Expressionism is a term that specifically refers to an artistic trend that became popular in the early 20th century. Expressionism itself was not founded by a solo artist; it was formed instead by the influence of other artistic movements, paired with the political and social status of that time. Expressionism was pioneered in Germany in the first decades of the 20th century and was originally formed by progressive artists and writers seeking a deeper, spiritual meaning in life. These men and women sought a more emotional perception of our world, moving away from the idea of ​​a materialistic society and a place of industrialization. The movement offered a new way of seeing art; The German film industry grew during the war, using films for overt militarist propaganda. However, the need for propaganda ceased with the end of the war, leading unconventional directors such as Carl Mayer and Hans Janowitz to seek a new, unconventional and stylized fashion. They began to draw inspiration from existing forms of expressionism such as literature and architecture. It is widely recognized that expressionism is based on the inner state of an individual; 'seeks to convey emotional and psychological states, rather than a realistic representation of the world'[1]. It reflects a character's unstable emotional state through pure cinematic technique. The artist of an expressionist work will attempt to represent subjective emotions in art form, rather than in objective reality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The use of distortion, exaggeration and fantasy is used to convey this movement, artists rely heavily on the effects of rare angles, colors and bold line definitions to create a distorted version of reality. The elaborate design of television set design makes any expressionist film easily identifiable; location shooting was non-existent due to the director's search for a challenging and relatable design. This was in line with the fact that Germany was in poverty at the time, which resulted in low budget films. The sets would be entirely man-made with boldly angled buildings that often create the feeling that the created world is on the verge of collapsing in on itself. The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari conforms to the typical Gothic horror genre of 1920s German Expressionism. The film is based on the distinctive theme of a marginalized individual, in this case it tells the story of a deranged hypnotist who uses a sleepwalker to commit murders. The film is said to be the pinnacle of expressionism and is considered the quintessential work of Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer. Being a silent film, the film's script is subtitled in a consistent on-screen theme, however it is not relied upon heavily to narrate the plot. Instead, the film's main focus is on aesthetics and uses the twisted visual style to convey what is happening. German Expressionism, being heavily influenced by existing artistic movements, draws inspiration from both film noir and the Romantic period. Film Noir, originating in France, saw the introduction of dark and pessimistic themes and featured the consistent use of shadows to convey a deeper meaning. In creating The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, Robert Wiene adapted this use of shadows in line with the idea of ​​a distorted reality, deciding to use shadows and streaks of light painted directly onto the sets, echoing the works of art that originally formed the firstwave of German expressionism. The use of shadows plays a vital role in the film; shadows are often used to exaggerate the unnatural and monstrous features of the characters. The character of Doctor Caligari features conventional characteristics expected from the horror genre, such as a hooked nose or a hunched back, these characteristics are effectively amplified through the use of lighting. Wiene uses shadows and shadow casting to highlight and exaggerate those traits that we as an audience universally identify with horror. The unnatural body features that we associate with horror appear larger and therefore convey to the audience that this character is to be feared. The use of shadows to exaggerate is a conventional technique used in the Gothic genre and German Expressionism in general. Likewise, German Expressionism was inspired by Romanticism. The Romanticism movement strove to change attitudes toward a deeper appreciation of the sanctity and beauty of life. The artistic movement focuses away from the pace of industrialization and opposes economic development. German Expressionism refers to this idea, focuses on and explores the idea of ​​a spiritual life deeper than ours. 'German Expressionism derives from the ideas of Romanticism, which is based on "mysticism and magic". These ideas flourished after the war, when the Germans found themselves connected to the dark forces and ghosts of this idea.[2]' This idea is explored extensively by Wiene within the Cabinet of Doctor Caligari; the sleepwalker secondary character uses hypnotism to compel Dr. Caligari's premeditated victims. The practice of hypnotism is an illustration of the distinctive supernatural aspects explored by German Expressionism. From a deeper point of view, however, the story itself is told omnisciently, from a divine perspective, connecting to the idea of ​​mysticism and a deeper meaning of life. In terms of style, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari presents an aesthetic that best expresses the pinnacle of German Expressionist cinema. Wiene chose to use oblique backdrops to portray the sought-after landscapes and crooked buildings. Buildings are meant to articulate a person's inner state and mindset; the distorted buildings represent repressed and unconscious desires and emotions. To do this, the wallpaper uses hard lines and sharp brushstrokes to paint a distorted and possibly distorted setting. The unnatural shapes of the buildings convey an almost grotesque atmosphere and the twisted sculptures communicate that the painted city is close to collapsing in on itself. The film also uses nightmarish forms and surreal nature that permeate every scene. This grotesque and surreal atmosphere is effective in amplifying the gothic horror genre and is an established example of expressionist cinema. Robert Wiene's camera and editing techniques include a mix of shots; the opening and closing of a shadow frame is often used to enter and exit scenes and to focus on a character's face. Since the perspective of angular distortion is primary in German Expressionism, Wiene chose to convey it in the camera angles themselves. "Wiene used this distortion of the construction of the set to further improve the angular coherence of his photography"[3]. Camera angles are often canted rather than asymmetrical and inconsistent with symmetrical expectations, resulting in an exaggeration of the twisted, surreal shapes in the background. A key method used in this film is open shots; often with the lighting focused on Dr. Caligari himself while other characters pass through the frame. This gives the impression that the characterderanged holds some form of power within the scene; holds his ground as others casually pass in