The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) User Reviews

I'd say its influence is everywhere

[SanTropez_Couch · 9/10 · 2 March 2003]

Francis (Friedrich Feher) and an old man are sitting and Francis begins to tell him a story, hoping to top the one the man just told him. The story is about a fair that came to his hometown of Hostenwall and a man, Dr. Caligari who was one of the vendors. Caligari's submission to the fair is his somnambulist, Cesare (Conrad Veidt) who has been asleep for 25 years and, under Dr. Caligari's willing, is about to awaken. He does and Dr. Caligari tells the crowd to ask him a question, for he knows the future. Francis is there with his friend Alan (Hans Heinrich von Twardowski), and Alan walks up and asks Cesare how long he'll live, to which Cesare replies that he'll be dead by dawn.

Alan and Francis both long for the same woman, Jane (Lil Dagover) and after they all three go home, we see, inside Alan's house, the shadows of he and his killer fighting on his bedroom wall. Francis goes to tell the police after he realizes the somnambulist's prophecy has come true. Back at Dr. Caligari's place, we see him feeding gruel to Cesare as he lay in a coffin. Another attempted murder takes place but turns out to be the work of a common crook not involved with Cesare and Dr. Caligari. More happens that's not really important. Francis goes to an insane asylum to see if the fled Dr. Caligari is a patient there but the worker he speaks with tells him he must go see the head of the institute for patient information, as he's not allowed to divulge that sort of thing. So Francis goes to the head's office (a skeleton stands upright in the corner) and it turns out to be Dr. Caligari himself.

Francis gets the police over there and after looking through his books, they discover a historical book about the mythical Caligari, who did just what Dr. Caligari is doing now, back in 1093. When Dr. Caligaru arrives he goes insane, saying he must become Caligari and doctors in the institute put him in a straight jacket. Then the telling of the story is done. The film adds a framing device, though, in the present with Francis and the man he's told the story to.

The two go back to the institute, Cesare is in the corner and Francis warns the old man not to accept one of his prophesies, for he should surely die. Jane is there also, and when Francis asks her to marry him, she says she cannot marry someone not of royal blood (huh?). Then down the stairs comes Dr. Caligari, whom Francis quickly gets in a scuffle with. He's grabbed by the doctors and taken upstairs. Dr. Caligari comes to the conclusion that Francis is manic and that his mania is caused by his delusion that Dr. Caligari is in fact the mythic Caligari who would wander from town to town with Cesare killing townsfolk. The last scene is of Dr. Caligari saying he has a sure-fire cure for Francis' mania.

So was Francis the real Caligari? Did Francis kill Alan in the hopes of getting Jane to marry him? (After all, we never do see his killer.) With this appended narrative twist, the entire story comes into question. I have a feeling a lot of people would hate this but I found it very interesting, maybe even historic.

The film is very dreamlike. All silent films are sort of spooky, but this one is more otherworldly. Everything is distorted and the camera, with that strange blackening, gives it an unstable touch like our most vivid dreams have. It's like something's been placed over the lens in order to highlight certain characters or visuals and cover up something else. I'm assuming the film used on-set camera tricks.

The expressionist sets consist of slanted walls, crooked doors, weirdly misshapen glasses, paint splashed on stairs that bend. A background that is clearly a wall with painting. Trees that look like wires. The characters' faces are all pale white and the blacks are all stark. Cesare, specifically, looks like a cross between Frankenstein's Monster and Edward Scissorhands. The houses don't look like houses, they look like pieces of wood painted to look like a stage set.

I can see influence from this film in the set designs of Tim Burton especially, and the narrative twist at the end must have influenced David Lynch in "Mulholland Drive."

The print I saw was from 1992 and for a movie that's 83 years old, I was very impressed. There was very little grain and the lighting was fine. The only complaint I had was that some of the handwriting from Dr. Caligari's writings was a bit difficult to read and that has nothing to do with the print. The music is all organ that comes booming in whenever something evil -- usually Dr. Caligari -- is onscreen.

It's hard to judge movies like these, but the visuals are wonderful, the music is spooky, the acting suitable and the pacing fine (it's a little over an hour). I would say this is an essential film, and unlike many "groundbreaking" classics, it's like nothing else you've seen.

***1/2

Twisted, Buckled & Demented...

[Xstal · 8/10 · 10 May 2020]

With a story as twisted, buckled and demented as the scenery and set design, and a tortured score to boot, was the lunatic in charge of the asylum? Must have been a moment to remember coming across this cinematic marvel back in 1920. I wonder how many of today's pieces of cinema will stand the test of 100 years, albeit with a lot more competition.

Expressionism At Its Finest

[FlickeringLight · 7/10 · 6 July 2004]

The original message of this film is fairly pedestrian (an outcry against the weak authority in Germany at the time), although the political intrigue surrounding the production led to a fascinating framing story which re-established "the authorities," and in turn made the UFA happy enough to distribute the film. This suggests that in its own time the political message of the film was fairly powerful, but compared to the work done in such films as The Golem, Nosferatu, and Metropolis it is not so far-reaching.

