Author ORCID Identifier
0009-0006-2268-8514
Abstract
Taylor Swift's 2024 music video for her song "Fortnight" makes several visual references to German Expressionist cinema. This paper parses through the way in which The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, one of the films the music video alludes to, can be used to read Swift's self-fashioning as musician, celebrity, brand, lover, madwoman, and heartbroken poet in The Tortured Poets Department. Through an analysis of cinematography, set design, character, and themes in both Caligari and "Fortnight", this paper presents the complex portrayal of Swift as both creator and character in her own work.
Recommended Citation
Sen, Ira
(2026)
"Reading the Frame: "Fortnight" and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,"
The Manuscript: Journal of Taylor Swift Studies: Vol. 1:
Iss.
1, Article 8.
Available at:
https://orb.binghamton.edu/jotss/vol1/iss1/8