31 Days of Draughts and Darkness: Volume III
"The Cabinet of
Dr. Caligari" (1920)
Modern horror is too often stereotyped as a shock and
schlock sort of medium. Most people will mention the blood, the effects, or the
monsters when asked to describe scary movies. Far too often are the more basic, primal heartbeats of the genre overlooked. No matter how blunt and
bloody, all horror is based in something emotional. Something either beyond our
grasp, or too frighteningly real to coupe with. A dread that puts us in our most
vulnerable state.
Tonight's feature is about as classic as classic horror
gets. It hails from an era where scary movies couldn't rely on extreme effects
or bloodletting. Hell, they couldn't even capture the shriek of a victim as the
knife fell. Imagine having to showcase cinematic dread with only silent
atmosphere and presentation.
Today, we laud scary movies with creepy buildups,
acting, and suspenseful stories. "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" comes
from a time where these were the only tools filmmakers had. And with these
limited resources came the inventiveness that birthed much of what we know of
horror today.
You may not be outright scared by "The Cabinet of Dr.
Caligari", but after giving it a watch, you'll understand where so many
cinema scares originally came from.
The Plot:
In a dreary courtyard sit town men conversing. One, an older
gentleman, recounts the tragic tale of how he lost his family. His companion
Francis, our protagonist, also has a sad story to tell. He is visiting his fiance Jane, currently wandering the courtyard in almost a
catatonic state. Her condition is unknown, but seems to be the result of a
strange, traumatic experience her and Francis endured together.
Before their engagement, Jane was the target of affection
for not only Francis, but also his best friend Alan. Both men sought Jane's
hand in marriage, but promised each other that no matter whom she chose,
they'd remain friends. Things started going wrong once the annual fair arrived in their small German village.
Along with all manner of sideshows and attractions, the fair brought with it the ghoulish Dr. Caligari, a scientist who claims to have
complete control over a Sonambulist. And what in the world is a Sonambulist, you
ask? Essentially locked into a coma, a Sonambulist is an individual who never
wakes up. They are technically alive, but always appear asleep. Dr. Caligari's Sonambulist
is a young man named Ceasar, who after twenty-three years of life, has
apparently never once woken from his slumber.
Dr. Caligari's grim subject attracts a large audience, among
them Francis and Alan. As Caligari works whatever magic and/or science it takes
to wake the eternally sleeping, Ceasar begins to stir in his coffin. The
shocked crowd is left breathless at the sight of this seemingly-dead man opening
his eyes for the first time. After awakening Ceasar, Caligari claims his
Sonambulist can answer any question the audience can think of. Despite
Francis's protests, Alan is springs up and asks "When will I die?".
Ceasar's response: Before
dawn.
And so the chaos begins.
The Flavor:
That "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" stills exists
in its completed form is something special. Before the credits roll, we're
informed that the film was pieced together and restored from bits of recovered
footage. As such, while you watch, the film will occasionally
switch color schemes or picture quality. While this can be initially distracting,
know that each time this occurs, you're seeing a rescued fraction of film stock
that would've otherwise been lost to time. And seeing as quite a few horror
tropes are introduced in "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari", the
horror-scene today would look quite different had these pieces not been saved.
Much of "Caligari" is flavored by
bizarre, warped-looking sets than seem more like stage-productions than
realistic scenes. Buildings twist at angles, sidewalks zig-zag, and nothing seems to move in a
straight line. Even the actors are made up to appear hyper-realized, with
exaggerated features and anatomy. You'll find yourself thinking of Tim Burton's
preferred aesthetic only to realize that this was the whole inspiration for it.
Many of the film's performances also share this surreal
quality. The characters will often make grand, sweeping gestures as they play
their rolls. Dr. Caligari doesn't just scheme and snicker. He saunters around
with an overdone menace that can too easily be mistaken for overacting. Because
the film is silent, we're treated to only snippets of dialogue via text
screens, so the actors have to overplay their emotions for the moment to fit. The
acting style, set-work, and Act-based structure evoke theater more than a
movie, so it's interesting to witness how one form of entertainment gave rise
to another.
