Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. (1920)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Robert Wiene

Writers:

Hans Janowitz (writer)
Carl Mayer (writer)

Release Date:

19 March 1921 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

You must become Caligari.

Plot:

Dr. Caligari's somnambulist, Cesare, and his deadly predictions.

Plot Keywords:

Asylum | Somnambulist | Fair | Murder | Hypnotism

Cast

Werner Krauss	...	Dr. Caligari
Conrad Veidt	...	Cesare
Friedrich Feher	...	Francis (as Friedrich Fehér)
Lil Dagover	...	Jane Olsen
Hans Heinrich von Twardowski	...	Alan (as Hans Heinrich v. Twardowski)
Rudolf Lettinger	...	Dr. Olsen

Also Known As:

Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari (Germany) (alternative spelling)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (USA)

Runtime:

71 min | France:78 min | Spain:50 min | USA:67 min | USA:51 min (video version)

Country:

Germany

Color:

Black and White (tinted)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Germany:18 (1920) | Finland:K-15 (new rating: 2001) | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Australia:PG | Germany:12 (bw) (1964, 1995) | Spain:7 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:U (video rating) (1993) | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Lixie-Atelier, Weißensee, Berlin, Germany

Company:

Decla-Bioscop AG

Trivia:

Writer Hans Janowitz wrote the female lead character for his girlfriend Gilda Langer, an actress at the "Residenz-Theater" in Berlin but it is Lil Dagover that finally got the role.

Goofs:

Continuity: There is an inconsistent positioning during the struggle on the bed between Cesare and Jane.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Man in garden: Spirits surround us on every side... they have driven me from hearth and home, from wife and child.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dead by Dawn 2: The Mask of Conrad (2004) (V)

Expressionism At Its Finest

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.