The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari) (1920)

Runtime: 77 minutes

Directed by: Robert Wiene

Starring: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, the greatly named Lil Dagover and Hans Heinrich von Twardowski

From: Decla-Bioscop AG

Here's something unusual for me, a silent film, and this is one said to be the very first horror movie. It still works in 2015 even without a word of audible dialogue. The way it's filmed and how shadow and light are also used... there's a reason why this is something for the serious film fan. The Letterboxd review is below and I'll return tomorrow night.

As I've stated before I haven't watched nearly the amount of silent movies that I really should have. I figured I should do that today and one that is foreign by checking out this legendary motion picture from Germany, said to be the first ever in the horror genre and probably also the first one to have a twist ending.

The plot: two people are talking to each other on a park bench and one tells the other the story of the recent ordeal they experienced. In a small German town, a carnival is about to start and the titular doctor shows up with his act. Just one look at his appearance and his bizarre hairstyle, you know he has to be evil! Anyhow, the act is that he controls a somnambulist, which is normally a sleepwalker but in this case is pretty much an undead person who sleeps in a coffin and can see into the future. People suddenly are killed; the first one deserved it because he was an A-hole but the others, all innocent people. Is it Cesare-the sleepwalker-who is behind it?

I don't want to give too much away to those that haven't seen this famous film before, but let me note that it's still effectively creepy even 95 years later. The score that's attached to the version on Netflix Instant works for what you see, being mellow when it needs to be and chilling when the creepy stuff starts happening. Also, the sets and backdrops... this is pretty much a staged play as there are built sets and hand painted backdrops throughout. It's all angular and odd but also pretty awesome, further adding to the surreal nature of it all.

As for the twist ending, I say it works and isn't one of those eye-rolling or anger-inducing M. Night Shyamalan sort of stupid needless twists. I thought it was actually effective and added to the tale. Whether or not you've seen it already, you should watch it again then look at sights like Wikipedia to read about all the subtext and how the characters represent such things as the German government and its citizens that blindly follow it no matter what; it's all quite interesting and this is a motion picture to watch for all serious film fans.