Considered one of the first horror films, "The Cabinet
of Dr. Caligari" isn't scary in the purely conventional sense. Don't
expect sudden jump scares or disturbing content. The film's horror is built
entirely on the combination of creepy atmosphere and surreal aesthetic. The
plot is slow to unfold, takes its time to establish what's going on, and
thus requires patience. There dark mystery to unravel, and the film has no
intention on rushing its audience. Rather, it wants you to remain confused about the
true nature of Caligari's nefarious activities.
I can assure you the ending makes the experience worthwhile,
and while I won't spoil it here, it's yet another example of a horror-staple
performed for perhaps the very first time.
Best Paired With:
"The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" has a slow pace and
unusually tone that may leave the casual viewer either perplexed or bored. It's
not that the film is bad, but rather we're so used to rapid-fire style action
that it's far too easy to become indifferent. If one has the patience to
appreciate the creativity, this issue shouldn't be a problem.
Lovers of film, especially horror, will no doubt appreciate
all the beginnings of genre-staples. That "Caligari" pioneered so
many tropes we consider commonplace should be celebrated. I'd also
recommend this film to those with their hearts in theater, as so much of the stage
is showing paving the way for early filmmaking. It's neat to see the
translation as it was actually happening in 1920.
Brew
For a classic German
film, a classic German-style brew.
Name:
Oktoberfest
Brewery:
Sierra Nevada, in collab. w/Brauhaus Riegele
Where
Brewed: Chico, CA, w/ Augsburg, Germany
ABV:
6.0%
Style:
Octoberfest
A collaboration with a German brewer,
Oktoberfest from Sierra Nevada isn't looking to reinvent the wheel. On the
contrary, they want to emphasize the traditional. The classic Octoberfest
style.
Color: This brew features a pure golden glow, with only the
slightest fragment of red dead-center in the glass. When I say golden, I'm not talking the
straw-yellow pale lagers you see from big brewers. I'm talking the sort of
gold that lights up a room as if a fireplace was a'blazing. Lovely.
Aroma: Unlike some of the malt-bomb styles of Octoberfest
I've reviewed in the past, this one seeks not to blast your nostrils with nutty aroma. Rather, the initial scent features a delicate malt character,
made slightly sweet with the tang of German yeast. There's also just a bit of
dry hop in the background, making for a very clean, crisp scent overall.
Taste: Like with the aroma, the bursts of malt flavor are
present, but unfold gracefully. Your initial taste is quite dry, refreshing
even. The malt flavor and slight sweetness and is there, but doesn't become
truly rich in taste until the brew hits the center of your tongue.
At that
point point, it's as if the curtain opens for the malt and yeast character to pop. Neither is overly potent, but rather the nutty, sweet, and slightly tangy
qualities of the duo synchronize into a blend that's very flavorful, but by no
means overly powerful or cloying.
At the back of each sip strikes the mild, dry
bite of hop, which tempers down the sweetness and prevents the brew from
getting too rich as you make your way through a pint. Full flavor, yet highly
refreshing, the classic style gets a lot of things right by going traditional.
Aftertaste: Though the light kick of hops go a long way
towards dampening the malty flavor, this is an Octoberfest after all, folks.
Rich malts come with the territory. So while the malty/sweet flavors recede a
bit, they far from vanish off the palate. The lingering notes of malt and
German yeast stay at the back of the tongue, though as time goes on, the bitter
of the hop becomes more apparent and the malt less so. But that, my friends, is
one of the primary purposes behind hops: the balancing act. Keeping the
experience flavorful, yet refreshing.
Body: When chilled, Sierra Nevada's Oktoberfest goes down
like golden silk. Smooth and crisp. Super-drinkable, but I wouldn't call it
'light-bodied', either. The maltier flavors give the beer additional body, even
with the other elements balancing the malt out, flavorwise. I imagine the
experience at room temperature would be heavier, the beer taking on more of a
mouth-coating quality.
Pair: As a traditional-style brew, made with few bells and
whistles and focusing on simple quality, I've gotta pair Sierra Nevada's
Oktoberfest up with the traditional fare that comes to mind when you think of
such festivals. Hot, salted pretzels and bratwurst may be the cliche, but no
less delicious. As this beer is slightly sweet and nutty, focus on salty and
savory dishes to run the full spectrum of flavors.
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