FROM CALIGARI TO HITLER: GERMAN CINEMA IN THE AGE OF THE MASSES (2014) – The DVD Review

Review by Roger Carpenter

Germany’s Weimar Republic era roughly coincided with America’s Roaring Twenties period. Beginning shortly after the end of WWI, spanning the decade of the 1920’s, and extending into the early 1930’s Germany’s Weimar era was one of prosperity, decadence, and escapism. And just as American’s prosperous, libidinous decade would end in tragedy with Black Friday’s stock market crash and the beginning of The Great Depression, the Germans would see a tragedy of even more monumental proportions with the rise of Hitler and Nazism which would bring a screeching halt to the Weimar ideology.

The development of early German cinema corresponded with the Weimar era. With the return from the war of men who would pioneer German cinema, the decade is perhaps arguably the most creative and innovative in the history of world cinema. 1920’s German films are essentially synonymous with expressionism and the series of darkly horrific films made by some of the greatest directors associated with early cinema. Outside of Germany, however, most people are unfamiliar with the hodgepodge of film genres developed and popularized during this time, with expressionism representing only a minor role in German cinema of the time. There were the so-called “asphalt” films which addressed contemporary problems post-war German society was dealing with such as inflation and the deterioration of the middle class as exemplified by the films of director G.W. Pabst; highly patriotic films about Prussian history which idolized leaders such as Frederick the Great; kammerspiel, or “chamber dramas,” which focused on middle- and lower-class people embroiled in melodramas; and bergfilm, or nature films, which tended to focus on the “man vs. nature” theme and included several very popular mountain films that dramatized mountain climbers tackling difficult peaks. There were even a series of films—part of the “asphalt” group—which tackled subjects that heretofore had remained taboo: Diary of a Lost Girl, about a young woman who gives birth out of wedlock and is forced into prostitution to save her family; Ritual Murder, which addresses anti-Semitism and forbidden love between a Jewish girl and a young Russian man, and Different from the Others, a film about homosexuality—the first German film to directly address the subject head-on and possibly the first film in history to address the subject. But of all these extremely popular genres none was perhaps as affecting as the expressionist movement. Beginning with The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in 1920 and spanning some of the greatest fantasy films of all time, with titles such as The Golem, Nosferatu, Faust, Metropolis, and M, a good many of these films portrayed a fiendish, yet charismatic, villainous anti-hero as the main protagonist. In 1947, Siegfried Kracauer, in his book entitled From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of the German Film, proposed some polarizing ideas regarding these early films. The study is considered a groundbreaking treatise on German film and one of the most important books on the subject.

In it, Kracauer proposes that The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is an allegory for the Weimar era with Caligari himself being a political tyrant and the end result inevitably being a world of chaos as represented by the highly expressionist sets for the film. Kracauer goes on to connect the dots with many of the greatest villains of early German cinema—the Golem, Nosferatu, Faust, Frederson and Moloch, Beckert, and Mabuse—and to propose a connection between these films and the rise of Nazism. These theories remain highly controversial even today, with various writers disparaging Kracauer for making conclusions either with incomplete evidence or making conclusions without doing proper research (though his early career was as a film critic he had not seen many of the films in question for a number of decades).

And herein lies one of the problems with this documentary feature: this reviewer had to do extra research to find out about these controversies—indeed, even discovering there was controversy at all. Director Rudiger Suchsland presents the material in such a way to impress upon the viewer the finality of the idea without addressing any alternatives. While a good documentary aims to educate as well as to entertain, I would argue a good documentary provides a balanced commentary. It was only my curiosity which allowed me to unearth opposing viewpoints, some of which are rather obvious. For instance, it is well-known and on record that Caligari writers Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer wrote their story in an effort to come to terms with their negative feelings upon returning from WWI. One can interpret the twisted sets of Caligari as the pain these men felt as pacifists forced into the brutality of war with Caligari being the militaristic government. Of course, there are other interpretations and criticisms as well. And while I do not dismiss Kracauer’s own interpretation—in fact, I find it very credible with the hindsight of 70 years of historical interpretations at my disposal—I wish the film might have addressed some alternatives to Kracauer’s vision. Instead, Kracauer is placed upon a pedestal of reverence, his ideas presented as the only interpretation. Not the only plausible interpretation; the only interpretation.

I think of myself as a cinephile. I am well-read on film theory, having devoured many textbooks on the subject. I enjoy audio commentaries—even the ones which are overly academic and are read by film historians from prepared notes. I’m not saying I know everything about film. I’m simply saying that I love film, even from an academic standpoint. That said, even I found the film to be overly dry and academic.

To be sure, there are strong points as well. Suchsland uses clips from many classic silent german films—and a few early talkies as well—to illustrate his points, along with interviews with filmmakers the likes of Fritz Lang. And Kracauer’s original thesis is fascinating by itself. In the end, one’s interest in film history and theory will help to inform the viewer whether to give this disc a try. It’s worth viewing if one is patient and understands only a single viewpoint is being presented.

The DVD has just been released by Kino Lorber and can be purchased directly through Kino-Lorber at kinolorber.com or through Amazon.