What sets this film apart from its contemporaries is its absolute commitment to the expressionist movement. Mutated sets, heavy dark/light makeup, light and shadow, and a Gothic storyline are classic expressionism. The photography is beautiful and so crisp that it creates an eerie sense that this hellish scene is actually the real world, and that our everyday lives are the delusional Technicolor dream of a madman.

While there are many better movies made in this period, I feel that this one is the pinnacle of the imagery that is characteristic of the expressionist art form. It is an absolute must-see for anyone who is interested in the Expressionist movement.

A Masterpiece of German Expressionism

[Gafke · 10/10 · 1 April 2004]

Made in 1919, "The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari" was literally years ahead of its time and remains a triumphant accomplishment in the genre of German Expressionism. Remembered mainly for its stunning sets, which featured crooked buildings and twisted landscapes, "Cabinet" also boasts one of the first attempts at a twist ending, something quite new and shocking for its time.

Told mainly from the point of view of Francis, a young man who lives in the small village of Holstenwall, Germany, "Cabinet" tells the tale of murder and madness which seems to accompany the arrival of a carnival. Francis and his best friend Alan go to the carnival and are presented with the sideshow attraction Cesare the Somnambulist, a gaunt and hideous young man who spends his life sleeping in a coffin-like cabinet and seems able to predict the future when awake. Cesare (played by a young Conrad Veidt, who later went on to play the evil Nazi general in Casablanca) informs Alan that he will soon die, and indeed, Alan is found murdered the next morning. Suspicion turns to the eerie somnambulist and his strange keeper, a man called Caligari. As Francis desperately tries to solve the mystery and find his friends killer, it seems that the beautiful young Jane, beloved by both Alan and Francis, has been targeted as the next victim.

This is a genuinely creepy film which delves deep into the mysteries of the abnormal mind...an uncomfortable journey to say the least. Everyone is suspect and, in the end, we must ask ourselves: "who is really the mad one here?"

Subtle and ingenious, we see the world the way an insane person might see it; warped and confused, a nightmarish terrain where nothing makes sense and balance is not to be found.

The impact of this film is still being felt and seen today, and for good reason. It is a shocking, disturbing masterpiece. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Discovering Silent Film...

[ninepence · 27 March 2002]

It struck me last night that I've never seen a serious silent film. Everyone's seen a silent comedy: Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, the Keystone Cops... They've all been immortalized in the minds of every film viewer, and I enjoy them as much as anyone. But it seems a strange and almost disrespectful lack to never have seen anything but comedy; so many silent films were created, and the only ones I've seen starred waddling tramps.

It was partially for that reason that I rented this movie. I had read about it on a film review site (the name of which escapes my memory) and decided it was worth the half-hour drive to the video store. The basic premise is that of a man relating a story that happened to him and his friends - their unnerving discovery of a crazed mountebank, Dr. Caligari, and his prophetic sleepwalker. It follows a series of murders and growing madness, keeping you in constant suspense and confusion until the very last scene.

There's a period of adjustment when watching it - unfortunately necessary for a modern audience. The titles seem too slow. The camera seems to hold on scenes too long. The makeup on the actors' faces seem ghostly and horrible - even on the hero.

But before long, the movie has you in its grip. You spend time staring at the architecture - buildings, doors, and windows that would have been funny in a Dr. Seuss book. In the film, they make you uneasy. The whole atmosphere is of a world gone wrong; like a dream worthy of Salvador Dalí. Nothing is square or straight. The buildings loom in on you; windows sweep upward, slanted or curved; doors are obscenely angled holes beckoning you to enter and be trapped inside.

Throughout, the story defies expectations. Small plot twists confuse and mislead you until the final surprise, completely tearing down everything you thought the movie was about. Strange shadows and shots from inside alleys paint the film's world as something terrible, never allowing you a normal look at the village, never allowing you to enjoy the quaintness of it. Through it all, the grinning, hunched figure of Dr. Caligari hangs in your mind, pushing out rational thought.

The movie is well worth your time; there's a certain pleasure in trying to capture the feeling of terror an early audience, unaccustomed to the visual effects we see every day, would have had the first time they saw this movie. It's an intellectual terror in the grand old style, giving you the same thrill you get from reading Frankenstein or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. At the risk of sounding cliché: two thumbs up!

Caligari: A creepy, distorted gem of the silent era...

[clurge-2 · 10/10 · 4 April 2000]

Like so many of the films from the silent era, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari gets overlooked (if you can even find it!) for big budget duds, and runny romantic comedies. Directors of the period like Griffith, Lang, Eisenstien, and Caligari's Wiene, are never given the credit they deserve. And if credit is given, it is in small cultish circles in various pockets around the world.

