the piece. The displeasure towards the choices of the leaders of Germany at the time, especially concerning the war and the deaths it caused, is portrayed in full-force on the screen. Their authority is questioned, as the decisions they made for the country only seemed to further its problems and weigh on its citizens. Whether it be the inability to properly rebuild the nation after the destruction it faced, the financial and economic depression it fell into, or the overall disrespect it showed for the citizens who struggled through WW1, Germany was falling apart at the seams. As citizens lost hope, a film that represented these feelings was inevitable, and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was one of the first films to fill that need. Characters were constructed as stand ins for the German people, especially Cerasee, who dies from being overworked and complete exhaustion. Authority had become too much for the Germans, and they felt like the end of their society and lives was constantly near.
The film at its core aims to create and dark and oppressive visualization of the German population unhappiness over their economic and cultural predicament. It also aims to show the oppressive nature of the German government post-WW1. In a sense, watching the film is like viewing someone’s fever-dream or nightmare, and is intentionally separate from reality. By adding the framing device present at the beginning and end of the film, this message of uncertainty and surrealism is undermined. Rather than being a clear depiction of joylessness and conformity, it instead actually conforms in its own way to the audience and what traditional art is intended to be. It makes the message too obvious, and takes away possible interpretations of its themes from those who view it. With the narrative frame gone, the film would be a pure expression of emotion and anger. Instead, while it still holds a deep meaning and has been incredibly influential in art and how we view Germany at this time, it is still relegated to following the rules and expectations of film. While the message is received, the way it is packaged is far too traditional for what it aims to accomplish.
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