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IMDb > Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. (1920)
Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari.
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Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. (1920) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
8.1/10   14,480 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Robert Wiene
Writers:
Hans Janowitz (writer)
Carl Mayer (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 March 1921 (USA) more
Genre:
Horror | Thriller more
Tagline:
You must become Caligari. more
Plot:
Dr. Caligari's somnambulist, Cesare, and his deadly predictions. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
User Comments:
Expressionism At Its Finest more

Cast

  (Complete credited 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
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari (Germany) (alternative spelling)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (USA)
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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 more
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)

Fun Stuff

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. more
Goofs:
Continuity: There is an inconsistent positioning during the struggle on the bed between Cesare and Jane. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Man in garden: Spirits surround us on every side... they have driven me from hearth and home, from wife and child.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Dead by Dawn 2: The Mask of Conrad (2004) (V) more

FAQ

A Note Regarding Spoilers
Was there a real person named Dr. Caligari?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
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22 out of 28 people found the following comment useful:-
Expressionism At Its Finest, 6 July 2004
7/10
Author: FlickeringLight from Boerne, TX

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.

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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. (1920)
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A Tim Burton remake... sugar_hi21
Public Domain? movie_cultist
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Movie Review blueice4bc
Conection to Nazism? locke325
Alternate Score??? nixernil
First Ever Twist Ending? josh_ff8
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