User reviews

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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 : *****/******

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

This movie was shot between 1919 and 1920, a few decades since the motion picture camera was invented, and the Lumière brothers were in the middle of their experiments with it. At the time, cinema was being considered as a new way of making art, and yo make art you had to marry with a serie of ideas: ideology, aesthetics, cosmogony, etc. In these terms, this movie belongs to the German expressionism, which is reflected in the entire setup: from characters make up to the background of the set.

Having an average murder-mystery plot, the movie can be defined as a painting with some action occurring in it. The whole scenario was displayed following the same criteria as in expressionist painting: all diagonal and curve lines, evading the straightness and the cardinal orientation of things, wicked perspectives and proportions. Even the more minimum detail was carefully considered to fulfill the aesthetics needs. The result couldn't have been better, considering that the only visual trick they could do was to shrink/enlarge the camera's diafragma. Think that this was before the concept of travelling was even developed.

Concerning the plot, yet it's true that it isn't really the great thing and that many people now a days find it boring, I got to enjoy it, further than its aesthetical function (I even got to laugh in a couple of scenes), and I highly recommend it, as a good old piece of art from which many of today's film makers may take some good lessons on how to approach movies. I'm sure that if they got understand that, then there would be much lesser crappy movies than there are now a days.

The film starts with a young man, Franzis, sitting on a bench with an older man in a park. When a woman passes by in a trance-like state, Franzis tells the old man the woman is his fiancée, Jane. He said they've been through a lot, and then tells his story.

Franzis and his friend Alan decided to visit the fair, where all kinds of entertainment was offered. The mysterious Dr Caligari showcased his "spectacle" at the fair. This involved a 23-year old somnambulist named Cesare. At the show, Dr Caligari wakes Cesare, and dares the audience to ask him any question.

This sets in motion a series of events. That night, mysterious crimes start in the village, and Franzis vows to get to the bottom of the dreadful deeds. The police also decide to investigate, and find out more about Dr Caligari and Cesare. Jane, Franzis' girlfriend, gets caught in the middle of the strange goings-on in the village.

The film's production design is most unusual and unlike anything I've seen before. The buildings are oddly shaped and the imagery is nightmarish. The film literally feels like a nightmare from which there is no escape.

'The Cabinet of Dr Caligari' must have been scary back in 1920. Even today, the events and the appearance of the film and characters still makes for a creepy watch. And there's even a twist ending...

"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).