The Cabinet of Caligari (1962)

Jane's car breaks down and she makes her way to a nearby estate, owned by a mysterious man named Caligari. Soon she finds that she has become a virtual prisoner, and none of the strange ... See full summary »

Director:

Roger Kay

Writer:

Robert Bloch

Stars:

Glynis Johns, Dan O'Herlihy, Richard Davalos

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Glynis Johns	...	Jane Lindstrom
Dan O'Herlihy	...	Caligari / Paul
Richard Davalos	...	Mark Lindstrom
Lawrence Dobkin	...	Dr. Frank David
Constance Ford	...	Christine
J. Pat O'Malley	...	Martin
Vicki Trickett	...	Jeanie the Maid
Estelle Winwood	...	Ruth
Doreen Lang	...	Vivian
Charles Fredericks	...	Bob (as Charles E. Fredericks)
Phyllis Teagardin	...	Little Girl

Storyline

Jane's car breaks down and she makes her way to a nearby estate, owned by a mysterious man named Caligari. Soon she finds that she has become a virtual prisoner, and none of the strange inhabitants of the estate are willing or capable of helping her escape. Caligari reveals himself as a passive pervert, showing her filthy pictures, spying on her, and trying to make her talk about intimate details of her life. She attempts to free herself by the only means at her disposal.

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Plot Keywords:

time | tunnel | striptease | theory | watching tv | 

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Taglines:

No one permitted out or in during the last thirteen nerve-shattering minutes!

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Genres:

Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 October 1962 (Finland)

Also Known As:

A Mansão do Dr. Caligari

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Associated Producers (API), Robert L. Lippert Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although several horror/suspense movies (most notably Psycho) were advertised with the warning that patrons would not be seated after film began or during climactic final minutes, ads for this one included the unenforceable caveat that no one would be allowed to leave the theater during the last 13 minutes.

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Goofs

As Jane sits at the dinner table having a private discussion with Paul, the bowl of lobster bisque she refuses to eat disappears between shots.

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Quotes

Caligari: How old were you when you first let a man make love to you? Next, who was he? Next, how did you feel at the time? Next, how did you feel afterwards? What did you feel? What did you think? Were you pleased, frightened, ecstatic, disgusted? What did he say? What words did you speak? That's what I want to know. Now. Tell me. Now. Now. All of it, now. Tell me. YES!

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Connections

Remake of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

User Reviews

A favorite moment

There's one little moment that stood out for me when I watched this movie years ago on the USA network:

Glynis Johns spends most of the movie in some sort of conflict with Dan O'Herlihy playing Dr. Caligari...it's the sort of psych-out contest seen in every episode of The Prisoner and other war-of-wills dramas. Up to this point Ms. Johns is rather prim and after a while this can become irritating to viewers who are used to seeing female protagonists stand up for themselves more vigorously. After a frustrating argument with Dr. C, she runs upstairs, throws herself on the bed and (instead of sobbing or sulking, as her uptight character has behaved so far) lets out a huge WAAAAAA-HAAAAAAH! My girlfriend and I both collapsed with laughter ...but after that moment found ourselves much more in sympathy with her, and that is precisely the effect intended by Robert Bloch.

Overall the movie was worth the time it took to watch, but didn't stand out as a favorite for either of us. But when we encountered something frustrating after that, we'd look at each other and shout, "Waaaa-Hahhh!"