The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

A retrospective by Brooks Rich

Let's talk about a film that's a hundred years old now. Last year I covered Nosferatu, one of the masterpieces of the German Expressionism movement. I still think it's the best one but The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is right up there. The '20s were ruled by the German filmmakers and I truly believe that if the Nazis had not come to power, Germany could have become the film capital of the world and not Hollywood. These guys were pushing the medium farter than anyone in Hollywood was at the time. Even Hitchcock wouldn't make his standout silent film, The Lodger, until 1927, well after the classics of German Expressionism.

Caligari is not as accessible as Nosferatu, where it presents us with a world that could only come from our deepest nightmares. Caligari is very much designed in the Expressionistic sense, with harsh lighting, twisted environments, and shadows that seem unnatural. It follows a man named Cesare, who is being used by a mad doctor to murder people, making it an early pseudo slasher as well.

If you like films like The Lighthouse, The VVitch, and Hereditary, you might want to give The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari a chance. It's on youtube right now and is usually easily found online as it's now in the public domain. As I do anytime I cover a silent film, a slight warning to watch the film with a different eye. Silent films are a different experience, especially a film like this. But if you're looking for something spooky but different this Halloween season, Caligari is a good bet.

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