The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

   

The German expressionist film has stood the test of time. When I watched it for the first time, I was surprised at how unnerved I was over such an old, silent film. It is not so much that the film had shock moments or jump-in-your-seats reveals, but it was unsettling watching the somnambulist, Caesare, carry Jane through the bizarre set designs accompanied by creepy music. The film being in black and white only enhanced the uncomfortable feelings I experienced. The reason why the film has stood the test of time is because it is still scary today. Without it, horror movies and artistic ideas would not have progressed in the same way.
As I watched The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, I thought of four fathers of modern movies that would also go on to influence the industry. The first one that immediately came to mind was Stephen King and The Shining. The insanity that was layered into the story was similar to the way it was in Caligari. As Jack walks through the hotel on the cold, stormy night, the events are terrifying in the sense that they are unsettling to the eye. For example, the quick flashes of blood going through the hallways, the twins standing at the end of a never-ending corridor, and the old woman in the bath tub are all disturbing moments, in the same way as certain moments in Caligari. Another thing was that in Caligari, the background was a character itself as it twisted and turned in unnatural ways. In movies from Hitchcock and Vincent Price, the set pieces are characters too. They are dead, simple backgrounds, but the ominous appearance brings life to the horror element. For example, Bates house from Psycho that loomed behind the motel was always watching and the house in House on Haunted Hill provided its own set of surprises. The last thing is the dark look that characters brought to their faces in Caligari that made the movie even creepier. Caesare showed no emotion and had a zombie-like appearance. That same look can be seen in Romero's Night of the Living Dead on all the zombie faces, and all the zombie faces to come in the future.
Put aside the influence it had on horror movies alone, and look at the movement The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari shadowed in expressionist ideas around the world. Expressionism originated in Germany and it reflected German emotions that the people were feeling post World War 1. Siegfried Kracauer, author of From Caligari to Hitler, argues that the character of Caligari represents a tyrannical figure, to whom the only alternative is social chaos. As history would have it, Germany would choose to follow a tyrant. Hitler's rise to power was a horror movie in itself. Italy was experiencing the same thing as Germany. America chose to reject expressionism originally because it frightened them. They did not want to have to fight another war or worry about social chaos; so they ignored it and hypnotized themselves into the carefree Roaring 20's. Move to Japan, where the people chose a balance of a tyrant and social chaos by closing their boarders. While the movie is not relevant to such important historical events, the idea behind it impacted the world.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari has moved audiences in an unsettling way for years. It continues to entertain and provoke the minds of the modern world today. It remains a classic because of the impact it left.