Product Description: This milestone film known for its expressionistic sets and techniques tells the strange tale of a sleepwalker under the spell of the mysterious and evil dr. Caligari. One of the great horror classics dr. Caligari features a new music score. Studio: Image Entertainment Release Date: 08/20/2002 Starring: Werner Krauss Lil Dagover Run time: 72 minutes Rating: Nr
Amazon.com: A milestone of the silent film era and one of the first "art films" to gain international acclaim, this eerie German classic from 1919 remains the most prominent example of German expressionism in the emerging art of the cinema. Stylistically, the look of the film's painted sets--distorted perspectives, sharp angles, twisted architecture--was designed to reflect (or express) the splintered psychology of its title character, a sinister figure who uses a lanky somnambulist (Conrad Veidt) as a circus attraction. But when Caligari and his sleepwalker are suspected of murder, their novelty act is surrounded by more supernatural implications. With its mad-doctor scenario, striking visuals, and a haunting, zombie-like character at its center, Caligari was one of the first horror films to reach an international audience, sending shock waves through artistic circles and serving as a strong influence on the classic horror films of the 1920s, '30s, and beyond. It's a museum piece today, of interest more for its historical importance, but Caligari still casts a considerable spell. --Jeff Shannon
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari; or the birth of the horror genre ^ To watch "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" will mean more than just sitting do with some popcorn, a beer, and relaxing on the comfy chair. It is an experience. For a film that is 90-years old, it will mentally challenge, visually stun, and grossly entertain you for the mere 70-ish minutes that it lasts. The version watched, the "Special Collector's Edition" streamed, also provided with comic-styled flash cards that gave us this silent film's voice. Yet, with all this strength, the film isn't without its flaws. The brevity means quick segments, underdeveloped plot, and a twist that seems to come from left field. Watched within the availability of a group, there was decidedly a mixed feel about this film. Many enjoyed, and applauded, the German Expressionism used to create the world, as it has been eerily used time and time again in modern cinema (i.e. Tim Burton's "Batman"), yet others seemed to mock the unknown. They followed the film throughout the course, confused as to when it was going to wrap up, and when it did - the ending seemed more rushed than surprising. While there were both applause and nays within the group, the one element that stood out - which demonstrates the cinematic power of "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari"" - is that they all wanted to see it again.
"Caligari" introduces a new viewer to the world of German Expressionism, and the creativity doesn't stop there. With bold, "Pee-Wee's Playhouse"-like doors, Burton-esque buildings, and a dream-like town, director Robert Wiene (along with his set designer and cinematographer) was well beyond the 1900s. Their vision proved that dark can be fun, that the unknown will still scare, and the mind, well, it is a terrible thing to waste. Imagine watching this film in 1920, when the cinema was still an infant. The sheer horror that audiences would have felt ooze from the screen, it is dark, it is disturbing, and - even with standards today - it is scary. Audiences beware, this is no "Saw" or "Hostel", but the creativity behind this feature is stronger than these modern "classics". The argument could even be presented that if it weren't for this film, the horror genre wouldn't exist today. "Caligari" is that impressive. For those that haven't seen, be prepared.
This film worked because of what our group was considerably mixed on, the unknown. For me, the uniqueness of the story allowed for depth and the macabre to soak through. Couple this with the visuals, and "Caligari" transforms into more than just pioneering cinema - it becomes a grandiose story that requires several viewings in darkened rooms. The cerebral nature keeps conversation flowing and that "unknown" that I have spoken of, strong. Yet, there is a fault with this film. While I praise the story, cinematography, and the twist; the development was a bit slow at times. Perhaps it is the fast-paced nature of today's movies, but the center of this film seemed to drag and push nowhere. The pacing begins strong, with an introduction into two stranded unknowns, but as the reveal occurs, one can find themselves dozing off - questioning the reason for one scene over the other (i.e. the entire wrong murder suspect). Yes, the value of those scenes do semi-make sense, but for a 70-ish minute long film, there were moments that were difficult to enjoy. Also, perhaps it is just this special edition, but the flash-card dialogue seemed a bit too uplifting for this film. Yes, they were easy to read, yes, the first couple were fun to see, but overall, the choice of these over your typical ones created a missing sense of dread. The dark elements seemed lighter, while the light elements seemed more positive than they should have been. If there were a fault with this film, it would be these small issues. I believe that the KINO edition perhaps does a stronger job with the flash-card issues.
