Space Oddities Film Programme - Alien (1979)

Figure 1: Movie Poster

Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979) is a film that has been categorised as a classic science fiction and horror. The film is about seven astronauts, who were on board a huge but dimly lit spacecraft called Nostromo. They were heading back to Earth with the mineral ores they have extracted from one of the planets. While on their way back, their machine on board, Mother, began to detect some distressed signal. The spacecraft detoured and headed towards the planet.

Upon reaching the planet, they found an enormous abandoned spaceship from a group of astronauts who were there before them. A dead alien was also found in it. Kane who was exploring the lower deck of the spacecraft discovered a huge incubator filled with several large alien eggs. He approached an egg that was cracking open for further inspection only to have been tricked by the alien.

A baby alien leapt out of the shell and attached itself to Kane’s face, knocking him unconscious. His fellow mates came to his rescue and brought him back to Nostromo. Ash permitted them inside the spacecraft despite Ripley’s rejection. The crew’s attempt to remove the alien from Kane’s face proved to be unsuccessful because of the alien’s acidic blood. Later on, the alien detached itself and the crew panicked as they tried to search for it. Ripley’s concern became true when Kane reproduced an alien that ripped him from the inside. Charles Cassady Jr. wrapped up the plot of the film beautifully when he said “The crew struggles to kill the fast-moving, fast-growing, unwelcome visitor before it gets them.” (Cassady Jr., 2005)

H.R Giger, a Swiss surrealist artist, was the amazing creator and designer of Alien. His concept of this creature was scary because of the constant change in form and the fear of the unknown that he was able to successfully relate to the audience. In agreement with Eggert, he highlighted this in his review “Made with uncommonly crafted skill to unsettle the minds and bodies of its audiences, Alien is a profoundly influential work and a lasting classic.” (Eggert, 2012). This effort of Giger and his team paid off when the film won an Academy Award under the category for Best Visual Effects.

Figure 2: Alien design by H.R Giger [Still Image]

Like most sci-fi films made before this, the world depicted in Alien also used miniatures and extended sets. This was successfully projected on screen. In comparison to Kubrik’s 2001: Space Odyssey (1968), it was also able to achieve realism that made the audience believed that this is an existing world in outer space. Ross sums up this point accurately when he said “A truly remarkable film that hasn’t aged a day, thanks to the horrific and inspired Giger design work, miniatures-based special effects and the tone Ridley Scott created.” (Ross, 2012)

 

Figure 3: Extended Set of Alien [Still Image]

Figure 4: Behind the Scene of Alien [Still Image]

Not only was this film a great combination of sci-fi and horror, it also had several cultural context behind it. One of it was, at the time when the film was made, the sexually transmitted disease was an epidemic. The alien creature was the parasite that penetrated on Kane, the host. Ripley gave out orders for Kane to be isolated and quarantined fearing that he might have been infected was ignored blatantly by Ash. When Kane reproduced an Alien that later killed the rest of the crew was a representation of how fast an infection spread and affected others. In an article written by Franco, he agrees to this point by saying, “Audiences would relate to the need for quarantine and sterilization, noting how this sexually transmitted parasite goes on to destroy the crew it resides with.” (Franco, 2011).

Figure 5: Kane reproducing [Still Image]

The more prominent cultural context was that a woman played the main protagonist role. It was one of the critical moments in United States history as women organisations fought for Equal Rights that was a law later enforced.

Figure 6: Ripley in Spacesuit with a weapon at hand [Still Image]

In conclusion, this claustrophobic film was able to keep the audiences at the edge of their seats throughout the film. As Derek Malcolm puts it “It is, in fact, an audience reaction picture par excellence.” (Malcolm, 2009)

List of Illustrations:

Figure 1 Aliens (1979) [Poster] at http://www.blankmaninc.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/alien-movie-poster-1979.jpg accessed on 22 October 2013

Figure 2 Alien [Still Image] at http://derekwinnert.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/alien___h_r__giger_pitch___by_adonihs-d2xjobm.jpg accessed on 22 October 2013

Figure 3 Extended Set of Alien [Still Image] at http://www.blastr.com/sites/blastr/files/styles/content_panes_media/public/e48fd41c-4ac8-03a4-46b2-19747f75c636_large_0.jpg?itok=FGwwY5-5 accessed on 22 October 2013

