Wednesday 23 October 2013

Film Review: The cabinet of Dr Caligari

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, made in 1920 and directed by Robert Wiere, was a sensation in its time "One of the most influential films of the silent era" {1} 2003. Rotten Tomatoes. [online] Available at <http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1003361-cabinet_of_dr_caligari/> [Accessed on 21/October/2013]



The film was quite long and slow in comparison to the actual story line, this is due to its long scene holds on expressional faces and suspense building "There's a period of adjustment when watching it - unfortunately necessary for a modern audience. The titles seem to slow. The camera seems to hold on scenes too long" {2} Gafke. 2004. Internet Movie Data Base. [online] Available at <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0010323/reviews> [Accessed on 21/October/2013]



Being a silent movie, using dramatic scenes and a small array of text now and then, you really have to put your full attention into the film to understand its story line of murders and growing madness. "The story is a classic sampling of expressionism paranoia about a hypnotist who uses a somnambulist to do his murders, full of the gloom and fear that prevailed in Germany as it emerged from WWI" {3} DP. Timeout. [online] Available at <http://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari> [Accessed on 22/October 2013]


Bibliography

{1} http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1003361-cabinet_of_dr_caligari
{2} http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0010323/reviews
{3} http://www.timeout.com/london/film/the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari

Images

(1) http://arizona.newszap.com/csp/mediapool/public/dt.main.ce.Home.cls?name=bPostPage&bPostPageId=40905
(2) http://zooetrope365.wordpress.com/2012/11/22/the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari-robert-weine-1920/
(3) http://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-cabinet-of-drcaligari-granger.html

1 comment:

  1. Hi Lisa! :)

    Ok, I have a couple of technical points to make here; firstly, the referencing of the quotes...you have got a bit carried away, and put the bit that needs to be in the bibliography, in the actual text! :) After the quote, you just need the author's surname and the date, both in brackets, so for example,

    "There's a period of adjustment when watching it - unfortunately necessary for a modern audience. The titles seem to slow. The camera seems to hold on scenes too long" (Gafke, 2004)

    The rest of the information goes in the bibliography.

    Make sure that you label your images Figure 1 etc, and then put the corresponding figure numbers in the illustrations list. Similar to the bibliography, you need some more information in the illustrations list, such as medium (is it a film still for example?), director, studio etc. Check back at the library referencing guide for the full details!

    You need to try and expand your discussions more; for example, Caligari is an ideal film to use to talk about German Expressionism, the links to the set design, and the portrayal of madness. When you remove your quotes and references, you are not left with much at the moment...are you?

    'The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, made in 1920 and directed by Robert Wiere, was a sensation in its time.The film was quite long and slow in comparison to the actual story line, this is due to its long scene holds on expressional faces and suspense building. Being a silent movie, using dramatic scenes and a small array of text now and then, you really have to put your full attention into the film to understand its story line of murders and growing madness.'

    Try and write the reviews as soon after the film as possible - that way the movie is still fresh in your mind, and any background that Phil has given you won't be forgotten. Looking forward to Kong!

    ReplyDelete