Experimental Film Analysis

Experiments in Horror, Comedy, and Documentary

Experimental cinema or avant-garde cinema is a mode of filmmaking that rigorously reevaluates cinematic conventions and explores non-narrative forms and alternatives to traditional narratives or methods of working. Many of the films we screened this semester highlight what Tom Gunning calls the “cinema of attractions,” the demonstration of the capacities of the new medium of cinema and its own visibility. During a time when motion pictures/cinematography was the new technology for the world in general, there was much experimentation with editing techniques and elements of mise-en-scene in order to make a film more interesting to watch. Some films were made with storylines and specific genres in mind, including the horror film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Wiene, 1920) and the comedy Sherlock, Jr. (Buster Keaton, 1924), while others were simply made for the purpose of exploring cinematography such as Man With a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov, 1929). Each film was produced during a silent cinema era still when moving pictures were entertaining enough for people, and so production crews naturally wanted to find different ways to either capture everyday life or make the story seem more interesting, usually in surreal ways. Experiments done in each of the three films included specific editing methods, plotline twists, and manipulation of mise-en-scene elements such as lighting, props, and settings.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

            In The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, experimentation with elements of mise-en-scene was incredibly important to create a spooky environment and eery storyline. Costumes and props were necessary to establish characters such as the Somnambulist, while a lot of makeup was used to disguise the actors as dead people who each portrayed the miraculous Cesare. Since this movie operated on such a low budget, there were limitations on the editing and settings producers could afford, so painted shadows and platforms were experiments of their own as they strayed from traditional film settings. The painted settings and abstract objects were actually two of the most obvious aspects of the film that were experimental in nature and made it seem more like a dream due to the bizarre-ness. The oblong shapes of the setting also work well in cohesion with the lighting and shadows to add to the morbidity of the environment. For example, during scenes in which the characters are out walking in the middle of the night, shadows and highlights of them strolling contribute to the loneliness of them lurking through the streets. Another example of experimenting with shadows is the first murder scene, in which the murderer’s silhouette is cast as a shadow against the bedroom wall, and the audience witnesses the crime entirely through this rather than by seeing the actual characters. This is essential to the plotline as it adds to the suspense of uncovering who the murderer is through the film. In addition to the elements of mise-en-scene, some editing techniques were integrated into the film such as fading in and out of scenes to represent a new day or setting and changing the tint of the film color from blue to orange to indicate night and day. Experimentation with the camera angles and movement also contributed to the horror of the film, as close-up shots of Cesare, victims of the murders fear, and Dr. Caligari gave viewers a closer view of the insanity of each character. There are also close-up shots of Dr. Caligari’s diary, which resembles intertitles in a hand-written font, as well as reaction shots of the audience at Dr. Caligari’s somnambulist show when he momentarily revives “Cesare” from death. The plot being a story within a story the whole time was also experimental, as it added a new dimension to the film and made the disorientation of the setting make much more sense.

Sherlock Jr.

            Similar to the experimentation with the story-within-a-story plotline, Sherlock Jr. features a film-within-a-film technique, as well as shot-reverse-shot editing, cross-cutting, and other techniques. The protagonist of the film (Buster Keaton), a movie theater projectionist and janitor, is in love with a girl whose heart is also sought by a rival sheik, neither of them having much money. He falls asleep while on the job but dreams of himself being a detective within the film he is projecting, solving a situation that closely relates to his waking life. Since it is a silent comedy, props, wild stunts, and near-miss situations in the plotline greatly add to the slapstick humor of the film while serving as their own forms of experimental cinema. The fact that Keaton performed his own elaborate stunts involving jumping through walls and motor vehicles reveal the amount of experimentation that went into the filming of the comedy, as the visual effect of the stunts seemed effortless and became funnier as each obstacle overcame grew in size. One example of a near-miss scene that experimented with prop humor is in the billiards scene when Keaton avoided getting his head chopped off by deciding to not sit down in the trap, he switched his poisoned drink with a normal one, and he switched billiards so that he wouldn’t hit the explosive one on the table. In regards to editing, the film also emplores fading in and out of scenes as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari does. For example, at the end of the film, his dream fades out to reveal him sitting in the projectionist room of the movie theater swimming in the air as if he was drowning in real life as he was in his dream. There is also experimentation with camera placement and angles throughout the film, as it faces Keaton as he rides a bike from different locations, and later shoots his face from outside of the movie theater projection window. Another editing technique during the scenes that took place outside of the dreamt film but still in the movie theater includes cross-cutting between Keaton’s face staring at the movie screen’s main character movements and the actual film itself that he was watching. This contributed to the humor of the film as it did not require narration, but it was easy for the audience to see that Keaton was copying every move the protagonist from the actual film was doing in order to impress the woman he loved.

