The Cabinet of Dr Caligari was an enjoyable watch. It was interesting to see how this pivotal film lead the way for the horror genre which is now one of the dominating genres of cinema with ever-growing popularity.
For me personally, the highlight of this picture was its unique and artistic production design by the talented group of artists and directors, Hermann Warm, Walter Reimann and Walter Rohrig, that remained prominent and eye catching from beginning to end. The use of shape, pattern and texture created impactful and memorable landscapes. What I found particularly clever was how light and shape were used to reflect characters and atmospheres. The harsh shapes and dark colours used in the streets set create a dangerous, dark, destructive atmosphere that is now a vital part of horror films. In these scenes the sets began to feels as if they were a character in themselves as the shadows brought them to life making each scene even more sinister. In contrast, the softer and lighter set of Janes house suggested a sense of purity and innocence encapsulating the characters personality. These changes in tone are clever as they add detail to the characters without using the narrative and also help to build tension and suspense as the dark, harsh atmospheres warn the watcher of danger.
Another element of the film that stood out was the use of music throughout. The way that the sound merged with the sets and narrative to build really strong, powerful atmospheres showed real skill and creativity. The way the music carried the story along, increasing the tempo and pace at moments to build suspense and tension and slowing down to disperse it, was inspiring. This was the first silent film that I have sat down and watched in its entirety and I found it interesting as a modern viewer that the music was so effectively used, I did not feel that the words were missing.
Overall, I thought this was a great start to the horror genre with an unusual and intriguing plot that was totally unpredictable. I was left confused and slightly frustrated by the ending and its ambiguity as I struggled to understand what had happened. Despite this stifling plot twist I definitely found this film a beneficial viewing as it introduced me to silent films and showed me a more artistic and stylized approach to set design which I found fascinating and inspiring.
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