The set design here is amazing, not a single right angle can be found in any one of the sets. This may not only apply to the disjointed and distorted characters in the film, but also the state of Germany at the time. After all, the film was made in the dark ages in Germany between WWI and WWII. This point is validated by Siegfried Kracauer, with his notion of how the main character of Dr. Caligari can be easily interpreted to Hitler, and vice versa. Both controlled subjects with a form of "brainwashing", both were upset with current forms of society and government, and both were masters of deception. In a period where Germans were looking for direction, and let's face it, authority as well, Dr. Caligari embodied it fully.

In the area of the players, all the names in the film turn out a literally "speechless" performance. Dagover, Krauß, and especially Veidt as Cesare (pronounced Chez-a-ray) are excellent in the use of gestures and motion to get their point across without using words. The camera, stationary as in most early features, uses the mise-en-scene effectively, letting us identify with characters such as Francis and Jane, and disjointing us from Caligari, and the Criminal.

The use of lines and stripes, not only in the sets but in small places like in the good doctor's hair and on his gloves, adds to the telling of the character. Colour tints of the B&W film also play a special part in bringing the whole film together. An amazing sequence where Caligari reveals his true madness, pits Caligari stumbling through the unequal streets of Germany while being haunted by textual ramblings written in the air. A marvelous achievement for it's time. And it adds so much.

The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari has changed the way I look at horror films, and even films in general. I urge anyone reading this to pick up this film. The DVD offering is utterly fantastic with the restored print, an audio essay of the film, and production notes. Bypass the overblown "motion picture events of the year", and pick up Caligari, quite possible the greatest motion picture event in the history of motion pictures.

Art = Film

[wmackey · 10/10 · 15 October 2004]

Dr. Caligari presents the viewer with a frightening vision of the world through the lens of German Expressionism.

I cannot recommend this film highly enough. It's truly fascinating. And, it really (really) is an art film, since it purposefully and strikingly exhibits the new art of the German inter-war milieu. So, be prepared for an other-worldly excursion into the "total work of art," or Gesamtkunstwerk, of this monumental and influential film.

This film is best seen at night, alone, and with the modern soundtrack which is available on the fully restored version. If the DVD you're watching does not have (a) choice of two soundtracks (traditional music and much-scarier modern track), (b) tinted inter-titles set in a surrealistic (actually expressionistic) font, and (3) is fairly high quality, then send it back and get the restored version. The quality and completeness of silent films are a major factor in experiencing the art form as it was meant to be experienced. The modern sound track in Dr. Caligari makes the film much more accessible for modern audiences (the eerie effects in the modern track heighten the feel of the film for the modern viewer) - try both tracks, you'll see.

It's surprising how frightening and impactful this film can be. You will have dreams about it, I promise. These between-the-wars German films are riddled with creepy foreshadowing for us in the present, who know what was about to happen in Germany.

Anyway, I think the film is best viewed with NO NOTICE. You don't really want to know the plot (the meaning of the end of the film can be interpreted in radically different ways - keep that in mind when it happens). Only one note - artistically the German Expressionist movement is worth reading about after you see the film - you'll notice the theme of "death and the maiden" woven into this artwork. Also, this film is the direct ancestor of films like "Nightmare Before Christmas" and a lot more - you'll recognize the Expressionist look in many presentations in television and film.

WARNING - I would NOT show this film to children. It's very subtly and psychologically undermining - you'll be thinking and freaking about this thing for months to come - such a thing shouldn't be experienced by children - it's an adult, art film (no, not that kind) made for adults.

Masterpiece of German Expressionism !

[[e-mail] · 10/10 · 22 October 2002]

This picture is a masterpiece ! How could someone think in something like this at that time ? The film has really good casting ! Werner Krauss is excellent playing Doctor Caligari and Conrad Veidt (Cesare) too !

This movie has an obscure and bizarre mood makes the film looks really scary sometimes ... The painted scenario gave the film the touch that it needed ! It puts you in a nightmarish world , gives you the sensation of claustrofobia , depression and madness ! The objects have a strange shape and an irregular geometry that collaborate for the maintenance of the dark mood !

But the most important thing in this motion picture is the open ended story ! You´re never sure about the end ! It has so many ways of interpretation... It´s useless to try to define "one end" to this movie. You´ll be always asking yourself about the legitimacy of the man´s vision of the story.

It´s not scary , just sometimes , as I said. But it´s dark and it uses the shadows and lights effects so well that I was amazed the first time I saw and I still amazed ! German Films of that time were really good !

Congratulations to Robert Wienne and his cast ! It´s a masterpiece of madness and paranoia!