Figure 4 Behind the scene of Alien [Still Image] at https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0UZJHD7NMOVz5zThSXWkHsrmzqoPicAKxbtQ9ZjURyNmvlSaijiTaOBbyOMz3hDbM9rEdv6g-fHPEFk2iDyW0HQAMSpYZQUMN7G-fvgIiXGtj8VUdImAQlfJ0egM_K52_7wIG3uwSq0I/s1600/2aabd499-4bcd-8a51-ed9c-71cab00f2c47.jpg on 22 October 2013

Figure 5 Kane’s Scene [Still Image] at http://4.bp.blogspot.com/- http://www.horror-movies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/alien-610x258.jpg on 22 October 2013

Figure 6 Ripley in Spacesuit with a weapon at hand [Still Image] at http://borgdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/alien-space-suit-ripley.jpg on 22 October 2013

List of Bibliography:

Cassady Jr., Charles

2005

Alien

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/alien

Accessed on 22 October 2013

Eggert, Brian

2012

Alien (1979)

http://www.deepfocusreview.com/reviews/alien.asp

Accessed on 22 October 2013

Franco, Hector

2011

Alien (1979)- Film Analysis

http://ryuhawk.hubpages.com/hub/Alien-1979-Analysis

Accessed on 22 October 2013

Malcolm, Derek

2009

Derek Malcolm’s Alien Review from 1979

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/oct/13/derek-malcolm-alien-review

Accessed on 22 October 2013

Ross, Jim

2012

Alien (1979)- Movie Review

http://moviefarm.co.uk/2012/05/28/alien-1979-movie-review/

Accessed on 22 October 2013

Space Oddities Film Programme - 2001: Space Odyssey (1968)

Figure 1: Movie Poster

2001: Space Odyssey (1968) was a classic science fiction film directed by Stanley Kubrick. The film started off with still images of landscapes that depict the earth in its prehistorical time, about million years ago. In accordance with Darwin’s evolution theory, the film had ape men who were vegetarians but later became carnivores after touching an unknown black object that had the unexplained capability to control their minds. The film then moved along to a scene where living in space was something achievable by the 21st century. The mission of two astronauts and an extremely smart machine called HAL traveling to Jupiter was what brought the story to its other chapter before having spectacular light effects and unsettling ending to wrap up the film.

Figure 2: Ape Men touching the monolith [Still Image]

This film has no fixed plot and that has led to different interpretations from different types of audience. George D. DeMet summarized this succinctly when he said, “ "2001" is intensely subjective and cannot be objectively explained, much like one cannot "explain" Beethoven's Ninth or Leonardo's La Gioconda” (DeMet, 1999).

However, the film is propelled forward with the help of its captivating visual aspects. Kubrik’s well-researched idea about space as well as the hiring of spacecraft consultants Frederick Ordway and Harry Lange from NASA made the special effects so seamlessly convincing and brilliant that it left the audience in awe. In a film review written by Almar Haflidason, he points out “There are nevertheless moments of sheer brilliance and it is undoubtedly their stark visual power that lends this piece of cinema its famous visionary qualities.” (Haflidason , 2001)

Technology advances as years go by. New techniques are developed, expanding the endless possibilities to create special effects that can be incorporated into films. Douglas Trumbull, the film’s Visual Effects Supervisor, developed the slit scan method.  It was used to create the infinite lights seen during the last part of the movie. The use of this technique is well explained by Renée when he said “The technique is achieved by putting a moveable slide with a slit cut into it between the subject and the photographic plane. The medium used is exposed as the slide moves across one side to the other” (Renée, no date).

Figure 3: Slit Scan Method

Apart from the mesmerizing visuals of the film, the sound played an important role in this film. It brings out the emotions from the visuals. In his review on this film, Roger Ebert clearly explains this point when he mentioned “The classical music chosen by Kubrick exists outside the action. It uplifts. It wants to be sublime; it brings a seriousness and transcendence to the visuals" (Ebert, 1997)

In conclusion, this film has not only influence today’s movies like Tron (2010) that uses neon colours and streaks of lights but also the technology world today. Interestingly, the famous electronic device, iPod, by Apple got its name from this movie. Stated in an article from Daily Mail “The credit for naming the iPod goes to copywriter Vinnie Chieco, who drew his inspiration from the line ‘Open the pod bay door, Hal!’ in Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey." (Daily Mail, 2011).

