A classic horror film that made a great impact on the way films are made.
This silent film was released in 1920 and was directed by Robert Wiene. It was one of the films that used German Expressionism. This artistic method had been used by the Germans following the end of World War I.
The story is told as a narrative by a young man named Francis, played by Friedrich Fehér. Francis is sitting at a park bench with an old man and recounts to him the terror that he and his “fiancée” Jane, played by Lil Dagover, had gone through. The story entails that of a deranged hypnotist named Dr. Caligari, played by Werner Krauss, that causes havoc for the townspeople at a mountain village called Holstenwall. During a carnival, he unveils to a crowd of spectators a sleep walker named Cesare, played by Conrad Veidt, who sleeps in a coffin-like cabinet. He claims that Cesare could predict a person’s future. But during the night, Dr. Caligari would have Cesare go out and murder people. These string of victims included Francis’ best friend Alan. Cesare even attempted to murder Jane but instead, kidnaps her and this leads the townspeople to chase after him.
The film’s ending has a twisted plot, which was the first to be used in a movie. In the opening frame, Francis tells the story as if relaying actual events that occurred by using constant flashbacks. But the ending of the film reveals that Francis was actually living in an asylum, and some of the people in his story were fellow patients and hospital staff. The films ending exposes that the story was all a delusion. Or was it? When Francis is put in a straitjacket he rants on that the “hospital director” is really Dr. Caligari. The doctor replies, "At last I recognize his mania. He believes me to be the mythical Caligari. Astonishing! But I think I know how to cure him now." It leaves the audience guessing about what happens to Francis in the end.
On the set of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, they used bold jagged designs and artificial landscape to fit the psychological and horror setting. It’s as if the director wanted the audience to see the world from narrator’s point of view. Not to mention certain scenes being shot diagonally to show abnormality to the scene. Also the visual effects, and color tinting of each scene to brown, green, purple, and rose added more of a haunting feel to the film.
Without this film, none of the genres of horror and psychological thrillers following it would have been the same. Famous directors, such as Alfred Hitchcock, Fritz Lang, and Tim Burton have copied the same type of plot elements that were used in this film. Despite the film being made a long time ago it is still scary. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari will continue to be one of the most influential and artistic film of all time.
Reviewer's Rating: 9 out of 10
Written by: Bridget Campos
Originally posted on March 15, 2009
Link: http://thecelebritycafe.com/movies/full_review/12828.html
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