I just watched episode 16 of season 5 (Victims of circumstance) in which there are some scenes with an old paranoid man in a strange room.
The scenography of this room strongly resembles that of German expressionism - particularly that of Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (1920).
It seems to fit well with the mental state of the old man and the theme of the episode so surely this was done on purpose.
Did any of you take note of this?
Great post.
That opening is definitely a tribute.
Check out this image and compare it to that opening sequence with William Hickey:
http://www.samefacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/cabinet-du-dr-caligari-03-g.jpg
Again, great post!
I see the works of gifted hands that grace this strange and wondrous land
Thank you. Another tribute I really like is in an early episode (first half of first season I think), there are som G-men working on a case and cramping Sonny's style. Crockett would then occasionally hum theme of Dragnet as a foreboding when he saw them.
In general I am very impressed with how much thought has been put into Miami Vice. It is great fun to pay attention to the use of color, light, and shadow. In the episodes of the Sonny Burnett arc, make sure you notice the how the color of Sonny's suit changes with his mindset!
Great stuff. I really appreciate the color/light/shadow information. I look forward to reading and looking into that a lot more. Very interesting concepts.
Speaking of tributes, a season 3 episode that I clearly remember paying tribute to American Westerns was The Afternoon Plane (1987). It was very reminiscent of Fred Zinnemann's High Noon (1952).
I see the works of gifted hands that grace this strange and wondrous land
Ah yes, I remember that one.
Not exactly my favorite episode, but then I am not a big fan of High Noon either. :-)