Figure 4: Tron (2010)

List of Illustrations:

Figure 1 2001 Space Odyssey (1968) [Poster] at https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqrg7G6aWtl8oTXxg00PN_vWXSeEyfyPswlVwZOgDno-E-rj-KkipUf7G0WnJJHTp4KyNOT_RJCtEtoph9oK8BHdfH4OnE68W99ZGgluAB2HT8tFxmPisYaOa0h9SGGKH8bVc96SVrW4/s1600/2001-A-Space-Odyssey.jpg accessed on 16 October 2013

Figure 2 Ape Men touching the Monolith [Still Image] at http://theosroundtable.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2001_apes_monolith.gif accessed on 18 October 2013

Figure 3 Slit Scan Method [Still Image] at http://nofilmschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Slit-Scan-2001-mechanics-616x345.png accessed on 16 October 2013

Figure 4 Tron (2010) [Still Image] at http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/tron-uprising.jpg accessed on 16 October 2013

List of Bibliography:

Daily Mail UK

2011

How name of decade-old iPod was inspired by Stanley Kubrick movie 2001: A Space Odyssey

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2061143/iPod-inspired-Stanley-Kubrick-movie-2001-A-Space-Odyssey.html

Accessed on 16 October 2013

DeMet, George D.

1999

The Special Effects of "2001: A Space Odyssey"

http://www.palantir.net/2001/meanings/dfx.html

Accessed on 16 October 2013

Ebert, Roger

1997

2001: A Space Odyssey

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-2001-a-space-odyssey-1968

Accessed on 16 October 2013

Haflidason, Almar

2001

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/09/18/2001_review.shtml

Accessed on 16 October 2013

Renée, V

Learn How to Create Stargate Sequences Like in '2001: A Space Odyssey' Using Slit Scan

http://nofilmschool.com/2013/08/learn-how-to-create-slit-screen-sequences/

Accessed on 16 October 2013

Space Oddities Film Programme - King Kong (1933)

Figure 1: Movie Poster

King Kong (1933) was directed and co- produced by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. Despite having a tight budget, they managed to produce a brilliant classic film consisting of adventure, fantasy and partly horror.  The famous Beauty and the Beast fable heavily influenced this film. The storyline revolves around a beautiful blonde woman, Ann, and a horrifying, monstrous sized ape, Kong.

In the movie, Carl Denham, a picture picture maker, insisted on visiting an island called the Skull Island he saw on a map he bought in Singapore. He gathered a crew for his film and set off for this mysterious island located in the Pacific region. There were tribe that inhabits the island that everyone on board was not aware of until their arrival. As they meandered through the island, they witnessed the tribe performing a ritual. They were offering a bride to their god, Kong. Fascinated by this act, Denham tried to capture the moment on film. However, the tribe’s chief spotted this and upon seeing Ann, readily offered to trade six of his women for her. The offer was declined and the crew headed back to the ship. The dejected chief then ordered his men to kidnap Ann while she was on board. Her love interest, Jack Driscoll, who was supposed to meet her on deck after a meeting with Denham, found her missing and headed back to the Skull Island for a rescue mission. On the island, the tribe’s chief instructed his fellow men to hit the gong for three times, a signal to call for their god. Ann stood there helpless, strapped to tree trunks as she sees the 50-foot ape approaching her. Driscoll arrived shortly after Kong held Ann captive and continued to pursue his lady. As the adventure of his rescue unfolds, Kong on the other hand, was battling out prehistoric creatures to keep Ann safe. Driscoll, however, was not convinced that Kong would not hurt Ann, successfully brought Ann back to safety. Kong who was unhappy that his prize was taken away from him came back to the tribe’s village, destroying everything in his path to get Ann back. Before leaving the island, the greedy Denham put Kong to a temporary sleep by throwing the gas bombs he had with him.

Kong was later brought to New York where he was exhibited in Gotham in a show titled “Kong, The Eighth Wonder of the World”. Furious by the flashes from the press’ photographers, Kong let himself loose from the chains made of stainless steel that Denham believed was strong enough to hold him. He too, destroyed the city of Manhattan in search of Ann of whom he found in a hotel, hiding. He got hold of her and instinctively brought her to the tallest building in town, which was the Empire State Building. He did so because in a jungle, the safest place would have been the highest point away from ground. His instinct only brought him to his death as the bi planes that Driscoll called for shot him down.

