Anatomy Of A Psychopath

Anatomy Of A Psychopath

"In every man’s heart there is a secret nerve that answers to the vibrations of beauty."

Almost every person has a preconception of the darkest form of humanity: evil. One German film exemplifies this classic struggle of right and wrong, while addressing deeper emotional messages. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was made in 1919 and directed by Robert Weine. The film features a character named Francis, the protagonist, who seeks revenge against Dr. Caligari and his somnambulist, Cesaré, whom he believes murdered his friend. In one specific scene, Cesaré attempts to kill a beautiful woman named Jane, Francis’s fiancée coincidentally, at Caligari’s request. Judging by Cesaré’s previously witnessed brutal and robotic nature, it is assumed that as he creeps up to her gentle sleeping body that her time has expired. Magically, he cannot commit the deed. Overcome with affection, he instead lovingly reaches to cradle her head. She awakens, screams, and struggles. Cesaré snaps out of his funk and overtakes her, eventually escaping with her on his back. This intense scene conveys the message that even the darkest forms of evil are not completely devoid of humanity, giving the audience the faintest glimmer of hope that good can always shine through malevolence.

Cesaré has no mind of his own; rather he is the puppet of the sinister Dr. Caligari. This is strikingly obvious just before the attack on Jane. As Cesaré slinks down the corridor to the bedchamber his movements are awkward and unnatural, similar to puppet’s movements. At one point he even pauses, as if to mentally rethink the plan for murder Caligari has laid down. This attention to said murder agenda points that normal people can be highly susceptible to perform evil deeds. In essence, Cesaré is not an evil person, but one who has been mentally dominated by the evil Caligari. One could play a contemporary television therapist and venture to state that Cesaré "is the victim in all of this." In fact, "Cesaré the sleepwalking killer" never existed before Caligari came into place. One can therefore also determine that evil spawns more evil.

Kindness and humanity always find a way to shine through the depths of rage and hate. Poised in a striking position, primed to kill, something inside Cesaré snaps. He is rendered momentarily immobile, unable to perform the deed he has been commanded.