German Expressionism, World War I and The First Horror Film

 The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

*Listed in the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (S.J. Schneider) - An Art movie to the high class crowds who appreciate innovation, but also a horror movie with a gimmick.

In my essay, I am going to be exploring the conventions used within The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Wiene, 1920) to establish why this film was historically significant. I am going to be focusing on film form, film content and National context. However, before I begin my analysis it is important to establish the meaning of these terms. As stated in the Oxford Dictionary of Film Studies (2012) Film form is ‘’ the constituent elements of a film or films, fictional or non fictional, and the perceivable relationship between them. Form is a critical term referencing an established pattern of literary devices or, more broadly, signals the structure of design in a particular work.’’ (p. 163) This means that, film form and the formal components of a film give the work a distinctive shape and character. 

As shown by Bordwell & Thompson (1993) at the start of World War I, the output of the German film industry was relatively small. During this period in time, the movie theatres were mainly playing French, American, Italian and Danish films. The war had drastic effects on the German film industry as France and American banned German films from their screens immediately. Unfortunately, the German film industry was not powerful and wealthy enough to do the same, as this would result in movie theatres getting closed due to a lack of films being shown. The German government did in fact support the film industry; however, the films were mainly propaganda driven. In the late 1918, with the end of the war, the need for overt militarist propaganda disappeared. Bordwell & Thompson (1993) suggest that, the German film industry mainly focused on making mainstream dramas and comedies, however, they also made adventure serials, sex exploitation cycles, which dealt with ‘’educational’’ topics such as homosexuality. The German industry also attempted to copy Italian historical epics of the pre-war period. The war not only left a mark on society, but it also caused the film industry to suffer, something had to be done in order to keep the spectators entertained. This is when the avant garde movement began with Janowitz and Mayer wanting to make a film that was stylized in an unusual way. As proposed by Bordwell & Thompson (1993, p.460) the company officials wanted to try the avant garde movement, apparently believing that this will be the ‘selling point in the international market.’ The Cabin of Dr. Caligari was made inexpensively and vindicated this view when it created a sensation in Berlin, then the United States, France and many other countries. Due to the major success of the movie, other films in the expressionist style followed, resulting in the movement lasting several years.

Doll (2010) states that the two writers of the film, Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer, who both emerged from World War I, strongly embittered against the wartime government. This resulted in them using the powerful new medium of film, to create an expressionist masterpiece that became highly successful and is generally regarded as one of the first horror films. The German nation was devastated after their defeat in World War I. ‘’ While the nation’s exterior shined of industrialized modernity, the “double wound of war and defeat festered beneath the glittering surface.” The morale and spirits of German civilians were shattered to the point where many were looking for a sense of escape from the realities around them.’’ (Kryah 2015) In Kryah’s article, it is stated that, Janowitz and fellow pacifist Carl Mayer, were both so affected by the war that they wrote The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. The film is a response to the unchecked governmental authority that the war was both born of and nourished by. 

Caligari is established as a masterpiece of German Expressionism. Expressionism (German Expressionism) is a ‘’ term borrowed from painting and theatre, denoting a body of films made in Germany between 1919- 1930. It refers to an extreme stylization of mise en scene, with low key, shadowy lightning, at times high fluid camera movements, which evoke an atmosphere of forbidding, anxiety and paranoia.’’ (Oxford Dictionary of Film Studies 2012, p.151.) 

From the beginning of the film, the audience get a feeling of dread, the opening credits read ‘spirits are all around us’ and the main character begins to tell his story by saying ‘what we have lived through is strange’. This could be argued, to be a direct link to the occurrences of the First World War, as what people have witnessed and experienced can only be described as strange and haunting. In Caligari, the Expressionist stylization ‘functions to convey the distorted viewpoint of a madman.’ (Bordwell & Thompson 1993, p.461) We see the world as the hero does. Kryah (2015) argues that, Expressionists sought to ‘emphasize subjects suggestive of interior states.’ The mise en scene used within this film, presents the audiences with distorted landscapes, the streets are narrow, the pavements are uneven and the walls are slanted. It is possible to argue that, the director chose to design the set in such a way to show the damage done by the terrors of the war and the post war aftermath. Many argue that, expressionists such as Wiene used the film medium to reflect the world, however, they do not try to reproduce the world as purely and simple as it appears to be. Instead, such directors as Wiene focus on ‘feelings and perceptions, which reflect expressionism’s relationship with modernism’ (Doll 2010) Bordwell & Thompson (1993) also propose that, the success of Caligari and other Expressionist films kept Germany’s avant garde directors largely within the industry. The expressionist movement and the massive success of Caligari helped the German film industry to gain respect among the best directors and films. ’ By the mid 1920s, the most prominent German films were widely regarded as among the best in the world.’ (Bordwell and Thompson 1993, p.460)

In conclusion, through my in-depth analysis of The cabinet of Dr. Caligari, as well as an analysis of the historical background of the film, it is possible to argue that this film had a major influence on the German film industry. The expressionist movement was believed to be a selling point, and this is exactly what the German film industry needed during the post-war period. Due to the horrific events of the war, the German film industry lost a lot of respect from other countries, resulting in their national films getting banned. However, due to the brave movement and the support of the companies, German Expressionism was able to flourish. The avant garde movement gave the spectators what they were hungry for, a novelty, an insight into the character’s perspectives, internal desires and emotions. There is no doubt that Caligari offers exactly that to its audiences. Butler (2002) suggests that, the movement was a ‘direct influence on Alfred Hitchcock who worked in Germany in the mid 1920s.’ Butler also argues that, most of the expressionist practitioners immigrated to America, where they influenced first the Universal horrors of the 1930s, and then the look of Film Noirs. This shows that, such films as Caligari had a major influence on the development of new cinematic styles as well as establishing new genres worldwide. The bravery and the creative inventions of the Expressionist directors are praised, as without them the audiences would have never been able to not only watch films, but to feel a part of their world.

Bordwell, D. & Thompson, K. (1993) Film Art: An Introduction. 4^th edn. London: McGraw-Hill.

Butler, M. A. (2002) The Pocket Essentials: Film Studies. Herts: Pocket Essentials.

Doll, M. (2010) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Available at: https://modernism.research.yale.edu/wiki/index.php/The_Cabinet_of_Dr._Caligari (Accessed: 20th August 2016)

Kryah, K. (2015) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: Dark Relationship With Postwar Germany. Available at: http://the-artifice.com/the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari-dark-relationship-with-postwar-germany/ (Accessed: 23^rd August 2016)

Kuhn, A. & Westwell, G. (2012) A Dictionary of Film Studies. 1^st edn. Oxford University Press.