The Cabinet of Dr.

Caligari, and the influences of Die Brucke and German Expressionism

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari produced in 1920 dir. Robert Wiene and produced by Rudolf Meinert and
Erich Pommer. Traditionally set in Germany, the film follows the main protagonist Francis as a series of
mass murders occur in his local town. Dr Caligari, the antagonist of the film performs various acts
somnambulism on somnambulist Cesare. The film’s set design and concept art reflect the German
expressionism art movement considerably. Die Brucke specifically, is a group of German expressionist
artists formed in 1905, and are seen to be some of the main influences for Wiene’s film’s design.

Figure 1 Figure 2
 
Die Brucke’s work is commonly reflected in the films architecture and city designs. Figure 1 is one
piece or work created by the group which features multiple bright colours, and distinctive building
shapes. Figure 2 is a still from the film which shows the town in which the characters originate from, it
portrays a similar appearance to the artists’ work as it features the pointed roofs and layered
composition. A slight tint of colour is added to this particular shot and scene within the film, which links
it back to the artists’ work also. “It was the bridge between the art forms; the traditional arts of
painting, drawing and etching and the new, modern art of cinema” (Griffin 2008:2) . Figure 1 features
various paint strokes and textures in the buildings, and they be seen also in Figure 2. The quote
states how ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’ aimed to combine the two art forms together to create a new
original form of cinema.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Figure 3 Figure 4
 
In the film, the use of harsh lines and patterns in character’s rooms really helped to reflect the true
impacts of the war (figure 4), and been seen to resemble the sanity of a person. The film’s production
design by Hermann Warm is recognised for its haunting psychological look. The influence of German
Expressionism caused designers to truly represent the emotion and atmosphere of German residents
and town. By distorting the rooms, and creating confusing angles within housing (figure 3) the
paranoia and distress of the characters become fluent to it’s viewers. Doing so, also causes turmoil for
the audience as well as provide a very artistic way to present feelings and emotions in a film.

Overall, the German Expressionism group ‘Die Brucke’ have influenced the film in many ways as they
have allowed the designers to produce unique and distinct set designs. The art movement also opened
up new ways to present emotion and give character to every scene and frame.

Illustration List:
In order of appearance
•   Dieter Wanczura. (N/A). The Bridge - Die Brücke. Available:
https://www.artelino.com/articles/the_bridge.asp. Last accessed 20th September 2018.
§   Dana Lemaster . (2016). Film Appreciation: The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari.Available:
https://www.thinkingcinema.com/film-appreciation-the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari/. Last accessed
20th September 2018.
§   Eleanor Howell. ((N/A)). interior architecture and set design. Available:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/381820874631591520/. Last accessed 20th September
2018.
§   N/A. (2013). German Expressionism. Available: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-
EP3ocED8ZYk/UiYWHAh895I/AAAAAAAAAJk/E_ClQjCmiqI/s1600/caligaroom.JPG. Last accessed
21st September 2018.

Bibliography:

§   Kevin Kryah. (2015). The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: Dark Relationship With Postwar
Germany. Available: https://the-artifice.com/the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari-dark-relationship-with-
postwar-germany/. Last accessed 21st September 2018.
§   Damon Griffin (2008). Zwanghaften Kunst: How Caligari ended German Expressionism.
beverlyartcenter, N/A (N/A), p1-12