Rating : *****/******

Good but more in historical and technical terms

[Foux_du_Fafa · 6/10 · 11 July 2008]

"The Cabinet of Dr Caligari" is upheld as one of cinema's greats, and in a number of regards, I can understand why. It is hauntingly beautiful and wonderfully stylised. It's Expressionistic cinematography is wonderful and suspenseful; it's no wonder that this film has influenced many subsequent directors and producers many years later.

However, whilst it surely wouldn't have seemed like this back in 1920, it is rather boring through contemporary eyes. I'm sorry if this makes me sound ignorant, but today it plays rather slow-paced and un-scary, even compared to some of the other greats of Weimar cinema (such as "Nosferatu").

Not a bad film by any means (I would recommend it), but "Caligari" seems more something of historical value and academic study to me.

messiah of the terror

[francisreidlight · 10/10 · 15 May 2006]

The most important film in horror. Moody and shocking this chiller is the height of German Expressionist cinema and the prototype for whole genres in horror. Using violent contrasts of light and shadow, surreal settings and distorted camera angles to represent madness, chaos and psychosis, its influence is still seen even today in the likes of John Carpenter and the emerging actor and director Stephen Armourae, who has been also influenced by the film in his artwork and as the composer Stephen Armourae-Perry. Its twists towards the end put everyone from Hitchcock to the maker of 'The Village' into pale imitation. This film is now neglected by the public as it is a silent film. It really needs to be seen and appreciated more. Robert Wiene the director clearly inspired by the First World War transferred that shock and terror onto the screen with all its starkness. Hos purpose was to present moral ambiguity of the plot and action as a commentary on the paranoia, imbalance and uncertainty of post was Germany. And another parallel: not only has it influenced Stephen Armourae, he too is a hypnotist and recurring themes in his writings and plays are the moral ambiguities of insanity and culture, and German society of the twentieth century.

Wiene's cabinet displays iconic visuals but poor pacing.

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 18 January 2021]

A young man, Francis (Friedrich Feher), recounts the story of Dr. Caligari, proprietor of a unique fairground sideshow: Cesare, the somnambulist. When the fair arrives in the town of Holstenwall, it marks the beginning of a series of brutal murders. Is the mysterious Caligari responsible, waking his sleeping attraction and sending him into the night to kill?

At the risk of sounding like a philistine, I think that Robert Wiene's silent horror classic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari drags a tad too much. There's no denying the occasional brilliance of its expressionist set design and the ingenuity of the surprise revelation at the end (almost 70 years before Shyalaman made twist endings his thing), but I believe that the story would have been better suited to a shorter runtime. Wiene has a tendency to linger on scenes, and while this admittedly gives the viewer more opportunity to drink in his bizarre, angular visuals, it also allows boredom to set in.

If you're a dedicated horror nut, I'd say that watching the film is a no-brainer, worth a go if only to witness iconic imagery such as Cesare (Conrad Veidt) carrying woman-in-peril Jane Olsen (Lil Dagover) over the town's zig-zagging rooftops. Just expect to be a little underwhelmed and a tad stupefied by the film as a whole.

The film that changed my life

[Urchin · 10/10 · 6 December 1998]

I saw this film on the same day that I saw Trainspotting, and those two films made me realise what cinema can really do. This is a film that tells it EXACTLY as the film makers see it. The warped visuals say more about its subjects than words ever could. The travelling fair is as twisted and ugly as all travelling fairs seem to be, and the expressionist sets and lighting sum up perfectly the sense of urban alienation in a very unnerving way. It's story is simple enough to be accessible, but don't expect a straightforward film - just let it speak to you.

Still makes for an interesting watch

[Per_Klingberg · 7/10 · 28 April 2003]

As I write this, 83 years have passed since they shooting of The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari. Since then sound, and later color, has made it's entrance into the world of film, and most of the films from this era has long since slipped into obscurity.

Not this one tough. Through the years it has gained a somewhat legendary reputation, somewhat thanks to Bauhaus and other arty bands and their heavy use of imagery from this movie to design single-sleeves, T-shirts etc. But of course the main reason that this and a handful of other early expressionist works from Germany continues to hold a tight grip over cineasts worldwide is that it's distinct style makes for a fascinating watch.

Here the expressionist style is taken to extremes, and most of this early horror movie plays against a background of twisted and tortured buildings and labyrinthlike streets. Forget everything you've ever learn about perspective and realism: more than anything else, this quiet little town is a portrait of the human soul in an extreme condition. It is unsettling but also eerily beautiful.

The story of the reappearance of the infamous Dr. Caligari (a medieval monk, hypnotizing his victims thus forcing them to carry out his will) in a nice and quiet sleepy german town is carried through well, and his somnambulist (and perhaps Dr. Caligari's tool of murder?) Cesare can be quite frightening. There is also a nice twist to the storyline right at the very end that gives new dimensions both to the plot and the movie in general. However, the main catch with this movie must be considered to be it's twisted imagery and innovative style.

That is what have kept us coming now, for over 80 years.