Due to the brevity of this film, I don't want to sound repetitive with the elements that I loved vs. those that I could have done without, so - to wrap this review up - here are two breathtaking, and innovative, scenes from this film that will go down in cinematic infamy. The use of "special effects" to show the insanity of the word "Caligari" thus into a surprising transformation. Unique for its time, it also showed that this film not only was bold visually, but also technically. The second scene that was favored was when our suspected murder walks away with our quintessential damsel in distress. The camera work, the artwork, the way the body looks real, but obviously isn't was planned precisely. These are two strong scenes from an already great film.
VIDEO: Watched via streaming, the quality and excitement was par to that of a DVD. Lacking the exciting special features, this gave a small glimpse into a larger world. Eagerly I look forward to the KINO edition of this film with it's "restored authorized edition".
VISUAL: Watching this was like watching a projector film, it was too dark in some places, not light enough in others. Yet, that is what worked. This film survives on its twisted images and haunting characters, and both come across clear as bells. Watching this film, one cannot laugh at the work created by Hollywood today, completely borrowing that of this film.
SOUND: This is where it gets tricky. Watching only one version from the streaming source, I wasn't able to fully recognize the music, that is where an actual DVD will come in handy. I plan on updating this segment as I watch from either KINO or IMAGE to see which provides the better, stronger score. Needless to say, I wasn't unimpressed with the music here - it added to the already freaky ambiance of the film.
EXTRAS: Lacking, but not by fault. Once I acquire the DVD version, I will update this. Streaming had no special features to add to the surrounding history of this film.
Overall, despite my minor setbacks when watching this, I loved "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari". The visuals (again) were stunning, the story was breathtaking, and the originality of everyone involved far surpasses that of which is released today. The closest I could come to would be Terry Gilliam, old Tim Burton, or Fritz Lang (who was originally asked to direct this film). I suggest this to everyone, horror fanatics or not - this is just a great film and a strong piece of cinematic history.
Grade: ***** out of *****
A Chilling Introduction ^ One of the first silent films I ever saw (and still a personal favorite) this film proved to me that silents can have as much visual presence and atmosphere as more recent films. I've been a big fan of German expressionism ever since. The odd angular sets and liberal use of shadows create a world that correspondingly odd characters live in: a killer Somnambulist, a madman of the fairgrounds, not to mention the inhabitants of an insane asylum. The plot is by no means straightforward. The players have such skewed psyches, a fact which only becomes more obvious during the progression of the film. It's also important to note that the horror element has not been lost with age. The ever creepy somnambulist (played to chilling effect by Conrad Veidt) admittedly unnerved me upon initial viewing.
My only criticism is the rather confusing ending which results from a jarring change of tone. In the interest of keeping this review spoiler free, I will not divulge any more.
Excellent version of classic film. ^ Compared to a free version I saw on the web, this Image version is a masterpiece. The titles follow the expressionism of the film and appear authentic although they were added later. The music score is errie, blending in perfectly with the weird atmosphere. The audio essay is fabulous giving background information about the era, the visual effects, and the plot.
question ^ isnt the image entertainment version dubbed in english though? and the kino version contains the original german soundtrack? could you please tell me if im correct? I want to buy the movie, but I want to watch it in its orginal german form, not a stupid english dubbed edition.
The stuff nightmares are made of, or made from! ^ One of the first horror films in history, although not the very first (1896's two-minute silent film "La Manoir Du Diablo" and 1910's absolute original "Frankenstein" both beat this movie), "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" is, to say the least, a landmark film in horror movies. Being that I watched it through the eyes of a younger horror fan, I noticed some interesting aspects. For one thing, this movie is way ahead of its time. The scenery and the use of it, something that I'll get to in a minute, is something that's rarely touched upon even nowadays, well over 80 years after the movie was made.
The scenery is really what makes this movie such a masterpiece and a film far beyond its contemporary time-frame. The settings in this movie make it like a film version of a Salvador Dali painting. All the buildings seem crooked and surreal, and the fact that whatever appears onscreen is surrounded by black even gives it the appearance of the classic "dream bubble" sort of imagery. The entire movie has a very dreamlike, actually more like nightmarish, quality to it, that takes you to another place and is, even today, unlike many many other horror films.
Another thing I find great about this movie is the acting. Silent films are usually considered movies where overacting is almost a given. However, I really didn't think there were any moments here where the acting was way too over the top. For a silent film, the acting was quite good, and the dialogue (for a silent film, which would be the words that appear on screen to read, of course) is quite poetic at times.
Bringing this review to a smooth ending, I'm glad that I was able to rewind far back in cinema time to an early and landmark horror film. Avid horror fans will hopefully be able to appreciate "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari", with is both simplistic and extravagant at the same time. Although I haven't seen too many silent films, I definitely think this is a great one, and is recommended for horror fans, especially those that want to watch a piece of horror history! Thanks for the time, and peace.
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