In association with

Das Cabinet Des Dr Caligari [1919]
from Eureka Entertainment
starring Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski
directed by Robert Wiene

Features:

• Black & White
• Full Screen
• PAL
• Silent

Editorial Review:

A milestone of the silent film era and one of the first "art films" to gain international acclaim, this eerie German classic from 1919 remains the most prominent example of German expressionism in the emerging art of the cinema. Stylistically, the look of the film's painted sets--distorted perspectives, sharp angles, twisted architecture--was designed to reflect (or express) the splintered psychology of its title character, a sinister figure who uses a lanky somnambulist (Conrad Veidt) as a circus attraction. But when Caligari and his sleepwalker are suspected of murder, their novelty act is surrounded by more supernatural implications. With its mad-doctor scenario, striking visuals, and a haunting, zombie-like character at its centre, Caligari was one of the first horror films to reach an international audience, sending shock waves through artistic circles and serving as a strong influence on the classic horror films of the 1920s, 30s, and beyond. It's a museum piece today, of interest more for its historical importance, but The Cabinet of Dr Caligari still casts a considerable spell. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

• Dream a little dream of me
  Two men are sitting on a cement bench by the garden wall. One casually says there are evil spirits all around. As a woman in white glides by the second man Francis (Friedrich Fehér) says that is my fiancée Jane (Lil Dagover) and let me tell you what happened to us.
  As his story begins we are subjected to a weird world of light and twisted shadows. A string Dr. (Caligari played by Werner Krauss) brings a somnambulist (sleeping man played by Conrad Veidt) to a local fair. The somnambulist... more info

• The classic German Expressionist horror film of 1919
  When we talk about the history of the "movies" it is "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" ("Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari") that has almost always represented the first prime example of the "cinema," where we treat films as art. This is the best example of German Expressionism with angular sets and exaggerated performances by the actors that represented the dementia of the title character. Werner Krauss is the mad doctor, who uses his somnambulist Ceasar (Conrad Veidt) from his carnival sideshow to do his evil... more info

• Courageous film making
  Robert Wiene's 1919 classic "Das Cabinet Des Dr Caligari" is, in every way, a courageous piece of film making.

  The Expressionistic set design, as the backdrop to the story of a mad doctor and his manipulation of a somnambulist, is brilliantly conceived, especially when considering the twist at the end of the film. The sets give the film a definite and appropriate dreamlike quality.

  The importance of the film cannot be overstated since it undoubtedly influenced the later Universal monster movies that... more info

• Grand-daddy of horror film, it's artsyfartsy AND quite cool!
  This is a film that time nearly forgot, but that truly is the shadowy seed out of which both the horror film and film noir genres have developed over the last 75 years. (Woo-hoo!) But even if you aren't into all that German Expressionist, history of cinema stuff, you should know that this film is HUGELY entertaining in itself, if not even a good bit creepy (in a silent, 1919 sort of a way)! How could a dark story about a murderous sleepwalker, controlled by a demented madman, terrorizing the inhabitants of... more info

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