and out of frame. This also exaggerates the theme of isolationism within the film. The character is identifiably an outsider and a quirky individual, through the use of these shots, Wiene communicates that the protagonist is someone to be feared, contributing to the gothic horror genre. Chiaroscuro lighting, a form of lighting that depicts stark contrasts between light and shadow, is a technique adapted from Film Noir that was used extensively throughout German Expressionist cinema. Manipulate the contrasting light and shadow created by light falling unevenly or from a particular direction on an object or character. The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari uses this expressionist technique to stimulate tension and horror; the high-contrast shape is effective in highlighting certain features. For example, when the light falls unevenly on the sleepwalker's face, his blackened eyes become bold and grotesque, and the audience realizes that this character has a supernatural element. A scene in the film shows Francis going to the police station, the light coming down the stairs in this scene was made with paint. This expressionist method of painting lighting onto the set design is actually used by Wiene in this film, directors looking for a German Expressionist aesthetic might choose this as it is a device that allows them to have control of the lighting. They can choose to exaggerate a character's size while minimizing the amount of apparent light that can escape it. Painting the lighting also gives the film's makers the control to maintain the expressionist feel within the film. Expressionism is consistent throughout The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, which is due to Wiene's choice to maintain this twisted and transformed aesthetic of the setting; lighting is an indispensable method to do this. Being the articulation of an artistic movement, the acting within the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari did not play a major role in the film. The main focus of the film was unquestionably aesthetics and mise-en-scène; however there is a clear over-dramatization in the portrayal of characters in German Expressionist cinema, and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is no exception. The acting techniques within this film revolve around exaggeration, facial expressions are drawn out and dragged out, as there is no dialogue the story has to be articulated in other ways. The body language was also bold and dramatized; Doctor Caligari himself communicates disturbing attributes through body language, his hunched back and unnaturally strange movements echoing the twisted and diverse nature of the setting. The sleepwalker's movements are often more controlled and contained, as they are controlled by Doctor Caligari. This portrayal is conveyed in the scene where he moves across the ground looking for Jane; as he moves you can see that his movements are slow and deliberate, so it seems that he is one of the shadows painted on the walls of the set. There is a clear theme of loneliness and alienation within the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. As already commented previously, within the frame an atmosphere of seclusion is created between Doctor Caligari and the people of the town, the character maintains his position while the others cross the frame as if he were not there, amplifying the its extravagant characteristics. There is a hint of disorientation created by the film's aesthetic, which also reinforces the character's madness. The angles used represent the minddistorted character, exaggerating his deranged mentality. On a deeper level, isolationism can be seen in the city itself: Wiene incorporates a frame at the beginning of the film of the German city, the image features a typical fairytale layout, in the style of expressionist art. The city is shown on a hill, all the buildings are tilted and twisted towards the church located high on the top of the hill. This image represents a fantastical landscape, however it uses dark tones and shadows to indicate the unnatural elements within it. The general expressionist setting conveys a city of alienation, far from civilization. A small town far from the rest of society provides a private setting for all the crimes committed, foreshadowing the horror to come. There was an element of social hypocrisy in the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari; the film had a number of narrative implications to capture a sense of German terror. Post-war memories within the German public influenced society's attitude towards the film. The film has been billed as a response by Mayer and Janowitz to government authority. THE Expressionist movement arose from the need to raise morale is therefore linked to post-war Germany – it reflects Kracauer's assertion that civilians were eager to "retreat from the harsh outside world into the intangible realm of the soul". It was argued that new expressionist cinema needed to regain an export market after World War I, filmmakers needed a complete restoration of German cinema after propaganda films were no longer needed. So, in addition to boosting morale, a change of direction was needed. In this case, it can be said that German Expressionism was created to manipulate the negative attitudes of Germany and the recent German government. The hypocrisy claimed therefore is that the recent art movement was a way for the German population to regain control. Kracauer states that Dr. Caligari was symbolic of the German wartime government and the fatal tendencies inherent in the German system, suggesting that the character of Dr. Caligari himself may represent the authority and conformity of the German government. In this case, it can be said that the intent of the expressionist film was to express the power that the Weimar government pursued in this period. Intentionally or not, the character himself idolizes power, which ties into this idea of ​​social hypocrisy within the film. There was also the aim that the renewed film movement would address a new "sophisticated" Germany; the population was looking for restoration and with it something in which to place hope and whose development could be followed. This brings me to his innovative “avant-garde” style. Avant garde is a term used to classify that which is unorthodox and experimental, which pushes the boundaries of what is accepted as the cultural norm. The term can be related to modernism, as new working styles are constructed and introduced experimentally every day. The Cabinet of Doctor Caligri can be considered an excellent example in this sense. The Expressionist style offered aesthetic innovation to its German audience. Although the term "avant-garde" was often received critically and initially considered unacceptable, German Expressionist cinema was widely appreciated when conceived for its originality and radical respect for art. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was among the first of its time to explore expressionism in cinema, and was described in a New York Times review as "coherent, logical [and] genuine", suggesting the art movement's early acceptance as soon as received. The theory of psychosis 351