Things to Watch For in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Generally, I recommend that you watch each film twice.  Personally, I prefer to watch the film the first time without having read anything about it to get the true theater experience.  Then, do the readings and watch the film again.  With that in mind, here's some things to watch for as you view the film a second time:

Things to Watch For

• Note the frame story which was conceived by Fritz Lang and added to the original screenplay over the objections of the screenwriters Carl Mayer and Hans Janowitz. How does this change the film?
  
  
• Note the usage of and dependence upon the Intertitles to convey information in this "silent" film. Also, note how the scrolling of the intertitles builds tension. Of course, like most, if not all, silent films, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari has a musical score.
  
  
• Note the iris out effect that opens the film and the various iris in and iris out effects throughout the film.
  
  
• Note how this film does not try for verisimilitude, but instead is Expressionistic. Note the unnatural, distorted look of the world--the strangely shaped doors and windows, the towering furniture, the weird geometric shapes of light and shadow, the jagged forest. How do you think this slanted world of jagged angles and sharply pointed objects affects the film?
  
  
• Note how we as the viewing audience, just like the audience at the fair, are enticed to go inside to see The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
  
  
• Note Cesar's pallid expression accentuated by the dark circles around his eyes. These along with his awkwardly rigid posture and herky-jerky way of walking would become the standard representation for zombies in film.
  
  
• Note the three streaks in Dr. Caligari's hair and the three stripes on his glove.
  
  
• Note the scene where Francis is waiting in the empty hall of the asylum, standing directly in the center of an alternating black and white circle to form a memorable tableau—much like an Expressionistic painting.
  
  
• Note how the film is shot mainly in medium and long shots without the close-ups we would expect today. Also note the lack of editing. Instead of cutting from one shot to another, the shots are held for a longer time.
  
  
• Some trivia for you. Conrad Veidt, the actor who played Cesar moved on to England and then Hollywood. During his Hollywood career, he is best known for playing the role of Major Heinrich Strasser in Casablanca.