Distractions

I have to agree with the previous post on Wiene's "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" - I did not like the film's framing device to begin with, and I became even more bothered upon learning that the device was an add-on that twisted and neutered the film's original message and intents. I have never been a fan of the framing device; while some people think it is interesting because it changes our perceptions of the story, I can't help but feel that it is too often misused and serves as nothing other than a distracting gimmick of storytelling. Take, for example, the framing device of Steven Speilberg's incredible "Saving Private Ryan," where the use of a framing device exists for no other reason than to provide audiences with a satisfactorily schmaltzy and happy ending that is at odds with the rest of the story. This is the feeling I got in "Caligari": that we were experiencing a glossed-over happy ending for a story where that simply didn't fit.

Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. It surpassed my expectations for a film from 1920 because it proved to be darker, edgier, and more imaginative than anything I believed could have come out of this time period. Its spot among the greatest of early films is well-earned, if for no other reasons than its daring and its ability to combine artistry and horror into a gripping film experience. That it manages to be a great thriller AND a psychological metaphor for the post-WWI traumatized state of mind of the German people? Pretty remarkable.