before i begin discussing the film of most focus for the past week, I wanted to clarify my point of view on the often discussed topic of defining avant-garde cinema.

Everyone has a different perspective of the world around them from their fellow humans, and there are so many ways to capture this unique perception that ultimately transcends tangible measurement. One cannot quantify the way in which a blooming sunrise speaks to the soul, for instance, yet I have a feeling that most people have such inexplicable emotions. It is my personal belief that an avant garde film is a way to capture that unique personal experience and convey it to someone else. That is not to say that avant garde film is limited to one purpose; there are infinite topics subject to individual viewpoints that can be expressed through the exploration of film.

On a small scale, avant garde film is a trip inside the head of another. Where before one may only have been able to consider an idea within the confinements of their own perception, an objective viewing of a film could allow them to see the the idea through another's eyes.

Avant garde film is a way of expanding upon someone else's preconceived notion of a topic, and perhaps through such expansion remove any of the preconceived notions. However, this does not mean that the director is suggesting that the viewer's perspective is no longer valid. That would be just as limiting as if the film never existed. I believe that is what Broughton mean when he is talking about vision: when you can openly see multiple perspectives without forming a judgement on one above the other.

Moving on..

One reason I decided to take this class was an interest in Robert Weine's film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. I was understandably pleased to discover it would be the first Avant-Garde film we were to watch. After watching it, my thoughts and musings drew themselves mostly onto one of the most misunderstood characters, Cesare himself. Cesare the somnambulist is one of the most certain and deliberate characters in the film, yet one of the most assuredly insane. By certain and deliberate, I mean the most assured and directed in every action he executes. Surely this is because he is under the control of Dr. Caligari, but there is a possibility of a further underlying meaning. Several times in the film, you see him stalking his prey with more deftness and precision than anyone else in the film is capable of producing. If Cesare represents the hordes of the German populace forced into committing murder in war on the orders of a supreme authority (as the reading suggests), maybe this film has pro-authoritarian overtones? The character who is dependent on a tyrranous ruler seems to be the most goal oriented and productive, however mindless. This brings me to another point which I ponder.

What is the extent of Cesare's self-awareness and control? The beauty of Jane was able to bring him out of his murder-oriented, Caligari-induced trance, but was that the only thing?

if he was able to stop himself from killing jane, what else was he able to do? Was he aware of his blind adherence to caligari's will this whole time. There is a possibility that he also had the free will to reject Caligari's orders, yet it was his own deranged mindset that coerced him to committing the murders. Perhaps Cesare was more in control than everyone has previously believed.

Cesare's personality, actions, and character embody the spirit of the film more than any other character. Visually, he looks like an animated setpiece. Perhaps this parallel suggests that the soul of Germans at this time (since the expressionist set characterizes the phenomena of the soul according to the writing) is obedience. After all, wasn't the very essence of this film severely mutated thanks to the obedience of Janowitz and Mayer to the authority of Weine?