Not only does the use of stop motion and special effects progressed steadily over the years since A Trip to the Moon (1902), new techniques were discovered to make this film. A technique known as layering, is used to explain the use of foreground, midground and background elements. In the book The Making of King Kong: Official Guide to the Motion Picture, Jenny Wake explains what this technique is. “The jungle shot might have live or miniature foliage in the foreground, several clear sheet of plate glass framed with painted vines and foliage in the middle ground, more three dimensional foliage between each sheet of glass, and a matte painting or preciously filmed stop –animation foliage back-projected onto a large translucent screen in the background. (Wake, 2005:21) Her explanation is visually explained in Figure 2. Classic Preview added “The granddaddy of all big-creature visual-effects movies, King Kong (1933) is still studied today for its impressive layering of techniques to achieve the most convincing look for that particular shot (Classic Preview, 2013). 

Figure 2: Layering Technique

From the surface, the plot for the film seems relatively straightforward. It centred on the theme of the knight in shining armour saving his damsel in distress from the monstrous sized ape. (However,)  there is a deeper meaning to this film. As this film was made the time when racial discrimination in the United States was at its peak, scenes in this film projected the situation. In agreement to an article written by David Rosen that provided an example of such scene, he mentioned “The image of King Kong on a Broadway stage may correspond very closely to white America’s attitudes toward the black men in the 1930s: an object of entertainment…”(Rosen, 1975).

Figure 3: Still Image from the film

In conclusion, as great as the effects were in the movie, the stereotypes that were conveyed in this film will still cause certain amount of displeasure whenever it is being watched.  In his review on this film, Roger Ebert wrote “Modern viewers will shift uneasily in their seats during the stereotyping of the islanders in a scene where a bride is to be sacrificed to Kong..” (Ebert, 2002)

List of Illustrations:

Figure 1 King Kong (1933) [Poster] at http://www.imagui.it/i/9TLzg6pqc.jpg accessed on 10 October 2013

Figure 2 Behind the scene [Still Image] at http://borgdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/obrien-miniature-rear-projection.jpg accessed on 10 October 2013

Figure 3 Kong at the exhibition [Still image] at http://fineartamerica.com/images-simple-print/images-medium/3-king-kong-1933-granger.jpg accessed on 10 October 2013

List of Bibliography:

Ebert, Roger

2002

King Kong

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-king-kong-1933

Accessed on 10 October 2013

Classic Film Preview

2013

Eighth Wonder of the World

http://www.classicfilmpreview.com/eighth-wonder-of-the-world/

Accessed on 10 October 2013

Rosen, David

1975

King Kong Race, Sex, and Rebellion

http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC06folder/KingKong.html

Accessed on 10 October 2013

Wake, Jenny

2005

The Making of King Kong: Official Guide to the Motion Picture.

London

Pocket Books.

Space Oddities Film Programme - Metropolis (1927)

Figure 1: Movie Poster

Metropolis (1927) directed by Fritz Lang began by depicting an army of workers walking in a synchronised manner against a backdrop of a city that is situated deep beneath the surface of the earth. The workers were dressed alike and what could be seen was synchronised walking and their postures with heads down projected their feeling of sadness and desperation. This is just an example from one of the scenes that depicted the situation that was happening in German at that time. What Lang wanted to put across having these workers were physically and emotionally drained because all they do is follow orders from the higher authorities also known as the thinkers.  This was articulated very well by Roger Ebert when he said “Lang's film is the summit of German Expressionism, with its combination of stylized sets, dramatic camera angles, bold shadows and frankly artificial theatrics.” (Ebert, 2010) in his review on this film.