7/10

A masterpiece of German Expressionism but not my cup of tea

[Filmdokter · 5/10 · 7 August 2021]

I know this film is a masterpiece, one of the most influential films ever made and a prime example of German expressionism. And the sets still look amazing. But compared to some other silent films from the same period, I think Das Cabinet is a bit of a slow movie at times. Sometimes this work to maximize the tension, such as the scene where Cesare sneaks up to the girl. But most of the time it makes this 114 minutes film feel longer than the 2,5 hours of Intolerance (made around the same time). It is a must see classic, just a bit too slow for my part.

Through the distorting lens of the humankind's feeble grip on sanity

[Asa_Nisi_Masa2 · 8/10 · 19 September 2006]

Having only started discovering silent movies recently, I don't have more than a handful of other non-talkies to compare it to. This however was not only one of the best, most compelling and unique silents I have seen, but also a great flick overall. It's all been said before, I'm sure, but I'll say it again: this is a milestone of German Expressionist cinema. It is also a class-A mind-phuck movie (excuse my French), one of those stories that'll leave you eternally scratching your head trying to figure out what you've seen, what to believe and what can be a plausible explanation for most of the creepy mysteries you've just witnessed. Right from the very opening scene, seemingly suspended in an otherworldly dimension, maybe somewhere in between life and death, in which the first line spoken is: "There are spirits everywhere", you realise you are in for a spooky ride (this is the ultimate Halloween movie, come to think of it!) Having studied theatre set and costume design at Rome's art school for a year before going to university, I was obviously completely fascinated by the set design choices here. Buildings and furniture, props and painted backdrops are elongated and deformed into blocky, savage, expressionistic, perspective-defying and proportion-less forms. Even the intertitles weren't of the traditional sort. The result is obviously one of unsettling the viewer further into believing themselves suspended in a reality where anything could happen - anything horrible or nightmarish, obviously. Nothing is as it seems, right to the very end. Btw, on a more frivolous note, I thought the character of Cesare the Somnambulist looked uncannily like something that might have influenced Tim Burton into creating Edward Scissorhands, or maybe even more, the look of some of the characters in Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Incredible!

[dead_but_happy · 10/10 · 15 February 2001]

The psychotic dreamscapes of this movie are so intense it has lost none of it's original power over the years. The scenery alone makes this film a unique experience well beyond what modern film has produced.

I often say, and I will say it again: German films from this period are the best - ever! And this one is the best of them all!

Thank god this is on the 250 list.

[dthink · 10/10 · 22 October 2006]

I am 23 years old and am rapidly becoming extremely bored with modern Hollywood.

I am not a film student, I only came across this because I was going through the top 250 on here and was amazed at the year of this one, so I picked up the DVD.

I would love a time machine to see something like this being made.

It transcends time, and one could argue it has been "borrowed" from throughout this past century.

Well worth a few slow moments, the plot style is years ahead of its time. Its quite graphic in some areas too, this also came as a huge surprise to me.

I can't even explain the feeling you get watching this, its like the deep dark secret of Alfred Hitchcock, John Carpenter and Tim Burton all rolled into one. As directors they've all made history in their own right, but this movie just reminds me of them in some way, its tough to explain.

My version featured colorization of certain scenes, but it was done with a semi transparent color tint frame I am not sure the original featured this...

Reguardless, if you have some patience and are in the mood for something a little different, try this. You will not soon forget it.

10/10 without question.

A visually stunning work of early psychological horror

[Oblomov_81 · 8/10 · 28 September 2001]

`The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' may not be the kind of film that would shock today's audience, but its fascinating and horrific use of surrealistic atmosphere clearly had an influence on modern filmmakers such as David Cronenberg and David Lynch. While the story is not as involving as other German masterworks of the era, such as "Metropolis," it can be appreciated for its unique vision.

The thing that really strikes me about this film is the way the set design reflects the unstable mind of the narrator. The exterior scenes often include painted backgrounds featuring houses with sloped roofs and jutting edges, along with mountains that seem to twist and curl upwards into the sky. Although these backgrounds are not three-dimensionally realistic, they convincingly depict the gothic, surrealistic atmosphere with imagination and verve. The interior scenes have a claustrophobic feeling that generates from the walls, which are often at odd angles and slanting inward as they rise. Much of the design appears to be influenced by cubism; even the sinister Dr. Caligari looks square-shaped. The lighting also reflects the chilling mood, with shadows haunting the nooks and crannies in the background.

The characters in the film sometimes seem equally freakish. All the actors wear makeup that make them appear as pale as a ghost, and the men are decked out in dark suits and capes. Ominous figures approach the camera directly in two haunting sequences early on: in the opening scene, when we see Jane walking towards us in a ghost-like white gown, and in the initial carnival scene, when Ceasre steps out of his box. In the end, we learn that it is really Francis who was insane the whole time; thus, the sets during the story, which is told by Francis himself, reflect his disoriented mind. Not surprisingly, the bookend scenes where he tries to tell his tale to an old man in a garden are the only ones to involve natural surroundings, such as trees and grass.

