Saturday, October 15, 2011

Cabinet of Dr Caligari, The (1920)


Silent horror film classic starring Conrad Veidt and a bunch of German actors who were famous in the 20s about a carnival where one Dr Caligari reveals a fortune-telling somnambulist named Cesare after which mysterious murders ensue. One of the first film examples, and probably still one of the best examples, of German Expressionism in film, Caligari is creepy, stylish, and fascinating. Conrad Veidt and Werner Krauss both give excellent performances as Cesare and Caligari, respectively. For something so old, it's unbelievable how fresh it still is. Despite the technical shortcomings of the early silent era, the film overcomes things like a static camera and distanced framing by having one of the most unique sets of all time. One thing to note: while the KINO on Video DVD seems to have the best image quality, the score is godawful.

8/10

1 comment:

  1. Good review! This is one of my favourite films of all time.

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