Artistry in The Cabinet

What makes horror scary? This is a question that varies from one movie viewer to another, and holds even greater contrasts from culture to culture. One movement that started almost all of horror in the film world, was German Expressionism, at at the forefront of it was filmmaker Robert Wiene. The creator would go on to create a film so grand in its horror elements, that it has significance in trends we see today. Robert Wiene’s use of unmoving camera angles, uniquely framed long shots and specifically timed cuts in editing contributes greatly to the feeling of unease and suspense in The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari. These choices are used throughout the movie but are most prominent in the abduction scene. The mise en scene¹ that Wiene includes- especially with his use of placement in actors and set design drives home the largeness of the room and adds to the creeping feeling of Cesare stalking in the night. This scene analysis will break down the important choices in set design, camera angles and shots, editing, lighting, as well as costumes and movement of the actors to explain what it is that not only made The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari a blueprint for horror, but why it is successful in invoking suspense.

The entire length of the Abduction spans across almost four minutes and begins with Cesare sneaking up into the room from outside. While the segment in its entirety is important to the overall plot of the movie, this piece will be focusing specifically on the bedroom portion of the abduction. Right away the importance of this scene is evident in its simplicity. Wiene frames where the viewer should be looking straight away- and the use of foreground and background is the most valuable aspect to the set. There is Jane sleeping towards the front left side of the frame, resting in a bed adorned by a softly shaped canopy. On the opposite side of the frame is the complete opposite feeling; a set of spacious windows with a dark background and sharp intense shadowing along the cold stone pillars that are between them. Anything that is not the bed, or the window (and the chairs in front of it) are covered in shadow, and as the scene itself is darkly lit with a green hue compared to the rest of the movie, it makes it apparent we are in this dark room at nigh time. The choices are simple yet give the viewer clear cues

on where to look, when Cesare is not in frame, we are worried that something will appear in the window or from the shadows should we look at Jane for even a second. The canopy being soft and gentle depicts an air of innocence to Janes sleep, the shadows on the window showing the dangerous act that is about to come (nearly murdering Jane), and the shadows between it add space to the room and an air of uncertainty. When combined with the editing and angles of shots, it makes these choices even more meaningful in the scene.

The camera sits just above what would be someone’s eye level, as if the viewer were a fly on the wall, and it doesn’t move from that spot. The audience always has a clear view on the bed, and the landing with the windows. But quickly in between these still wide shots, are closer shots of Cesare, first through the window, rising from below, then back to the room again. This cut to the window gets rid of the room, and just shows the man between the pillars, showing us the space between our two characters. It is in this quick glimpse of Cesare we see he is brandishing a knife- the sharp angles directly mirroring the shadows above the window, which is even more clear when the camera shoots back to that initial wide shot. There doesn’t need to be a following of the characters, slow zoom ins or panning shots. The edits leave us to see what is important and seeing that Jane has no idea what is about to happen, gives us a sense of uneasiness and stress. Is the girl going to hear him? Will she wake up? The timing between edits only giving the viewer more time to anticipate what the next beat will be.

The timing between cuts greatly drives the building of suspense, one of the key elements in lasting and effective horror films. The first two shots featuring Jane are incredibly short when put up next to the longer shots of Cesare. These seemingly endless medium and medium full shots of Cesare match his pacing, slow and calculated, while the viewer only sees Jane to be made aware of the fact that she is still asleep. The longest edit, is when both characters are on screen together, the set-up of the camera now thoroughly driving home the distance between the two as the depth of field captures every single movement Cesare takes, and never once does either character seem to be out of focus. Then there is a shift- a quick shot of Cesare's face as he raises a knife! Suspense, as it cuts back quickly to the shot of Cesare and Jane, which now feels like it is closer, while the camera hasn’t actually moved. This shot is the longest in the sequence, and shows Cesare's change of heart, however because the framing is the same, the audience still is on the edge of their seat, what will the man do next? This change of heart is on his face with the longer edit of Cesare's face, as now instead of the knife it his hand lowered. This longer edit gives the audience to assume the worst has yet to come, as the scene now hits a crescendo. The longest edit, being when Cesare slowly lowers his hand, and then suddenly jars Jane awake. Each edit after that is evenly paced, but there is a sense of panic between them, as the cuts between wide and close up only drive home what Jane is feeling- fear.

While the scene has been rescored numerous times, the pacing of the music in any rescore or the original perfectly matches the editing, and movement of the actors, and nowhere is this more apparent than when the characters are moving across the room. When Cesare first moves from the window to the front by the bed, the music is slow, quiet. This lulls viewers into a false sense of security, while also acknowledging that something could happen at any moment. After Cesare grabs Jane, and the pair tussle in a hurry back to the window, the music is loud, quick pace and chaotic. The music only seems to slow down once Jane is no longer struggling, and Cesare walks towards the window women in tow. The music and movement of the actors work the most in tandem with one another, and is still a popular duo in any film, but especially horror. The sharper, louder and quicker notes imitate Jane, and tell the viewer they too should be stressed for this moment, whereas earlier in the scene, it was quiet and much more subdued, matching Cesare’s motions. Which creates tenseness for the audience, as it’s never clear what is about to happen, other than something bad.

Lastly, when the exact moment of abduction happens we also see within these movements, the stark contrast in costuming an makeup on the actors. Jane is in a nightgown, white and flowing. Her make-up was of its time, but light and the clear innocence she exudes is the antithesis of Cesare. Cesare is dawning all black, intense face-paint with darkened eyes that highlight the emotion behind them throughout the scene. This costuming not only depicts the characters auras, but also shows the differences in actions, as well as the juxtaposition between the shadowing around Jane, and around Cesare in the bed and the windows. The subtly in each aspect of Wiene's mise en scene truly sways audiences on which character they should and shouldn’t feel fearful towards, and as each motion plays out, they draw from the emotions of these choices.

In conclusion, when looking at Wiene’s decision making and mise en scene when creating The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari, many components go hand in hand. The setting and costumes mirror each other, while the editing matches characters intentions and movements, the shots and depth of field are intentional to tell viewers where too look, while the music ties it altogether and paints an image of innocence versus evil or ill intent. These over arching tropes in character and emotion make it easy to pull on the heartstrings of audience and evoke feelings of intense fear, suspense, and stress overall, all vindictive or what directors today look for when creating a good horror film. Throughout The Cabinet, all of these elements are repeated and many scenes are abundant, the abduction scene is one that drives home the plot of the unknown, the unthinkable, and fear, leaving the audience searching for a solution and generally wondering “what happens next?”, and that feeling of suspense hits its peak with the abduction scene itself. As Cesare takes Jane from her slumber and out the window of her room, he drags her from her innocence and blissful dreamland, into the stark unfamiliar coldness of the night, like the blade he welded beforehand, both instilling fear in their own ways. The combination of all of these elements leave a timeless effect on horror that lasted from the days of German Expressionism, into the genre of horror and suspense today.

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¹ Mise En Scene : /ˌmēz ˌän ˈsen/

noun: mise en scène; plural noun: mises en scène

the arrangement of scenery and stage properties in a play. the setting or surroundings of an event or action.

Origin French, literally ‘putting on stage’.