For a one-hour horror film, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" requires a lot of concentration on the viewer's part, especially since the story sometimes seems fragmented. Nonetheless, it will no doubt prove fascinating for years to come.

Straight and Twisted Reversed

[tedg · 10 April 2002]

Spoilers herein.

Most commentors remark on the `expressionist' sets and lighting. But these in fact were already common in contemporary stage productions, and just represented here as if they were stage sets. It is true that these have odd angles. But notice how the camera is always rectilinear: stationary, it shoots straight from eye level. That part isn't novel at all. The consciousness of the camera as a character comes from Eisenstein.

But what is novel is the framing device which is the first example I know which plays with the veracity of the film's eye. And in THIS respect, the film is important. It is the progenitor of many experiments in folded, shifting narrative from `Rashomon' to `Mullholland Drive.'

Okay watch, even if would not agree that it has aged into a silent film classic

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 10 February 2015]

I assume that "Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari", a black-and-white (although sometimes more like yellow-and-white) movie under 80 minutes from 1920, would make actually more sense if you read the description of what it is in detail about before watching it. This, however, is not the purpose of a movie and sometimes it is difficult to really understand what is going on from the camera action and intertitles (that surely could have been more frequent, especially given the fact how people are seen constantly talking in here) and that is why overall I hesitate a bit in saying that this is a good movie. I shall still be generous eventually with my recommendation despite the quality going considerably south in the second half. Well.. let's see. We have a man who presents a somnambulist named Cesare at a fair. Briefly afterwards, we find out that somebody is murdered and apparently this is just the beginning of a crime series. The film consists of 6 acts, all of them not too long as, like I stated earlier, this is not a lengthy film by any means, and the first problem is that the same action from the end of act one is repeated at the beginning of act two. Why? Obviously Cesare is not only a somnambulist, but also a fortune teller, or I should say misfortune teller as he predicts that a man will get killed by sunrise. Which happens and makes it easier for the good guy to close in on dating the girl he wants. Okay this is not 1920 language, but you know what I mean. Still also kinda funny, they were pretty sure that she would take one of them. Had the pursuit been at a more advanced stage, I would have wondered why nobody considered the main guy to be the killer. Anyway, back to the other side of the law: The professor who presented Cesare is somehow creepy and funny in a strange way at the same time, although I am sure he was not meant to be funny by director Wiene for whom this is definitely the most known career effort. Same is true for the duo of writers Mayer and janowitz, even if the former also worked on Murnau's Oscar-winning Sunrise, another film considered a silent movie classic nowadays. But back to this one here: Another problem one could have with the film is the overacting. For the most part, they got away with it though I'd say, especially the title character, because it emphasizes his creepiness and insanity, but in terms of the good guy and his fear I struggled here and there. He should have showed more subtlety. On a positive note, there may be no sound, but still it's not necessary at all to make the story heard.

