 |
| C is for...The Cabinet of Dr Caligari Image Source: Light Keeps Me Company |
I'll be honest, this entry has been backdated because I missed 3 days of the challenge due to my poor planning (heh...), but better a little late than never I guess? So today, C is for...Caligari! Or more specifically, German director Robert Weine's stylish silent, 'Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari' ('The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari', 1920). I could write a whole essay on this movie, as it's one of my favourites, but I'll spare you all the boredom this time and keep it fairly short!
 |
| Dr. Caligari and Cesare the Somnambulist |
Cast:
Dr. Caligari - Werner Krauss
Cesare - Conrad Veidt
Francis - Friedrich Feher
Jane Olsen - Lil Dagover
Alan - Hans Heinrich von Twardowski
Dr. Olsen - Rudolf Lettinger
Genres:
Silent
Classic horror
Psychological horror
Silent
Classic horror
Psychological horror
German Expressionist
Plot:
A young man, Francis, recounts a story to a man seated next to him about his fiancee, Jane, and the strange events that they both experienced. The film then continues in an extended flashback, beginning with Francis and his friend, Alan, visiting a fair in their home town. Dr. Caligari is there with Cesare, a somnambulist. Caligari claims that Cesare has been asleep for 25 years and, waking under Caligari's hypnotic control, is now able to see into the future. Alan asks Cesare how long his life will be, to which Cesare replies: "The time is short. You die at dawn!". This prediction comes true, as Alan is murdered that night and Francis is convinced that Cesare was responsible. This leads Francis to begin following Cesare and Dr. Caligari.
A young man, Francis, recounts a story to a man seated next to him about his fiancee, Jane, and the strange events that they both experienced. The film then continues in an extended flashback, beginning with Francis and his friend, Alan, visiting a fair in their home town. Dr. Caligari is there with Cesare, a somnambulist. Caligari claims that Cesare has been asleep for 25 years and, waking under Caligari's hypnotic control, is now able to see into the future. Alan asks Cesare how long his life will be, to which Cesare replies: "The time is short. You die at dawn!". This prediction comes true, as Alan is murdered that night and Francis is convinced that Cesare was responsible. This leads Francis to begin following Cesare and Dr. Caligari.
 |
| Cesare fleeing, carrying Jane |
The next night, Cesare goes into Jane's bedroom, intending to kill her, but cannot bring himself to murder such a beautiful woman and kidnaps her instead. The townspeople go after him, and after running from them for some time, Cesare passes out and dies of exhaustion. At the same time the police discover that Dr. Caligari has fled and Francis follows him to an insane asylum, where he attempts to find out the truth about the doctor.
Is it any good?:
In a word: yes! But just to elaborate a little...
If you don't like black & white, silent horrors or aesthetically unrealistic films, and aren't at all interested in film history, then you probably won't like 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' much. However, as one of the first films of the horror genre and with the concept of a twist ending - still used today - to boot, this is an excellent example of early cinema, with a bit of depth. What's more, the film manages to create eerie abduction and murder scenes without a drop of blood anywhere. Through a clever use of lighting, the killing is depicted predominantly in shadow and silhouette. Of course, by today's standards, the acting may be seen as ridiculously exaggerated, but then again, all the battling, slow-motion epics and screaming, gory slasher movies of late are pretty damn exaggerated too, don't you think?
Scary?:
I wouldn't say it's "scary" as such, but there's definitely a creepy feel throughout. It's unmistakably a horror.
