Context and Craft: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari 1920
Country: Germany
Production Company: Decle-Bioscop
Year of Release: 1920
Director: Robert Wiene
Writer(s): Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer
Lead Performers: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover, Hans Twardowski
Production Company: Decle-Bioscop
Year of Release: 1920
Director: Robert Wiene
Writer(s): Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer
Lead Performers: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover, Hans Twardowski
Synopsis
Dr. Caligari possess the man known as Cesare to do his deadly work.
The Film
In 1919, the Wiemar Republic was just coming to existence, rising from the ashes of the German Empire after the First World War. The new Republic was suffering from mass inflation, starvation and near industrial collapse, but also great political upheaval. German cinema was especially hard hit at the time, as import laws on German films where especially tight following the war.
It was under this atmosphere of reparation and unease that Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer wrote the script for The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari. During the war, Janowitz had been an officer but the entire experience had left him jaded with authority. Mayer had pretended to be insane and was subjected to intense scrutiny by a military psychologist who tried to figure out whether or not he was actually insane. After the war, both men became writers, however they where not successful and where penniless. Janowitz and Mayer had been introduced by a mutual friend, and soon after meeting they were convinced by actor Gilda Langer (whom Mayer was in love with) that they should write a film together.
It has been theorized by many film critics that the film is about the rejection of unquestionable authority, as both Janowitz and Meyer both distrusted the government, however more recent theories suggest that the film was just meant as a horror tale, being inspired by a murder that Janowitz believed he witnessed near and amusement park in 1913.
Many of the main character in the film where inspired by people that both Meyer and Janowitz knew in their own lives. For example the character of Jane was inspired by Gilda Langer, while Dr.Caligari was inspired by Mayer’s military psychologist.
Janowitz and Mayer attempted to get a meeting with film producer Erich Pommer, who at first attempted to get rid of them, however after they persisted he agreed to read their script, however the writers refused to leave the script with him and when they met the producer, Mayer sat down with Pommer and read him the script. Pommer was so impressed with the script that he decided to produce the script straight away. Pommer later said “They saw in the script an ‘experiment’. I saw a relatively cheap film.’
Pommer hired Robert Wiene to direct the film. After reading the script, Wiene hired Hermann Warm to come up with the production design of the film. Warm consulted with the painted Walter Reimann and the set designer Walter Rohrig to come up with the design of the film, and it was decided that the best visual style of the film would be an expressionist style. When this idea was suggested to Pommer, he loved it, however he loved it for commercial, not artistic reasons, Expressionism was wildly popular at the time.
Filming began 5 months after the script had been bought, which was unusually long for the time, however even more unusual for the time, the entire film was shot on a sound stage, due to the fact that every single set in the film had to be painted.
Upon its initial release in Germany the film was not received well. Criticism for the filmed ranged from it being to much like a stage production, too it mocking expressionism as a whole. Once the film was released in the United States, it was boycotted by many in Hollywood, those who feared that the American film industry would be ruined by such foreign imports.
It was not until recently that the film received the recognition it deserves. It is now considered to be the quintessential work of German Expressionism on film and has been called the “first true horror movie”. It is also cited as a major inspiration for Film Noir.
For me, the film is a truly un-nerving film, its paced weirdly, the performances are spooky and then entire set design lend a sort of dream like atmosphere to the entire film. So why not this year for Halloween, sit down and watch the first real horror movie.
Dr. Caligari possess the man known as Cesare to do his deadly work.
The Film
In 1919, the Wiemar Republic was just coming to existence, rising from the ashes of the German Empire after the First World War. The new Republic was suffering from mass inflation, starvation and near industrial collapse, but also great political upheaval. German cinema was especially hard hit at the time, as import laws on German films where especially tight following the war.
It was under this atmosphere of reparation and unease that Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer wrote the script for The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari. During the war, Janowitz had been an officer but the entire experience had left him jaded with authority. Mayer had pretended to be insane and was subjected to intense scrutiny by a military psychologist who tried to figure out whether or not he was actually insane. After the war, both men became writers, however they where not successful and where penniless. Janowitz and Mayer had been introduced by a mutual friend, and soon after meeting they were convinced by actor Gilda Langer (whom Mayer was in love with) that they should write a film together.
It has been theorized by many film critics that the film is about the rejection of unquestionable authority, as both Janowitz and Meyer both distrusted the government, however more recent theories suggest that the film was just meant as a horror tale, being inspired by a murder that Janowitz believed he witnessed near and amusement park in 1913.
Many of the main character in the film where inspired by people that both Meyer and Janowitz knew in their own lives. For example the character of Jane was inspired by Gilda Langer, while Dr.Caligari was inspired by Mayer’s military psychologist.
Janowitz and Mayer attempted to get a meeting with film producer Erich Pommer, who at first attempted to get rid of them, however after they persisted he agreed to read their script, however the writers refused to leave the script with him and when they met the producer, Mayer sat down with Pommer and read him the script. Pommer was so impressed with the script that he decided to produce the script straight away. Pommer later said “They saw in the script an ‘experiment’. I saw a relatively cheap film.’
Pommer hired Robert Wiene to direct the film. After reading the script, Wiene hired Hermann Warm to come up with the production design of the film. Warm consulted with the painted Walter Reimann and the set designer Walter Rohrig to come up with the design of the film, and it was decided that the best visual style of the film would be an expressionist style. When this idea was suggested to Pommer, he loved it, however he loved it for commercial, not artistic reasons, Expressionism was wildly popular at the time.
Filming began 5 months after the script had been bought, which was unusually long for the time, however even more unusual for the time, the entire film was shot on a sound stage, due to the fact that every single set in the film had to be painted.
Upon its initial release in Germany the film was not received well. Criticism for the filmed ranged from it being to much like a stage production, too it mocking expressionism as a whole. Once the film was released in the United States, it was boycotted by many in Hollywood, those who feared that the American film industry would be ruined by such foreign imports.
It was not until recently that the film received the recognition it deserves. It is now considered to be the quintessential work of German Expressionism on film and has been called the “first true horror movie”. It is also cited as a major inspiration for Film Noir.
For me, the film is a truly un-nerving film, its paced weirdly, the performances are spooky and then entire set design lend a sort of dream like atmosphere to the entire film. So why not this year for Halloween, sit down and watch the first real horror movie.
By Barnaby Falck