Joh Fredersen was the mastermind behind the city and controls how it functions by giving commands to the workers who executes it. The film showed that the workers were laboured to work in a monstrous machine and the were just like the machines, functioning as they were told. As quoted by Brigitte Helm who played the role of Maria “ One man’s hymns of praise became the other man’s curse” (Helm, 1927). Conversely, the meaning behind this statement was that the admiration of the human spirit and the  hard work of the workers were not of the same frequency as they did not know what the final outcome would be. Their voice were not heard until the evil Maria came and preach to them telling them that their time has come to stop working for the higher authorities and be independent. The workers along with their wives heeded her advice and turned the city into a chaotic mess not realising the effect of their actions. Their homes and children down under were affected because heavy flood engulfed their city. The whole scene as described by Hall is agreeable when he said “Its scenes bristle with cinematic imagination, with hordes of men and women and astounding stage settings.” (Hall, 1927)

Comparing Metropolis (1927) with Das Cabinet Des Caligari (1920), it could be seen that the use of special effects elevated in a matter of less than a decade. The shots were more realistic and believable in Metropolis but the exaggerated acting remain unchanged. The use of electromagnetic energy current in the scene where Maria’s physical features were transferred to the Machine Man was a great scene. It showed the mad scientist, Rotwang, at work and there was the use of symmetry in that shot making it a balance scene as seen in Figure 2. A few balanced shots were also noticeable when Rotwang is in his lab, executing his experiment.

Figure 2: Still Image

In most shots, the camera was at a fixed position but in one of the scenes, there was a variation in the camera action when Freder’s point of view was used instead. In Figure 3, it is an image to show how it was shot.  Lang added this interesting element because had it been a fixed camera position when Freger was reaching for Maria’s scarf that he found in the room with no knobs, the emotions that the audience felt would be different compared to when it was his point of view. The camera shake that Lang also used in later part of film to show how the characters felt when the building crumbled was another example of him trying various camera action.

Figure 3: Behind the scene

In addition to that, Lang’s vision of the future city was possible with the use of miniatures and the extension of the set. The shot was from a low angle to show the city in a person’s point of view and the tall buildings architectures. There was a straight on view, like a helicopter view of the city. This was only possible with the help of the miniature set built. If it had not been for this miniature, this city would not have existed because it was the futuristic thought that Lang had that was turned into reality. Abrams seems to be right when he said “Lang's film defies rational dissection at every turn, drunk on the possibilities of exploring a new world defined by its creator's loftiest aspirations, petty jealousies, and domineering hubris.” (Abrams, 2010) Likewise in the blockbuster movie Lord of the Rings sequel, the tower of guard which is also known as Minas Tirith was built because Peter Jackson, the director wanted to bring the author, J. R R.Tolkien’s imagination to life.

Figure 4: Miniature construction of the city in Metropolis

Figure 5: Miniature construction of Minas Tirith in Lord of the Rings

This movie is very influential that not only did it infected the cinema world but also the music industry. Popstars like Madonna made a music video portraying herself as the Babylon as can be seen in Figure 3 and Beyonce had a performance dressing like the Machine Man’s character. It can obviously be seen that they got their inspiration directly from the film.

Figure 6: Still image from the movie (left) Still image from music video (right)

Figure 7: Still image from the movie (left) Photograph from Beyonce's performance (right)

In conclusion, the film is a joy to watch because the visual creative ideas of the set and characters from blockbusters like Blade Runner, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars was heavily influenced by this movie. A quote from a film reviewer Lee sums up the movie perfectly by saying “Eighty-three years on, his (silent) vision remains impressive: the sheer scale of the sets, the rampaging cast of thousands, the ground breaking special effects all still dazzle. An eternal masterpiece.” (Lee, 2010) The underlying message that Lang also wanted to convey is completely applicable in today’s context. The connection between the influential people and the people who dedicated and favoured these people are almost in absence but with the help of the main lead who becomes the mediator, were able to resolve the issue. The tagline of it was “The mediator between the head and the hand is the heart.”

List of Illustrations:

Figure 1 Metropolis (1927) [Poster] at http://images.moviepostershop.com/metropolis-movie-poster-1926-1020433586.jpg accessed on 1 October 2013

Figure 2 Metropolis 1927 [Sci-fi] Full Movie [Television Programme Online] B&W Full Movies [1927] 150 minutes at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4rI__TRvcY accessed on 1 October 2013

Figure 3 Behind the scene [Still Image] at http://100ans.cinematheque.fr/100ans20092010/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/106321.jpg accessed on 1 October 2013

