Bring Back the '20s
By Alicia Davies
January 2021
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As we just finished the first year of this new decade, we can reflect it was not like anyone expected. The attack of Covid-19 was slightly reminiscent of the Spanish Flu in the 1920s, and the macroeconomic fluctuations and culture wars reflect times in the 1920s. This begs the question: should we just bring back the 1920s?
Perhaps not completely, however here is the Top 10 list of films from the 1920s that are as good (if not, better) than the current films of the 2020s. (Warning, may contain spoilers ahead)
10. The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920)
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari is a 1920 German Expressionist film directed by Robert Wiene. It is about a hypnotist who uses a somnambulist to commit murders within a town, however it is revealed at the end of the film that these events occurred ... watch to find out more.
This iconic film introduced German Expressionism to the film industry, led by director Robert Wiene, as a result of their experiences in World War I. Using a stunning, distorted visual style, the sets are simple, but perfectly encapsulates the mentality of each character every scene throughout the film.
The first iconic scene shown in the film introduces a murder victim, and their best friend, the protagonist.
The minimalist style of set introduces the simplicity of the character, Alan, and conveys the loneliness through the spaced out furniture. Even though Alan is reading a book, he longs for interaction and excitement, which he realises he can do as he looks out the window, and sees a fair being set up. The closeness of the camera highlights the in-frame furniture, comfortable for a single person.
The brilliant subtlety of the introduction of distortion is evident in the set. As character of German Expressionist films, the sets were constructed in a studio, so they could easily create these distortion effects without fancy film equipment. Watch out for the distortion in each set, as they are early easter eggs towards the realisation of the film.
Even thought this film is contained no vibrant colours, Wiene cleverly coloured each scene depending on the time of day, from a yellow filter during the day, to a blue or green at night. It really contributes to standing out amongst the popular film noir genre.