And then there is a guy who gets killed. But it seems he only wanted to frame the actual killer? So he is innocent, sort of. There I wondered, however, how he really disappears from the picture after he says that it was not him with the first two murders. Everybody believed him right away? With how relentless they chased him down when he was about to attack the old lady? And why did even even commit that he had the intention to kill her? He always could have said he only wanted to burgle the place or so. On a completely different note, the somnambulist (played by the wonderful Conrad Veidt in maybe his most famous performance, but far from his best) looks a bit like a thinner version of Frankenstein by the way. We see him approach a sleeping girl and he abducts her with a knife. But they manage to free her and she identifies Cesare as the one who did it. However, Cesare has been guarded and sleeping all the time, so it's impossible isn't it? Finally the action switches to an insane asylum and there is more to the professor it seems than we saw earlier as he seems to be the director. Anyway, it got way too confusing at this point to understand. obviously the sleeping Cesare was just a dummy or so. Nobody recognized this when he apparently killed people in other cities? And there is a love story and in the end thee is some kind of strange twist about who is actually insane and who isn't. I myself understood it that the entire thing was really just from the mind of the narrator. He is not the good guy helping to solve the murders, but he is an inmate of an insane asylum (hello Shutter Island) telling us (and the other guy) a story that has nothing to do with reality. He uses things and people he sees to include them in the story (hello Usual Suspercts). Best example would be the girl She is played by Lil Dagover by the way, so a pretty epctacular cast we have here. As for the cast, one final notion: Werner Krauss, the man who played Professor Caligari was only in his mid-30s at that point. Not unusual at all during the early 20th century that they did not cast old actors, but younger ones and made them look old. Caligari, fittingly with the title, was my favorite character here I'd say. But it comes pretty easily because there is not that much to everybody else. The good guy is not written too well, the girl has too little screen time and Cesare is not defining either. It's all about Caligari. Yet, at the same time, there are flaws to this character too. When we see this scene "You must become Caligari!", it is considered somewhat epic with his delucions being visualized as words, but it would have helped had we known who he was before Caligari and also why Caligari specifically. Why he is basically treated like a myth, for example when we read that he wants to penetrate into Caligari's secret. The playful letter style is sometimes almost more interesting than the words itself. They are acting as if this is some epic character from history while I must say I have never heard the name before. Also the good doctor in his beardless form as the head of the insane asylum in the end apparently also knows who Caligari is right away and now he also knows how he has to treat the narrator to help him lose his delusions? I guess this movie is also not exactly a revelation from the medical point of view. No need to further go into detail here. Some of it really made very little sense and honestly, this one is way closer all in all for me to a weak film than to a great film, but I will still say it is a good film because until the point where Cesare abducts the girl and is caught and before the action moves away from the town, it is a pretty decent crime movie. There are weaknesses there too like the entire concept of somnabulism depicted here in a way as if it was the same as hypnotism and also for example the exaggerated 26-year (was it this number?) Sleeping "Beauty" reference, but those were easy to ignore thanks to the good moments. At least in the first 30-40 minutes. And I also thought visually it is a fine film, in terms of make-up and art direction and sets most of all. These deformed houses and equally deformed windows are (next to Caligari) probably the very best thing about this movie and still kinda epic today. Funnily I just saw those pretty recently at Babelsberg where the film was made over a century ago. Yep, this one has its 100th anniversary this year, that's how old it is. Maybe one reason why they are showing it in theaters again now (aside from many considering it a defining film) and I got the chance yesterday to see it there on the big screen with an organ player providing the music. Nice experience for sure, even if I must say I still don't think it is good enough to be considered a classic and I probably never will, but I know many see it this way. I think it could have been better, especially given the excellent cast Wiene had at his disposal here. Klein-Rogge too, haven't mentioned him yet because his role is minimal. Time to finish. I give it a cautious thumbs-up. Positively recommended.

Authoritarian Expressionism, a history of the film

[kelarenee · 8/10 · 23 January 2006]

The original screenplay did not contain the frame that many use in their analysis of the film. As it was intended by the authors,it presents a story in which "Caligari represents the insanity of unlimited power, and his medium is the common man, which the authoritarian state trains to do its killing." The story was written by Hans Janowitz, a Czech, and Carl Mayer, and Austrian. They combined events of their lives to come up with a fantastic tale. Janowitz supposedly saw a pretty girl he wished to speak to but she was being followed by another man. He gave her up as lost but the following day he learned that the girl, whose name was Gertrude, had been murdered the night before. He recalled the suspicious man, who was also at her funeral, but he had no evidence against him and so said nothing. Meyer, whose father committed suicide, had to undergo many psychiatric examinations and grew to hate psychiatrists. They determined to write a script together combining these two things, but had no plot for it until they visited a fair together. There they saw an exhibit entitled "Man or Machine" in which a man performed amazing feats and uttered prophecies while under hypnosis—they had their story. It combined all three experiences into a horrific thriller.

The story, however, was not to be produced as they intended. According to Otto Friedrich, the "authors of Caligari intended it not just as a horror movie but as a kind of revolutionary allegory." As such, the powers that be were bound to find it unacceptable. Producer Erich Pommer bought the script and added and opening and closing scene. In the opening scene Francis is sitting on a bench in some kind of park with another man. They watch Jane walk by, seemingly in a trance. Francis then begins to tell his story. After he is finished explaining everything that happened the audience soon sees Francis in the lobby of the asylum with many other people, including Jane. Francis begs Jane to finally marry him but she responds, "We queens are not permitted to follow the dictates of our hearts." As the much friendlier looking director/Dr. Caligari comes down the stairs, Francis begins screaming that he is Caligari. Francis is put into a straight jacket and put in a cell. The director/Dr. Caligari puts his glasses back on and once again looks fairly creepy. He then says, "At last I understand mania. He thinks I am that mystic Caligari—and now I also know how to cure him." Instead of a story about the triumph over authority, it is simply the babble of a madman.

