Buy from eBay
|
|
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
|
| Release Date: |
19 March, 1921 |
| Director: |
Robert Wiene |
Staring: |
Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover |
| Studio: |
Image Entertainment |
| Rated: |
Unrated |
|
Buy this film on eBay
|
|
|
Amazon.com Customer Reviews
 Rated 5 out of 5!
Spooky & Entertaining Expressionist Masterpiece
In the little German town of Holstenwall, performers have come from far and wide to set up exhibitions at the town’’s fair. Among them is a man named Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss) who has brought a Somnambulist named Cesare (Conrad Veidt) to entertain the townsfolk. Cesare has slept for 23 years and, through his morbid trance, has acquired knowledge of the past and future. But shortly after Dr. Caligari and Cesare arrive, a series of grisly murders take place in the town. Francis (Friedrich Feher), whose best friend was a victim, vows to track down the person responsible for these hideous crimes."The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" is a stunning example of both German expressionism and effective commercial entertainment. Directed by Robert Wiene in 1919, with extraordinary expressionist set design by Hermann Warm and a haunting modern musical score by Timothy Brock, "Caligari" is no less sophisticated in its themes or story-telling technique than modern films. In fact, it reminds me a lot of Alfred Hitchcock’’s work, in particular his television program. Oddly, the film isn’’t black-and-white. It’’s color -or "colored" actually. The film is toned. Scenes that take place at night have a bluish cast. Daytime -or indoor light- has a sepia tone. And a few scenes are actually purple, which I assume was intended to communicate a melancholy mood. (The film was originally hand-tinted, but later prints may not have been. The Image Entertainment DVD is tinted, but I don’’t know if the other DVD versions are.) The blue and purple casts are interesting, but seem garish at times. Most of the scenes are sepia, which is pleasing to the eye and gives the film a warmth that wouldn’’t be possible in neutral black&white. The story is told in flashback, and there are flashbacks inside of that one. I was surprised to see real visual effects in such an antique film. And there is a surprise ending no less startling than the ending of M. Night Shyamalan’’s "The Sixth Sense". In fact, the film’’s blurring of the boundaries between reality and fantasy, sanity and insanity, can be pretty unsettling. This is a rare horror film that succeeds in creating a true sense of horror at least once. "Caligari"’’s fanciful expressionist sets are absolutely fabulous. The sets alone would make the film worth watching. Add great writing and technique, and "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" is a wonderfully entertaining example of early cinema that really stands the test of time. Highly recommended. Intertitles are in English only. The DVD (This refers to the Image Entertainment DVD only.): This is one of those DVDs that starts to play the film as soon as you put the disc into the machine, so be quick on the remote. Bonus features include excerpts from a film called "Genuine: A Tale of a Vampire", which director Robert Wiene made in 1920, and a excellent audio commentary by film historian Mike Budd. I highly recommend the commentary, but don’’t be tempted to listen to it the first time you view the film. The film suffers without its musical score, and the audio commentary gives away the ending early in the film. It’’s very worthwhile on your second viewing, though. Mike Budd talks about the artistry of "Caligari" as well as the state of commercial film and expressionist art in Germany at the time. The film’’s speed is correct on this DVD, but the condition of the print leaves something to be desired. There is noticeable white noise (scratches) in much of the film, and there is a conspicuous dark band across the top of the screen in many of the scenes. Maybe the film was originally like that. This print certainly is. It would be nice if it were cleaned up. These flaws don’’t detract too much from the enjoyment of the film, but that dark band is espe
|
|
|
|
