Inside Caligari and The Last Laugh

A detailed Summary of Inside Caligari and The Last Laugh

The films, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and The Last Laugh were very important films. They opened new doors to cinema. They showed the world that films don't have to leave you feeling really good about life and the world we live in. By this I mean that the two films listed above tell the viewers about the power people posses and the misuse of that power. There are different ways to misuse power; the rich take power for granted, and in Caligari's case, well, he madly misuses his status as the head doctor of the asylum. My basic idea for this essay is to show that power is derived from different sources; money, status, attitude, and appearance, however, that power isn't always used for the best purposes. The films use expressionistic devices to support my thesis in ways that compare to and appose one another.

In Caligari there were several instances where expressionism was used. The set of Caligari was the first obvious expressionistic device used. The shadows on the set were perfect for the somnambulist Cesare to stalk his unsuspecting victims. He gained control of all of his prey by using the set to blend and then emerge with element of surprise. He had a dark, unrealistic look tha

The Last Laugh didn't try to make the viewer feel awkward, but it did use it's set to give the viewer a strong shift in emotion. At the beginning the doorman was on top of the world in his position, but after he was unable to peform his duties, he was demoted to the bathroom attendant. Here the set takes on the unrealistic form. The bathroom is sunk down into the basement almost like hell, which is what it was like for the former doorman. The doorways opened to go down the stairs to the bathroom, the stairs are in shadows, stairs in shadows are of course very odd considering the risk of injury. This also represents his loss of status and the power that goes along with it.

Both of the stories end in a manner trying to regain the high spirits of the viewers, especially The Last Laugh, in which the poor man is lucky enough to have a rich man die in his presence, who's will made it so the former doorman would inherit his fortune. These films are masterpieces, however, the need for a happy ending in the film industry caused the addition of the unrealistic ending, which took away from the body of The Last Laugh. Similarly, in Dr. Caligari, the director didn't want the film as it was, so he made the original story into a figment of a crazy man's imagination, which took away from the point of the original story, which was to always scrutinize people in power to prevent corruption. However, in both cases I was drawn to the main body of the film and the sense of disgust I had with the people in power; Dr. Caligari, the head of the hotel, and the rich pompous man in the bathroom. The films emphasized power using many devices, solidifying my thesis.

The symbolism in both of the films was the most powerful expressionistic device. In Caligari the symbolism was slightly different than that of The Last Laugh. Caligari used symbolism to represent Cesare. I'm reminded of one scene in which the camera falls upon shadows

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Approximate Word count = 1302
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History