Summer Cinema at the Castle: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari + Do Shaska!

Promoter’s description:

During the summer season 2024 Bratislava City Museum brings movie evenings to Devín Castle. On Saturday, August 10, visitors will experience the night atmosphere of the castle and the juxtaposition of music and film during a screening of the expressionist Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and a live performance of Do Shaska! project.

Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is often referred to as the first expressionist work of art. Its charm lies primarily in its unprecedented approach to set design, made by a group of young avant-garde artists from Der Sturm. They created impeccable fantastical decorations of twisted, deformed surfaces and an overall impression of an unreal world, enhanced by the actors’ performances, striking makeup, and a bizarre interplay of light and shadow, all contributing to the film’s major impact. Caligari could also be interpreted as a metaphor for post-war Germany, full of fears and anxieties over an unstable situation and fear of the future. Caligari represents the former system, the state authority, and Cesare is merely a puppet in his hands, executing orders and ultimately dying in the interest of the cause.

DoShaska! – Founded in 1989, the central figure of the project is the artist Michael Čihák, who also runs Galerie Gryf publishing house. DoShaska! is an electro-acoustic post-industrial/ethno/tribal project that combines electronic music with classical acoustic instruments such as bassoon, fujara, and jaw harp, as well as numerous handmade instruments. Their band’s origins in the 1990s are closely tied to the concept of live soundtracks. From the outset, they have focused on blending influences from industrial, world music, and ambient genres with a strong ritualistic and native-trance expression.

The event is organized in collaboration with Hradby Samoty, ArcArt, and Film Europe.