Skip to content
1981
Volume 10, Issue 3
  • ISSN: 1759-7137
  • E-ISSN: 1759-7145

Abstract

This article poses a question previously overlooked in the tremendous body of research on : why does the cabinet take such a prominent place in the title alongside the protagonist? The question is approached through a reading of the screenplay, which reveals that its narrative can be fruitfully conceived as a struggle of ‘evil spaces’. Pursuing the origins of this original spatial structure, the article uncovers a close connection between the script and the popular fantasy novels of the early twentieth century, in particular the only novel by the Austrian graphic artist Alfred Kubin. It is finally argued that acknowledging this connection to fantasy novels as well as the importance of the spatial structure in the script allows us to reconsider the crude opposition between the script’s narrative and the film’s set design that is prevalent in the existing research on the film.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/josc_00003_1
2019-09-01
2024-07-05
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Assmann, Peter. (ed.) ( 1995), Alfred Kubin (1877–1959): Mit einem Werkverzeichnis des Bestandes im Oberösterreichischen Landesmuseum, Salzburg:: Residenz-Verlag;.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Berg, Stephan. ( 1991), Schlimme Zeiten, böse Räume: Zeit- und Raumstrukturen in der phantastischen Literatur des 20. Jahrhunderts, Stuttgart:: Metzler;.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Budd, Mike. ( 1990;), ‘ The moments of Caligari. ’, in M. Budd. (ed.), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: Texts, Contexts, Histories, New Brunswick:: Rutgers University Press;, pp. 7119.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Christie, Ian. ( 2005;), ‘ Set design. ’, in R. Abel. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Early Cinema, London:: Routledge;, pp. 58487.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) ( 1920), Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer (wrs.), Robert Wiene (dir.) , Germany:: Decla Film-Gesellschaft Berlin, 76 mins;.
  6. Eisner, Lotte H.. ( 1955), Dämonische Leinwand: die Blütezeit des deutschen Films, Wiesbaden-Biebrich:: Der Neue Film;.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Elsaesser, Thomas. ( 2000), Weimar Cinema and After: Germany’s Historical Imaginary, London:: Routledge;.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Hoberg, Annegret. (ed.) ( 2008), Alfred Kubin: Drawings 1897 – 1909, Munich:: Prestel;.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Janowitz, Hans. ( [1941] 1990;), ‘ Caligari: The story of a famous story (excerpts). ’, in M. Budd. (ed.), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: Texts, Contexts, Histories, New Brunswick:: Rutgers University Press;, pp. 22139.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Jung, Uli, and Schatzberg, Walter. ( 1992;), ‘ Caligari: Das Kabinett des Dr. Wiene. ’, in U. Jung, and W. Schatzberg. (eds), Filmkultur zur Zeit der Weimarer Republik, Munich:: Saur;, pp. 7189.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Kasten, Jürgen. ( 1990), Der expressionistische Film: Abgefilmtes Theater oder avantgardistisches Erzählkino?, Münster:: MAKS-Publikationen;.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Kracauer, Siegfried. ( 1947), From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of the German Film, Princeton, NJ:: Princeton University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Kubin, Alfred. ( 1974), Aus meinem Leben. Gesammelte Prosa (ed. U. Riemerschmidt.), Munich:: Ellermann;.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Kubin, Alfred. ( 1909), Die andere Seite: ein phantastischer Roman; mit 52 Abbildungen und einem Plan, Munich:; Leipzig: Müller;.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Kubin, Alfred. ( [1909] 1969), The Other Side (trans. D. Lindley) , London:: V. Gollancz;.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Ledig, Elfriede. ( 1989), Paul Wegeners Golem-Filme im Kontext fantastischer Literatur: Grundfragen zur Gattungsproblematik fantastischen Erzählens, Munich:: Schaudig, Bauer, Ledig;.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Marks, Alfred. ( 1977), Der Illustrator Alfred Kubin: Gesamtkatalog seiner Illustrationen und buchkünstlerischen Arbeiten, Munich:: Spangenberg;.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Mayer, Carl, and Janowitz, Hans. ( [1919] 1995;), ‘ Das Cabinett des Dr. Calligari: Drehbuch. ’, in C. Mayer,, H. Janowitz, and R. Wiene. (eds), Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari: Drehbuch… zu Robert Wienes Film von 1919/20, Munich:: Edition Text+Kritik;, pp. 47111.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Niederhoff, Burkhard. ( 2014;), ‘ Focalization. ’, in P. Hühn,, J. Christoph Meister,, J. Pier, and W. Schmid. (eds), Handbook of Narratology, , 2nd ed.., Berlin:: de Gruyter;, pp. 197205.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Prawer, Siegbert S.. ( 1995;), ‘ Vom “Filmroman” zum Kinofilm. ’, in C. Mayer,, H. Janowitz, and R. Wiene. (eds), Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari: Drehbuch… zu Robert Wienes Film von 1919/20, Munich:: Edition Text+Kritik;, pp. 1145.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Quaresima, Leonardo. ( 1997;), ‘ Wer war Alland?. ’, in B. Frankfurter. (ed.), Carl Mayer: im Spiegelkabinett des Dr. Caligari: der Kampf zwischen Licht und Dunkel, Vienna:: Promedia;, pp. 99118.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Robinson, David. ( 2003;), ‘ Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. ’, in E. Buscombe, and R. White. (eds), British Film Institute Film Classics: 1, London:: Fitzroy Dearborn;, pp. 128.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Scheunemann, Dietrich. ( 2003;), ‘ The double, the décor, and the framing device: Once more on Robert Wiene’s the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. ’, in D. Scheunemann. (ed.), Expressionist Film: New Perspectives, Rochester, NY:: Camden House;, pp. 12556.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Schwarz, Alexander. ( 1994), Der geschriebene Film: Drehbücher des deutschen und russischen Stummfilms, Munich:: Diskurs Film;.
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Wilpert, Gero von. ( 1994), Die deutsche Gespenstergeschichte: Motiv, Form, Entwicklung, Stuttgart:: Kröner;.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Ksenofontova, A.. ( 2019;), ‘ Once again into the cabinets of Dr. Caligari: Evil spaces and hidden sources of the Caligari screenplay. ’, Journal of Screenwriting, 10:3, pp. 261277, doi: 10.1386/josc_00003_1
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1386/josc_00003_1
Loading
/content/journals/10.1386/josc_00003_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error