Some comments and a question regarding the soundtrack
I enjoyed this movie. I love the eerie surrealism imparted to it by the rudimentary filming technology and, I'm sure to a certain extent, the deteriorated state of the source media.
One thing I did not like, that I'm sure most people would take issue with me over, was the set designs. I understand they are intentionally highly-stylized, but to me they mostly looked cartoonish and diminished the creepiness of the presentation, almost making it look like a children's play at times. An exception to this is the opening scene where Francis is talking to the old man and Jane walks by. The set in that scene is more natural-looking, as if they're sitting in a garden or wooded area. If all the scenes had such a natural look I think it would have been a more chilling presentation.
One of the most impressive things for me, though, was the score. I was shocked to hear modern instruments such as electric guitar, bass, and synthesizer. While this would seem to be disasterous, I felt they were implemented in a very tasteful way that accentuated the film extremely well.
The version I'm referring to is the Kino Video edition, which actually has two soundtracks to choose from. One by Donald Sosin and one by Rainer Viertblöck. The option to choose which soundtrack doesn't work right, though, as after you select it, you have to go back to the main menu, and from there, it plays the same soundtrack regardless of what you chose on the menu. The only way to change the soundtrack is through the audio option midfilm. However, this doesn't indicate which version is which. My question is, does anyone know which version is which?
The default soundtrack starts with an ominous build-up to the title screen which is presented with drum hit and a resonating gong sound which dissipates and in its wake are these echoey tinkling sounds. The other soundtrack goes straight into a synthesizer melody. I assumed that the default track is the one listed first (Donald Sosin) and the second option is the one listed second (Viertblöck's). However, the following excerpt from a review of the release (source: http://www.silentera.com/video/cabinetOfDrCaligariHV.html) seems to indicate the opposite:
The film is accompanied by two stereo music scores: the Audio 1 track features an synthesizer, guitar, piano, saxophone, bass and percussion music score composed by Rainer Viertblöck; the Audio 2 track features a score composed and performed on synthesizers by Donald Sosin. Since there is no getting away from synthesizers in this edition, a viewer’s selection of which track to listen to will be based on mood preference. The Viertblöck score is eerily atmospheric and conveys the film's unsettling premise but will annoy some listeners with its atonality. The Sosin score takes a lively but traditional orchestral approach to its accompaniment of the film, but it is ultimately a synthesizer score — that is, the score is satisfyingly composed but is sold short by its synthesizer arrangement.
Does anyone know for sure which is which? I much prefer the default (Audio 1) track as, like the reviewer said, it is much more atmospheric and eerie, while the second track is much too pretty, upbeat, and conventional, in my opinion. I would just like to know which composer did which track.