The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Clip: Narration
World War 1 left the mental state of the nation in shambles: traumatized and physically deformed from trench warfare, guilted by the “War Guilt Clause” in the Treaty of Versailles, and broken spirits from a failing economy. This overall feeling is reflected in the narration of the protagonist in Robert Weine’s 1920 expressionistic film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. He is deluded into believing his life is a thriller where he solves the mystery of Dr. Caligari, a man using a somnambulist to carry out murders for him. In the end the viewer realizes that it is actually the narrator who is in an insane asylum, and is too unwell to keep tabs on reality.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Clip: Setting
Robert Weine’s 1920 film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari depicts jagged, unrealistic scenery to insinuate the unstable mind of the narrator. His mind had been eaten away by mental illness, much like how the Great War damaged German spirits. Rather than displaying a real life view of what the scenery would actually be, the setting is Expressionistic and gives the viewer an experience of what is happening. Even though the film is black and white, the colors stand out because of the dramatic contrast in shades and jutting, geometric shapes. The imagery imposes and eerie sense of something being wrong.
Westfront 1918, Poster
Westfront 1918’s poster is a recreation of a still from the film. The imagery used in the poster was created to show the horrible effects it had on the mental state of soldiers, and the bleak tone of the movie. A man, hand to his head, has the look of horror and defeat on his face. The blue coloring of it implies distortion of mental state as well as the impending death to soldiers. All around him there is destruction with death bodies strewn through no man’s land, and a cloud of smoke and fire in the background.
Metropolis, Clip: Machinery
Inflation in the Weimar Republic encouraged the production of films, and contributed to the impressive set design and effects of Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis. In this scene, Freder happens upon a working class factory where the people are overworked, leading to the machine exploding. The transition between a 4 story building and a head that swallows slaves is an exhibition of films advancements and innovation of technology.
Metropolis, Clip: Workers’ Revolt
The social unrest of the Weimar Republic is reflected in the plot line of Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis. Much like the real life Worker’s revolt, the factory masses are outraged after being overworked and riot to break all the machines that run the futuristic city.