Editing The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (section)

===Double life===
Duality is another common theme in ''Caligari''. Caligari is portrayed in the main narrative as an insane tyrant, and in the frame story as a respected authority and director of a mental institution. As a result of this duality, it is possible for the viewer to suspect a malevolent aspect of him at the conclusion of the film, even despite evidence indicating he is a kind and caring man.<ref name="Barlow49" /> Even within the main narrative alone, Caligari lives a double life: holding a respectable position as the asylum director, but becoming a hypnotist and murderer at night.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kracauer|1947|p=248}}</ref> Additionally, the character is actually a double of the "real" Caligari, an 18th-century mystic whom the film character becomes so obsessed with that he desires to penetrate his innermost secrets and "become Caligari".<ref name="Kaes52">{{Harvnb|Kaes|2006|p=52}}</ref> Franzis also takes on a double life of sorts, serving as the heroic protagonist in the main narrative and a patient in a mental institution in the frame story. Anton Kaes described the story Franzis tells as an act of [[transference]] with his psychiatrist, as well as a [[Psychological projection|projection]] of his feelings that he is a victim under the spell of the all-powerful asylum director, just as Cesare is the hypnotised victim of Caligari.<ref name="Kaes52" /> The Cesare character serves as both a persecutor and a victim, as he is both a murderer and the unwilling slave of an oppressive master.<ref name="Barlow49" /><ref name="Elsaesser63" />

Siegfried Kracauer said by coupling a fantasy in which Franzis overthrows a tyrannical authority with a reality in which authority triumphs over Franzis, ''Caligari'' reflects a double aspect of German life, suggesting they reconsider their traditional belief in authority even as they embrace it.<ref name="Kracauer67" /> A contrast between levels of reality exists not only in the characterisations, but in the presentation of some of the scenes as well.<ref name="Barlow48-49">{{Harvnb|Barlow|1982|pp=48–49}}</ref> This, Barlow writes, "reveals a contrast between external calm and internal chaos".<ref name="Barlow48-49" /> For example, flashback scenes when Franzis reads Caligari's diary, in which the doctor is shown growing obsessed with learning hypnotic powers, take place as Caligari is sleeping peacefully in the present. Another example is the fair, which on the surface appears to represent fun and escapism, but reveals a lurking sense of chaos and disaster in the form of Caligari and Cesare.<ref name="Barlow48-49" /> The visual elements of the film also convey a sense of duality, particularly in the contrasts between black and white. This is especially prevalent in the sets, where black shadows are set against white walls, but also in other elements like the costumes and make-up. For instance, Caligari wears mostly black, but white streaks are present in his hair and on his gloves. Cesare's face is a ghostly white, but the darks of his eyes are heavily outlined in black. Likewise, Jane's white face contrasts with her deep, dark eyes.<ref name="Barlow49" />