The Cabinet of Dr Caligary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Cabinet of Dr Caligary - Essay Example72). The film seems to equally check the disturbed German psyche and act as prescient element of the later Nazi regime. While there are clear links amongst the film and the mind, many prominent film theories conflict much(prenominal) a depiction. This essay examines how the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari complicates Munsterbergs the Photoplay and his discussion on attention, and Eisensteins essays on Film Form by the physical depiction of the mind. Analysis Munsterbergs theory of attention as articulated in the Photoplay contemplates the nature of film meaning in terms of peach attention. In this context of understanding, he notes Of all internal functions which create the meaning of the world around us, the most central is the attention. The chaos of the surrounding impressions is organized into a real cosmos of experience by our selection of that which is significant and of consequence (Munsterberg). Here Munsterberg is indicating that rath er than more subtle aspects of film expression, meaning is mostly a factor of the viewers attention. When iodin considers such a theory in terms of Caligari there are a number of considerations. After the initial scene with Francis in the asylum the film opens onto the highly stylized Expressionist mountains of the town featured in Francis story. The German Expressionist scenery is interesting to consider as it challenges the distinguishing features Munsterbergs theory of attention. While the director incorporates the mountain backdrop as a functional element of setting, its distorted German Expressionist influence, succession not constituting the main focus of attention, nevertheless greatly affects the meaning and tone of the scene. For instance, while it clearly exhibits a denotative aspect mountain cutouts clearly announce mountains one can also make the case that the mountain scenery is an entirely symbolic manifestation of Francis distorted paradigm. While for Munsterberg film meaning is largely linked to the viewers attention, Soviet theorist and director Sergei Eisenstein places the primary emphasis on montage. Eistenstein writes Shot and montage are the basic elements of cinema. Montage has been naturalized by the Soviet film as the nerve of cinema. To determine the nature of montage is to solve the specific problem of cinema (Einstentein, p. 3). Even as such a perspective in terms of the highly experimental Russian cinema holds true, this view is complicated when applied to German Expressionist cinema. One considers that in Caligari it is not montage, but symbolism and scenery that greatly rely meaning. After Alan dies, Francis goes to the police. The mise-en-scene displays a large, winding staircase he mustiness climb to speak with the officers who are positioned on extremely high-chairs. This is also echoed in the giant chair found in Alans apartment, expressionistically representing the overarching authority that looks down on the character s. When examining the authoritarian function of the chair, one might argued for the interpretation of the cultural object in terms of the hierarchical power structures that are inherent in society. The majority of the investigation is left to Francis who must relay to Jane the horrible news of Alan