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IMDbPro

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Original title: Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari
  • 19201920
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 7m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
63K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,847
461
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Trailer for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Play trailer1:32
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Horror
  • Mystery
  • Thriller
Hypnotist Dr. Caligari uses a somnambulist, Cesare, to commit murders.Hypnotist Dr. Caligari uses a somnambulist, Cesare, to commit murders.Hypnotist Dr. Caligari uses a somnambulist, Cesare, to commit murders.
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
63K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,847
461
  • Director
    • Robert Wiene
  • Writers
    • Carl Mayer
    • Hans Janowitz
  • Stars
    • Werner Krauss
    • Conrad Veidt
    • Friedrich Feher
Top credits
  • Director
    • Robert Wiene
  • Writers
    • Carl Mayer
    • Hans Janowitz
  • Stars
    • Werner Krauss
    • Conrad Veidt
    • Friedrich Feher
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 264User reviews
    • 180Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination

    Videos1

    The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
    Trailer 1:32
    The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

    Photos101

    Lil Dagover and Friedrich Feher in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
    Friedrich Feher, Werner Krauss, Rudolf Lettinger, and Conrad Veidt in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
    Friedrich Feher, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Rudolf Lettinger, and Ludwig Rex in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
    Lil Dagover and Conrad Veidt in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
    Conrad Veidt in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
    Rudolf Klein-Rogge and Ludwig Rex in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
    Lil Dagover and Conrad Veidt in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
    Ludwig Rex in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
    Werner Krauss and Conrad Veidt in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
    Lil Dagover, Werner Krauss, and Conrad Veidt in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
    Lil Dagover and Conrad Veidt in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
    Conrad Veidt in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Werner Krauss
    Werner Krauss
    • Dr. Caligarias Dr. Caligari
    Conrad Veidt
    Conrad Veidt
    • Cesareas Cesare
    Friedrich Feher
    Friedrich Feher
    • Franzisas Franzis
    • (as Friedrich Fehér)
    Lil Dagover
    Lil Dagover
    • Jane Olsenas Jane Olsen
    Hans Heinrich von Twardowski
    Hans Heinrich von Twardowski
    • Alanas Alan
    • (as Hans Heinz v. Twardowski)
    Rudolf Lettinger
    Rudolf Lettinger
    • Dr. Olsenas Dr. Olsen
    • (as Rudolph Lettinger)
    Rudolf Klein-Rogge
    Rudolf Klein-Rogge
    • Ein Verbrecheras Ein Verbrecher
    • (uncredited)
    Hans Lanser-Rudolf
    • Ein alter Mannas Ein alter Mann
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    Henri Peters-Arnolds
    Henri Peters-Arnolds
    • Ein junger Arztas Ein junger Arzt
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    Ludwig Rex
    Ludwig Rex
    • Ein Mörderas Ein Mörder
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    Elsa Wagner
    • Die Wirtinas Die Wirtin
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    • Director
      • Robert Wiene
    • Writers
      • Carl Mayer
      • Hans Janowitz
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Writer Hans Janowitz claims to have gotten the idea for the film when he was at a carnival one day. He saw a strange man lurking in the shadows. The next day he heard that a girl was brutally murdered there. He went to the funeral and saw the same man lurking around. He had no proof that the strange man was the murderer, but he fleshed the whole idea out into his film.
    • Goofs
      In the wide shot, the sign at the asylum reads "Insane Asylum," in English. In the close-up, the sign is written in German (Kino Blu-ray Disc version, may not be present in all editions of the film).
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Dr. Caligari: Now I also know how to cure him.

    • Alternate versions
      USA laserdisc reissue restores the original hand-drawn title cards that have been missing from every known print of the film since 1923. When first released on video in the United States, film was in black-and-white, and played back many scenes at double speed and featured different music. Although no scenes were cut out, the running time was reduced to only 51 minutes. The restored version restores the colour-tinting, restores the original title cards, and plays the film back at regular speed, returning the film to its original 69-minute running time.
    • Connections
      Edited into People Who Die Mysteriously in Their Sleep (2004)

    User reviews264

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Through the distorting lens of the humankind's feeble grip on sanity
    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.
    helpful•37
    16
    • Asa_Nisi_Masa2
    • Sep 19, 2006

    FAQ7

    • Why doesn't this movie show up in the IMDB top 250?
    • Is this movie based on a novel?
    • Was there a real person named Dr. Caligari?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 27, 1920 (Germany)
    • Country of origin
      • Germany
    • Language
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Кабінет доктора Каліґарі
    • Filming locations
      • Lixie-Atelier, Weißensee, Berlin, Germany
    • Production company
      • Decla-Bioscop AG
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $18,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $8,811
    • Gross worldwide
      • $8,811
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 7 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Silent
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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