Figure 4 Miniature set construction of the city in Metropolis [Still image] at https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1uXevGZqmE40HPP2DP5k-2iAxZfX8LS1fKXAkzLtwAQVYXR5OG1igPLvx2F6LgC0f6RZf5dvM-XQpXAPsu5JpgZyQ29kSmWEs-lvKrEqnS0SOqUN4oe0jvq7dmyeuGW13ZVOHlOUSDnb/s1600/07_metropolis_miniatures.jpeg on 1 October 2013

Figure 5 Miniature set construction of Minas Tirith [Still image]  at http://www.wetanz.com/assets/Uploads/MinasTirithCitadelMini.jpg on 1 October 2013

Figure 6 Maria [Still image] at http://i0.wp.com/vigilantcitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/metro45.jpg accessed on 1 October 2013

Figure 6 Madonna - Material Girl Official Music Video [Television Programme Online] QueenMadonnaHD (1984) 4 minutes at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNSUOFgj97M [Still image] accessed on 1 October 2013

Figure 7 Machine Man and Beyonce's performance [Still Image] at http://www.thedoggstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/beyoncerobot2.jpg accessed on 1 October 2013

List of Bibliography:

Abrams, Simon

2010

Metropolis

http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/metropolis/4809

Accessed on 1 October 2013

Ebert, Robert

2010

Metropolis

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-metropolis-2010-restoration-1927

Accessed on 1 October 2013

Hall, Mordaunt

1927

Metropolis (1927) A Technical Marvel.

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A05E2D8143BE13ABC4F53DFB566838C639EDE

Accessed on 1 October 2013

Lee, Marc

2010

Metropolis (1927) Review

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/7994159/Metropolis-1927-review.html#

Accessed on 1 October 2013

Cinematic Spaces: Metropole Influence Map 2

So this is my second influence map. In the excerpt, the character described what the church looked like so I went on researching for images that will help fulfill this description to a certain extent. I searched for both the exterior and interior of it. While choosing the images, I paid attention to the textures of it. After piecing the images together, I find that an atmosphere has been established. An atmosphere of extensive devotion to the religion because of the detailed interiors as described.

Cinematic Spaces: Metropole Influence Map 1

Based on the excerpt below, I came out with the Influence Map of the city that my character was set in. With what is written and what I imagine the city in a bird's eye view and the street of it, I went on the research for images. In other parts of the book, there was a description of the traffic and the pedestrians were stuck in a bottleneck suggesting that the streets are narrow. What I focused on when researching for the images are the architectural side of the city because it was foreign to the character. While at it, I was also looking at the lighting because I imagined it to be dark, misty and gloomy but with a little bit of sunlight to lift the mood of a busy city life.

Space Oddities Film Programme - The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920)

Figure 1

The film Das Cabinet Des Caligari, 1920 is a great movie to begin with. It is definitely one of the primary sources of inspiration for most movies especially horror related in this current time.  Personally, the movie poster depicted in Figure 1 reminds me of Exorcism of Emily Rose. Perhaps, the illustration of Cesare placing his hand on Jane’s body gives me the impression that he had her under his control. 

Figure 2

Figure 3

As the movie was made post war, the feeling and mood was projected onto the film. It was subtle but impactful. What it means by the feel is that the director is trying to bring the dark, sad and emotional side of this film with dimly litted sets that were shown in the entire film. These were the emotions that the Germans felt during that time experiencing war.

Noticeably, the whole feel of this film was out of the world. With sharp edges of the building, zigzag pathways as seen in Figure 2, distorted proportion and paintings that is used as matte painting in the sets in the entire film does not make sense in the real world. With that being said, the film set was heavily relying on the matte paintings that was used to help create the three dimensional space that was lacking as can been seen from Figure 3. An example of this is the bizarre construction of the town where houses were cluttered together on a steep hill, which made the scene chaotic. I could not agree more with Roger Ebert when he said “The visual environment plays like a wilderness of blades; the effect is to deny the characters any place of safety or rest.” (Ebert, 2009).

Despite all these, the use of this disoriented and different style gave this film its uniqueness.  The use of colour filters in certain scenes is able to create different types of mood that the audience quickly catches on. For example, the use of blue filter in Figure 3 is used during the night scenes to create mystical, suspicious feeling.  It also keeps the audience at the edge of their seats anticipating for something “bad” to happen. On the other hand, sepia filter as seen in Figure 4, is used as a representation of the flashback Francis had while trying to tell the story.

