Abstract This paper compares two Faustian influenced works, "Dr. Faustus" and "The Cabinet of Dr Caligari". The paper examines the way in which the two modes of media demonstrate the story of Dr. Faustus and how they compare with the different time periods. Each literary work is described in relation to the other.
From the Paper "The historical German story of Doctor Faustus has been used as inspiration in all forms of media, and across many cultures. The most noted English literary adaptation is the play by Christopher Marlowe, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, written in 1592. In the medium of film, the story of Faustus can be made into a highly visual experience, different than that found in Marlowe's outlet of the Elizabethan stage, and so can give a alternative insight into these well known Faustian traditions. The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, is a silent German art film, produced in 1919 by Robert Wiene, and written by Carl Mayer and Hans Janowitz. It deals creatively with the Faustian themes, including the concept of the divided self, temptation of power, and the search for superior knowledge. In addition, Caligari serves as a response to post-WWI Germany. Through the use of expressionism and the questioning of the senses of reality, Faustus also coinciding with changes in popular perceptions."
Tags: expressionism, film, german, history, literature, post, wwi
Abstract This paper discusses how classic cinema doesn?t simply happen and how it takes time, dedication, and a certain "Je ne sait quoi" to create a theme, method, or a wave of influence that can be seen and felt years after its initial pass. It examines how classic cinema goes above and beyond the call of simple entertainment and how it creates a benchmark and platform, which future filmmakers will use to create new and interesting ways to tell a same story over and over again. In particular, it analyzes how films, such as "Birth of a Nation" (1915), "The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari" (1920), and "Battleship Potemkin" (1925) ,through their unique, pioneer, or innovative approach to the film medium, created ideas and methods that are still in use today and how they have bestowed upon themselves the right to carry the title of classic cinema.
From the Paper "In the film "The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari" (1920) the most obvious image is that of surrealism. This movie is an eerie look into issues that revolve around insanity and hideousness. The set itself is incredibly expressionistic and offers the viewer many elusive and vague images. This fits in well with the location, which is, through most of the movie, an insane asylum. The doctor has hypnotic powers, which is depicted as the ultimate power over the bourgeois, violence and the fragile qualities of love. The film's background is also incredibly surrealistic, and for the time is was created this would be incredibly frightening."
Abstract This paper argues that German expressionist cinema is the product of socio-cultural conditions in World War I and interwar Germany. It uses the history of Germany during this period in order to explain expressionist style, obsession with themes involving science, in particular psychoanalysis and overt depictions of anti-authoritarian and anti-bourgeois attitudes. Two films are used heavily to proof the influence of socio-cultural conditions, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (Robert Weine, 1919) and "Nosferatu" (F.W. Murnau, 1922).
From the Paper "Although contemporary critics viewed the distorted scenery of Caligari as a physical representation of the disturbed mind of the film's protagonist, Francis (Friedrich Feher), the writers intended it to represent the collective conscious of a Germany torn by war and instability (Kracauer 70). Supporting the latter claim is the fact that the framing story does not restore a "normal" perception of the world, but continues to be punctuated by expressionist elements; the psychiatric hospital is reminiscent of expressionist architecture, with three staircases running upwards from arched doorways, and the actors maintain their expressive acting styles with overemphasized facial movements. Since the framing story acts to remove the viewer from the supernatural tale told by Francis, in order for it to be a visual representation of his mind, logically it should restore the world to one resembling ?reality,? or the way that the average spectator would view their own external world."
Abstract The narrative strategies and artistic approaches of Wiene's "Des Cabinet des Dr. Caligari" and Renoir's "La R?gle du Jeu" appear significantly different from both the classical Hollywood model and from each other to warrant comparative analysis. This essay examines the alternative narrative strategies used in both films in relation to the classic narrative system and briefly compares the formal, technical, and aesthetic approaches of the two films with each other.
From the Paper "Another interesting feature is the use of iris transitions to and from black to point out certain objects or characters in a frame. This can be used as a less jarring alternative to close-ups (of which there are few) and is especially effective when used to highlight the emotion of a dramatically important scene, such as the malevolent lingering on Caligari's black striped glove as he lures Jane into his caravan, or when used to link related subjects, such as the iris close on Francis on the right side of the frame and subsequent iris open at the same place on the screen to reveal Jane near the start of the film."
From the Paper "According to Siegfried Kracauer, "the character of Caligari . . . stands for an unlimited authority that idolizes power." This idea is applicable both to Caligari and to the master of Metropolis, a man who is a virtual dictator and who has an entire class of people who serve the needs of the machine and so the city and have no other purpose in life. The central metaphor of the film is the transformation of a robot into a woman, and for leaders like Joh Fredersen, there is an entire class of human beings who are nothing but robots.
Power relations in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Wiene, 1920) are displayed through exaggeration. The mesmerist holds power over the somnambulist with the power of his eyes, with gestures, and with direct orders. Power is a central motif in the town depicted, with high officials showing their power by..."
Abstract Compares "Doctor Faustus" by Christopher Marlowe and a German silent film adaptation from the 1920s, "The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari". Explores how, during their times, they played with popular conventions and perceptions. The paper also deals with Expressionism and the Elizabethan stage.
From the Paper "The historical German story of Doctor Faustus has been used as inspiration in all forms of media, and across many cultures. The most noted English literary adaptation is the play by Christopher Marlowe, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, written in 1592. In the medium of film, the story of Faustus can be made into a highly visual experience, different than that found in Marlowe's outlet of the Elizabethan stage, and so can give an alternative insight into these well known Faustian traditions. The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, is a silent German art film, produced in 1919 by Robert Wiene, and written by Carl Mayer and Hans Janowitz. It deals creatively with the Faustian themes, including the concept of the divided self, temptation of power, and the search for superior knowledge. In addition, Caligari serves as a response to post-WWI Germany. Through the use of expressionism and the questioning of the senses of reality, both works of Faustus coincide with changes in popular perceptions."
