As the debate continues, how to reconcile the old tradition of All Hallows' Eve with the increasingly popular Halloween holiday, Vilnius University Kaunas faculty lecturer dr. Dovilė Balevičienė suggests devoting one autumn evening to noteworthy films, the craftsmanship of which not only gives shivers, but also helps to understand the development of cinema. Acquaintance with world classics has inspired more than one famous creator, so reflections can also be found in already well-known films.
Unexpected ending
"Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (1920) is often referred to as the first true horror film. It was this film that presented an unexpected twist in the story. twist ending), and surreal mise-en-scenes* moved the audience into a mentally unstable subconscious," says Dr. D Balevičienė. According to the teacher, this film became a starting point for many legendary creators, such as Alfred Hitchcock, David Fincher, etc. It's worth noting that there are more and more versions of the film that ditch the German credits and opt for live orchestral music.
"The Office of Doctor Caligari" is considered an exceptional film masterpiece both for its visual expressiveness and for its complicated allegorical narrative, and is still considered a standard of artistry in the film industry. It is believed that the director Robert Wiene depicted with this work the sentiments of the western sunset that spread among the German intellectuals and the economic stress at the time, which caused anxiety in the society. The hypnotic breath of death reminds us of the fragility of life.
Philosophical plot, surreal locations and demonstratively expressive acting typical of silent cinema embody spiritual suffering, involve the viewer and leave an indelible impression. The film is distinguished by previously unseen cinematic motifs and elements, which are believed to have been inspired by the social atmosphere of the time. Due to poor financing, the film was created without the necessary building materials, the scenery is painted on canvas, but technological experiments create an unseen, expressive whole. The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari is considered one of the most important masterpieces of German expressionist cinema and psychological horror cinema.
An immortal classic
"One of the best-known classic horror films is the science fiction masterpiece Frankenstein (1931), which makes the viewer think about the limits of life and technology. It is an inspiring and memorable work, which is necessary to see in order to understand the history of horror cinema," says the researcher. According to her, this is one of those rare cases where a film truly surpasses the literary work it is based on.
The phrase "It's alive!" It's alive!' has become one of the most famous movie catchphrases, which is still used in the dialogues of modern films, and is used by netizens as an emotional gif image. Interestingly, the soon-to-be thunder was added by censoring the scene in post-production. The phrase "Now I know what it feels like to be God!" was then considered blasphemous and returned to the film only in 1999.
In the film, scientist Henry Frankenstein's attempt to breathe life into the body parts of the dead succeeds, but is accompanied by the tragedy of a special creator-creature relationship. "In popular culture, the monster itself is often referred to as 'Frankenstein,' which is not accurate," says Dr. D. Balevičienė. Currently, there are at least twenty films inspired by Mary Shelley's novel, which reveal the Frankenstein drama in their own way. This only proves the undying relevance of the drama.
Boris Karloff, who played the monster, was recognized as a horror icon and later played the same role in the sequels Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Son of Frankenstein (1939). Although the actor was unable to speak in the first film, in 1966 His portrayal of the Grinch earned him a Grammy Award. Interestingly, during the filming of "Frankenstein", the actor had to spend hours in the make-up chair until he got the look of the character. The same thing happened to Jim Carrey when he was married in 2000. embodied the Grinch.
It is also extremely modern that the Universal Pictures studio film, classified as science fiction, had two endings: a happy one and a sad one. The first was more acceptable to the American audience.
Killing the main character
"One of the best films of the director and screenwriter Alfred Hitchcock - Psycho (1960) went down in the history of cinema by breaking the rule in the films of that time to keep the main character alive until the end of the film. Here, Marion Krein dies just in the middle of the film," says Dr. D. Balevičienė. She believes that the film has perfectly stood the test of time, and the plot is not stereotypical even in today's context.
The film is astonishingly technologically advanced. Unconventional solutions create tension, incite paranoia, lull the rain and excite the senses. The famous scream track, well known to moviegoers, can also be attributed to these solutions. According to the teacher, the bathroom scene that shocked the audience received a lot of criticism due to the violence, but the director managed to depict the bloody murder in the footage without even showing it. A. Hitchcock demonstrated his talent by using editing techniques to create a bewildering and terrifying experience for the audience, playing with angles, shadows and close-ups.
It is also relevant to the history of cinema that the director took up the project on his own initiative to realize all his ideas. A. Hitchcock became famous by not giving in to consumer commercialism - the film's budget was less than 1 million. dollars, but earned 32 million. dollars in revenue and was nominated for four Oscars.
* Mise-en-scène is the totality of the organization, design, and visual presentation of the action space. The visual artistic means of storytelling include plotting, cinematography, set design, and direction. It is the position of actors or other objects and their movement in space and limited time, organizing all this in a film frame.