Deep analytical skills are also put forth when this diamond shape filters, as I would call it, were used in some parts of the film which I especially liked. It is simply because the audience will divert their attention by either reading the facial expressions of the character or focusing on the certain actions (depending on the scene) giving a better understanding of what is happening.  In addition to that, a quote from Open North Blog summarises what I am trying to say. It reads “The camera becomes the eyes of the character, which creates an emotional perspective as it navigates an edgy, crystalline city that plays with perspective to stereoscopic effect.” (Open North Blog,  2013)

Figure 4

Figure 5

The first scene was set in a garden where Francis began to tell a story to an old man seated beside him. it could be seen that he was storytelling because a flashback happened the scene after.  During those times, movies were made in a chronological manner so having a flashback was a new element introduced to the film world. This new element is used in many films to date to act as a representation of the character trying to remember what happened previously. As the story progresses, it is let known to the audience that Dr. Caligari wanted a permit to have his exhibition presented at the fair. His exhibition was to awake Cesare, a 23 year old Somnambulist, which is also known as the Sleepwalker.  However, after the awakening of Cesare, strange things begin to happen in town where people were murdered, including Francis’ close friend. Not long after that, his fiancé was abducted. This affected Francis tremendously leading him to investigate the murder and having Caligari in his top list of suspects. 

For 70 minutes, Robert Wiene, the director, had successfully made the audience believe that Dr Caligari was the insane one. With that being said, Julia Merriam emphasized the point of believability was achieved which she said “The effect of Caligari’s character is stunning: the creation of a world in which the lunatic reigns, in which a madman pulls all the strings” (Merriam, 2008). The unexpected twist was good way to end the movie because as audience watches it, there is always a thought of what is going to happen in the next scene and when it happens, it makes the movie uninteresting to further watch it. Who would have expected that Francis is the mental patient and his imagination is what the audience followed through. This unpredictable ending influenced the film industry and can be seen on movies you watch within the last half-century. A twist is always good to have in films as it adds flavour to it and also because having a predictable ending would have been boring. 

In conclusion, the use of colours was very effective in conveying the mood and the feel of the movie. The addition to the sound score was also great to keep you up with the tempo of the story itself. However, it appears to be that the exaggerated acting that was seen throughout the movie were too much. A a silent movie is where actions are the main source to get the message across but the overacting can be seen as a little comical instead at some point of the movie. On the contrary, if audio was being inputted, it will be disastrous to the whole movie because words are not as powerful as actions. Audience in general receives the message put across more effectively through visualizing it than listening and remembering it. This movie has brought together a fresh new style to the film industry especially the German’s as it the first expressionism film made there.

List of Illustrations:

Figure 1 Das Cabinet Des Caligari,1920 [Poster] at http://img.wonderhowto.com/img/72/91/63405154477797/0/cabinet-dr-caligari.w654.jpg accessed on 24 September 2013

Figure 2 Caligari running up the stairs [Still Image] at http://zinemaniacos.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/caligari.jpg?w=604 accessed on 24 September 2013

Figure 3 The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) [Full Classic Horror Movie HQ] [Television Programme Online] Classic Movies HQ [1920] 71 minutes at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AP3WDQXkJq4 accessed on 24 September 2013

Figure 4 The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) [Full Classic Horror Movie HQ] [Television Programme Online] ClassicMoviesHQ [1920] 71 minutes at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AP3WDQXkJq4 accessed on 24 September 2013

Figure 5 An Image of Jane afraid of Cesare [Still Image] at http://www.cinemazuid.be/files/imagecache/cz_film/cinemazuid/films/caligari_eureka_uk5.jpg.crop_display.jpg accessed on 24 September 2013

List of Bibilography:

Open North Blog

20^th Mar 2013

A haunted screen: Martyn Jacques and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1919) http://www.operanorth.co.uk/blogs/a-haunted-screen-martyn-jacques-and-the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari-1919

Accessed on 24 September 2013 

Ebert, Roger 

3^rd June 2009

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari-1920

Accessed on 24 September 2013

Merriam,  Julia 

13^th October 2008

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920)

http://classic-horror.com/reviews/cabinet_of_dr_caligari_1920

Accessed on 24 September 2013