Caligari and Cesare.. looking familiar! The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is based on a delusion of a madman. Whole film occurs in the studio, which is designed in an expressionistic way. There are roads that go up to the sky, chairs with no sitting places, buildings which combine with unrealistic angles
Shooting the film outside the studio would have completely destroyed the film's atmosphere. It would have been weird to find out that a madman's delusion is just like our reality. Because he is not expected to perceive things in the same `normal' way like we do, shooting the film in the studio and creating the madman's own world was the only way to show the wickedness of his reality. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari uses costumes in a functional way as well. We see Dr. Caligari dressed in complete black colors and wearing an overcoat as if he is trying to inform us from the beginning that he is the villain of the movie. On the other hand Jane, Francis' love (narrator), who is symbolizing purity and grace in his mind, is always seen in white dresses. However, as the ending draws closer, when Dr. Caligari is seen sleeping in his bed, he is wearing a white costume. As he was regarded as an innocent doctor by most people, his outlook changes to white as well. At the same time the audience is implicitly warned that seeing a person dressed in white (acting innocently) does not mean that he/she is actually innocent.
Also when Dr. Caligari comes to get a permit to exhibit at the fair he has a very bad posture. He is leaning downwards and he is in one corner of the scene. This makes us interpret that he is a sly person who is different from `normal' people. Lighting was one of the crucial points in Caligari. Because of the financial problems of Germany at that time, lights were painted. There were also lots of contrast in terms of black and white as if trying to make a clear-cut distinction between the good and the evil. When Cesare comes to kill Mr. Alan (Francis' friend), we see the murder from the shadows of both men. Also when Cesare is on his way to kill Jane, we see his shadow on the wall. As he is wearing a black costume as well, there seems to be no difference of himself from his shadow probably meaning that he is a part of the night with his diseased soul. However there's hardly any camera movement in the film.
in Caligari there is hardly any movement. Everything is stage-like and different angles are not usually used in one scene. Close-ups are usually done by narrowing the iris. There was only one panning and it was in the police station when the wrong suspect was arrested. Camera made a slight pan movement in attempt to show the small crowd's faces. It seems that this movement does not hold an artistic importance in the film.
While Caligari can be regarded as representing the complete authority of the government over its citizens, Cesare seems to represent the obeying people. In the film, Caligari says that Cesare has slept for 23 years meaning that people are made to do things and that they are not complaining while doing them. On the whole, Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a masterful piece of German Expressionism which every cinema lover should see at least twice in his life.