JACQUELINE Farrell
Performer | Collaborator | Director | Advocate
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Experience the 1920 silent horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari with live solo organ accompaniment improvised by Jacqueline Farrell.
A German classic, Caligari is considered "art on camera" and one of the filmmaking industry's most important and historic films. Covered with the aesthetic of German expressionism, this silent movie is a must see.
Held in complete candlelight at St. Paul's on the Green in Norwalk, CT, the performance is meant to highlight and celebrate the church's magnificent Skinner organ, one of southern Connecticut's finest instruments.
A $10 suggested donation benefits the church's organ fund, used for maintenance and repairs, and also supports the continued public education of the pipe organ.
About the film
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, considered a classic of German expressionist cinema, tells the story of an insane hypnotist who uses a somnambulist (a person under the “spell” or control of someone else) to commit murders. The film uses a framing device to narrate the story from the perspective of Francis, one of the main characters.
Created and premiered in 1920 post-war Germany, Caligari very quickly became a classic in the United States and elsewhere with its artfully crafted set design and expressionist aesthetic, often called “art on camera”. At a time when American cinema dominated the scene, Caligari stood out as a film exposing the German soul and perhaps foreshadowing events to come.
Visually, the sharp lines and angles of the expressionist set design, coupled with representational placement (such as that of the Clerk sitting in a lofty, high seat, a symbol of bureaucracy) are all striking characteristics that still captivate and engage audiences today.
Interview with Farrell
October 2023
What made you choose this particular film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari?
I've always been drawn to German Expressionism, especially in music of course, but also in art and cinema. When I was a graduate student at Yale, I audited a German Film Studies taught by Dr. Fatima Naqvi, an amazing Professor. Essentially a survey class, we started with early films during the height of German Expressionism. Caligari was one of those films we studied. I was also part of a live music performance of this film a few years ago in North Carolina at the Carolina Theatre with the Mallarmé Chamber players. In that performance, the music was written by a composer from North Carolina, not improvised, and I played piano with a small ensemble, which included oboe, viola, voice, and cello. It was really fun, and that kind of experience, performing with film, definitely stuck with me.
So, what exactly is German Expressionism?
Well, expressionism in western art and music is a modernist movement that started mostly with visual art and poetry in the early 20th century. It eventually spread to music and cinema. The general aesthetic, or idea behind it, is seeing the world from a single subjective perspective, often accompanied by some kind of artistic distortion in order to express meaning behind emotional experience. It is my understanding that the style really developed right before World War I and was at its height by 1920. There were many expressionist artists and musicians from Germany in particular, including Arnold Schoenberg and Alban Berg (composer of the famous opera Wozzeck). Personally, I always think of the German Expressionism aesthetic as dark and brooding, a fit mood for early 20th century Europe.
How will you be improvising to this film? What is your thought process behind it?
I'm mostly going to be trying to capture that German Expressionist mood, however, with my own style sort of fused in. It's hard when you're improvising not to just add your own style! The kind of music I naturally improvise tends to sound something like a combination of jazz pianist Bill Evans and the French composer Debussy. I really love the music of both of those musicians and so that's a lot of what I listen to. That's why when I improvise, those kinds of sounds just come out. But I'll also be purposefully using a few music quotes from German Expressionist composers' works in order to honor that aesthetic of the film. For example, I love Alban Berg's piano sonata (he only wrote one) and will use the opening theme of this piece in the film as part of my improvisation. The different moods of the music will definitely generally be dark! I am exceedingly grateful to organist and Professor at Yale, Jeffrey Brillhart, for his classes in improvisation and his book, A World of Possibilities, which has a chapter on organ improvisation to silent film. I will certainly be using many of his techniques and suggestions!
What are you most excited about for this show in October?
I most excited for the opportunity to share this really cool film with people from both the church and the greater community. I think a lot of people have never heard of this film before and it really is a work of art. I'm also generally excited to be part of the film's performance, so to speak, and the experience that people will have as they're watching it. It's like I'll be on stage performing alongside the film itself.