Simply appreciating the story and the meaning behind it is not enough. Instead of being played in an ordinary world, the entire set is expressionistic. Buildings are painted at angles. Doors and windows are crooked or rounded. Nothing meets at right angles. It appears as a world not entirely in the realm of fantasy nor is it completely on earth. Despite the story and the scenery being fantastic, everything is a reflection of the real world—including the fact that Cesare and Francis both lose in the end. The authorities win—in reality and in the film. Even the props lend themselves to this overblown idea of authority. The town clerk's desk and stool are set very high. In order to get to the police, the characters have to walk up stairs, and even still, their furniture is higher than normal—in case there was a question as to who was in charge. The shadows and lightening also reflect the film's expressionism. The backdrop was painted with extensive shadows to further the eerie quality. In addition, the entire screen is rarely completely illuminated. The audience's attention is focused on the important by using what would be a spotlight in a play. Sometimes only a person's face or the spinning top of a carousel can be seen at all, sometimes they are brightest while the rest of the screen is darker, and sometimes the entire scene is in full view. This gives it a very story-like feel and does much to enhance the movie.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a classical example of expressionism. Ironically, it is an expressionism tempered by authority. Regardless of what the audience of today thinks of the once incredibly popular movie, few would walk away from it feeling as though they had wasted their time. Original audiences may not have realized that it was, indeed, the story of triumph over authority, but those of today are better able to see this.

Entertaining it isn't

[Philipp_Flersheim · 7/10 · 23 March 2023]

I am fully prepared to acknowledge that 'Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari' is a masterpiece of expressionist cinema. The sets are true works of art and the lighting is great. However, does the film deliver as entertainment? I am afraid it does not. Let's face it: Watching 'Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari' may occasionally be visually satisfying, but on the whole it is boring. Plain boring. The plot takes a while to set up the problem (murders in the town of Holstenwall), but once it has done so it is immediately obvious who the murderer is and how the crimes have been committed. Neither does the way the murder mystery is being solved offer any interest or suspense. For that, you would need to be able to see things from the point of view of one of the characters, but neither Jane (Lil Dagover) nor Franzis (Friedrich Feher) or Alan (Hans Heinrich von Twardowski) are ever properly introduced as individuals. Mind you, I am not comparing the film with modern thrillers. I am comparing it with other films made at roughly the same time. 'Nosferatu' (1922) is a good example: it is visually stunning, well-acted, suspenseful and scary. 'Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari' is none of this. I for one was disappointed.

Mayhem and madness.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 18 December 2022]

I vowed to see more horror films this year, and this was recommended to me, initially I was a little dubious with it being a hundred plus years old, and a silent film, but I have to say I have a real appreciation for it.

Without a doubt, this film must be the inspiration for the whole horror genre, a genre that scares and shocks people to this day, you can only I shine the profound effect that this film must have had on viewers back in its time.

Hugely atmospheric and creepy, if I'm honest, it is slow, and you do need to concentrate, or you'll lose it, no texting or phone play, it is a fairly intense watch, best of all is the ending, which really does come as a surprise, it's something of a twist.

It is definitely not for everyone, and if you're used to modern horror, you may find ten minutes of it an arduous task, but having watched Nose earlier in the year, I have a real appreciation for this early gem.

An admirable film, 8/10.

Spectacular and innovative set design

[frankde-jong · 7/10 · 30 June 2023]

"Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari" (1920, Robert Wiene) has been very important for the film history in that it was one of the first films of the German expressionist movement. One of the first, but in my opinion not one of the best. Later in the '20s Robert Wiene was surpassed by directors such as Fritz Lang and Wilhelm Friedrich Murnau.

Above I asserted that "Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari" is not the best film the German expressionist movement has produced. That is of course not to deny the film all intrinsic qualities. "Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari" is a good, although in my opinion somewhat overvalued, film. Especially the extravagant set pieces are really remarkable and innovative (for example civil servants sitting on extremely high desk stools). I started to wonder if some of the credits of this film should not be given to art director Hermann Warm. After some investigation I think this is not the case. In later films with Warm as art director such as "Der mude Tod" (1921, Fritz Lang) and "Vampyr" (1932, Carl Theodor Dreyer) the set pieces are much more normal. In "Raskolnikow" (1923, Robert Wiene) however the set pieces are equally weird in a film where Wiene is director but Warm not art director. So justified praise for Robert Wiene after all.

Untill now we have spoken mainly about style. The theme of "Dr Caligari" is madness, and especially the question who is mad and who is normal. This question reappears from time to time. Sometimes when a character thought sound unexpectedly turns out to be mad ("Spellbound", 1945, Alfred Hitchcock) and sometimes when a character thought mad unexpectedly turns out to be normal ("Twelve monkeys", 1995, Terry Gilliam).

Much respect to it, but it is very boring

[Arlis · 4/10 · 27 September 2006]

I respect this movie because it is in fact 86 years old. I love horror movies and although I love 70's and 80's horror best, I do like many of the older movies. This movie was one of the first real horror movies and is highly regarded in the genre.

I recently watched it for the first time and had no idea of what to expect. It has very cool direction and I loved the sets of the movie. Overacting was a must in those movies to compensate for no sound, and I think the acting was superb. The overall story was boring to me, even 86 years ago I find it hard to believe this was considered creepy.

If your like action and a bit of entertaining scenes when you watch a movie, then avoid this at all cost because its god awful boring. If you appreciate the classics and the art of film, then don't miss out on this…it's that simple 4 out of 10