Man With a Movie Camera

In contrast to the other two films, Man With a Movie Camera does not have a central storyline or plot, but rather is a conglomeration of various cinematic techniques invented, employed, or developed by Vertov. Some of the techniques included fast motion, slow motion, freeze frames, split screens, extreme close-ups, tracking shots, reversed footage, stop motion animation, and jump cuts. Despite its lack of a storyline or narrative, the film serves as an avant-garde style documentary by experimenting with multiple montages and edits to depict the everyday life of a vast range of people during this time. While Sherlock Jr. integrates technology and motor vehicles for the purpose of stunts, transportation, and comedy, Man with a Moving Camera explores different aspects of technology and documents it in a vastly different fashion, highlighting technology’s role in industry and labor through the film’s many snippets. He also experiments with sound effects, specifically in a scene where a robot is dancing and a reaction shot captures the crowd of people watching it. Throughout the film, the camera tracks the movements of machinery including but not limited to trains, exercise equipment, and factory wheels, creating an effect of constant motion throughout the film. Occasionally, there are split screens featuring the trams moving past each other in opposite directions, low angle shots underneath tracks of transportation covering the movement of the machinery, and super-imposition of people on various types of technology. Reversed footage is used several times to capture different activities throughout a city. One example is a close up of chalk-like items rolling back into a structure that was likely knocked down, without showing any hands or people putting the pieces back together. This editing seemed like a start-and-stop style of recording so that the items appeared to move on their own. Another instance of reverse footage is of a woman opening and closing her window, likely highlighting the passage of time and repetition many people experience in their daily lives. Cross-cutting is also used to go back and forth between someone’s eyes and the city around them in different instances. Similar to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Sherlock Jr., we see another instance of a story within the story, this time through scenes of a lady looking at what seems to be just photographs of people, but actually are freeze frames we later see brought to life in scenes depicting children and an old lady enjoying simple activities. The film’s multiple montages were experimental in nature as each montage seemed to carry a different powerful meaning and documented various aspects of a working-class world. Specifically, a montage of different people enjoying a day at the beach doing and wearing different things highlights different social classes united through a common past-time activity of spending time at a beach through the difference in costumes and figure behaviors. Two other montages, one of many different people getting themselves groomed in various ways, and another of men and women performing a variety of sports, invite viewers to not only compare how we take care of ourselves and spend our time today but also notice the advancements in exercise technology and gender expectations related to beauty service jobs. Spatial and time continuity are also manipulated through editing, with one example being the tarp of a merry-go-round disappearing through a jump cut, and superimposition and camera placement making a “man with a camera” appear in various odd spaces including a cup and above a roof. Perhaps this man captured in different sizes and objects is a symbol of Vertov himself, trying to capture as many different scenes of life in as many different ways as are possible.

            The experiments made in the 1920s across different genres of film have inspired the works of beautiful films created since then. Experimentation with lighting, shadows, and close-ups allowed for a better representation of fear and horror, while stunt and editing experiments allowed for perfect silent comedy and the exploration of the capacities of a camera allowed a documentary to capture a time period thoroughly. Nearly 100 years later, it is amazing to look back at the earliest films and witness the birth of several classic genres aspects due to the creativity and experimentation of early directors and producers.