Rating: 
Summary: Very unexpected ending!
Review: This is only the second silent film that I have seen, and I find that I am quickly becoming a fan. This movie had an intense, surreal aspect to it that reminded me of Kabuki and Noh theater in Japan. The background music was superb and helped to further intensify the atmosphere. The actor portraying Dr.Caligari was truly eerie and I found myself amazed at the effectiveness of the "overacting". To be honest, initially I thought the plot was simplistic until the very end when I found out that I had jumped to a premature conclusion.
I couldn't help but think that this movie directly influenced Tim Burton, from the angled buildings and dream-like sets, to the Somnambulist who definitely seemed to be the predecessor of Edward Scissorhands.
I highly recommend this movie, not only for the historical value, but because it was extremely entertaining and engrossing.
Rating:
Summary: Open the doors of the Cabinet
Review: "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" remains possibly the most watchable of the silent films, even to those who are not silent film aficionados. Werner Krauss's use of a landscape of obtuse angles and hand-painted shadows creates a dream-like/nightmare-like reality that is heightened by the distance and the crackling of the ancient cameras. The characters, the enigmatic Dr. Caligari and his sinister somnambulist Cesare, are both creatures of dark corners of the imagination, and could happily hold court with Count Dracula, The Phantom of the Opera and other famous monsters of filmland.
The storyline is equally gripping, with plot twists and turns to rival any modern film. The innate fear of the carnival is played for all of its creepy value, as the strangers who inhabit this strange world must by their very nature carry some dark secret. It truly is a masterpiece of any age.
The downfall of "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" is its presentation. As equally deserving of restoration and a "special edition" format as "Nosferatu" and "Metropolis," there has yet to be a definitive version of this classic film. Also dampening its effect is the soundtrack. On the version I have, there is a sort of light jazz piano playing in the background. If composer Philip Glass would work his magic on Caligari, the way he did on Tod Browning's "Dracula," then this would be a powerhouse of a film.
Kino International is releasing a new DVD of "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari." Although it doesn't have the newly composed soundtrack I would hope for, let's hope they work the same magic with the restoration that they did with their release of "Metropolis (Restored Authorized Edition)."
Rating: 
Summary: a note to confused amazon users...
Review: Amazon does NOT differentiate its reviews of titles (be it book/DVD's/vhs etc) by this or that edition by any of the many companies that release them....so your review of the cheapy public domain Alpha dvd(to name just one of the several CRAP distributors of old movies)and the words you write about the restored fine print Kino International(to name one of the very excellent distributors of old movies)will be all on the same page, WHATEVER version you have selected!!
Having said that , my review is of the KINO dvd release , a very fine one as this company does not distribute anything less(you pay more, but if you know anything about silent and classic movies it will be no secret to you that if you pay peanuts that is exactly what you will get....)...it is however disconserting to see that even the best available dvd release still hasn't been cleaned up to the degree that other classic silent masterpieces have..surely with todays technology a digital "hoovering" of this film is not too much to ask.
Wonderful film of course, but you know that otherwise you wouldn't even be reading these reviews, and the KINO version is , so far, the best you can get for your money.
Rating: 
Summary: Pedestrian compared to Haxan
Review: Before beginning to write this review I read a couple of the previous reviews, and one person said something that summed up my thoughts quite well. You Tim Burton fans will see stuff here that was obviously a large influence on him. Specifically, the sets. You can imagine movie-goers of that era feeling as if they were seeing an alternate world as they watched this movie.
I think my thoughts on this movie will differ from those of most of the reviewers, though. I think the sets and the look of the characters are the most interesting things about this movie. Is it actually from 1921, though? On the VHS I have, it says "released in 1919" right on the box. Beyond that, the camerawork and production values seem to be quite a bit less than the those of many other films from the early '20s.
This movie has its moments, but if you really want to see a movie from the early '20s that is psychotic and strange even by many of today's standards, try Haxan, from 1922. For those of you who think Dr. Caligari or the flying monkeys scene from Wizard of Oz are creepy or scary, you will be utterly horrified by Haxan. Haxan is a movie that couldn't have been made by American studios until probably the late '60s... and lots of people still would have been outraged even then, I'm sure.
Haxan has better cinematography and production values, and every aspect of it is more twisted and evil than anything in Caligari. Plus the acting is alot better. Caligari is worthy as an historical artifact and for its influence, but Haxan is better in every single way. There are things in Caligari that are laughably bad or just boring. Haxan is a twisted masterpiece of evil and perversion, and worthy of many more viewings.
Having said this, if you are really into Dr. Caligari, Mark Dresser (incredible bassist, improvisor, composer) released a music cd of the same name. His The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is available on this website in the music section.
Rating:
Summary: The shadow of the Third Reich
Review: Behold the eyes of Cesare, the somnambulist, as he awakens at the carnival that is the human city under the shadow of the future. His eyes are full of desolation and dread, utter frenzy, and something like the power of rape. Cesare is a puppet - a homunculus of someone else's dreams. He is a passive victim, whose body radiates pure violation. Yet he is a taut monster, a creature of deprival that stalks the tortured landscapes of our dreams. He is Frankenstein's monster who would drown us all as an act of love.
In this film we find out that our hopes have been pre-programmed by the those who would betray them. We learn that our father figures are gods of doom and that the insane asylum is being run by those who are most insane - this , the most terrible of all the discoveries of modern man.
In this film there is no Number Six hell-bound and heaven bound on escape. The drive for freedom has been destroyed before the film even begins.
Rating: 
Summary: quite fun!
Review: Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (Robert Weine, 1920)It has occurred to me many times over the years since I read my first book about monster movies how Germany dominated world cinema before World War II, and how that's changed since. Depressing. The Germans could do almost as good a job as the Japanese at expressing postwar angst, one thinks. One wonders why the Japanese have a whole industry of extreme horror and the Germans have, well, Jorg Buttgereit. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is widely considered the world's first horror film. It really isn't (both Fritz Lang and Robert Weine were both making horror movies for years before Caligari came out, along with Lang's stable of directors who did the films his fevered brain turned out he didn't have time to direct), but it may be the first still widely available. It's also a masterpiece of expressionist cinema, and really should be seen by all serious students of film. The story centers around Francis (Friedrich Fehler, who spent much more time behind the camera than before it), who relates the story of his odd past few days to a man he meets while out on a walk. He, his best friend Alan (Hans Heinrich von Twardowski, who made a slew of anti-Hitler films during World War II after leaving Weine's stable), and the woman they both love, Jane (Lil Dagover, one of Germany's most celebrated actresses right up to her 1980 death), encountered an odd sideshow at the town fair. Run by one Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss), it's an exhibition of a somnambulist named Cesare (Conrad Veidt, best known for Casablanca) who has supposedly been asleep for a quarter century, and now can be awakened for short periods by Caligari. The day the fair comes to town, a series of murders begins, and Francis becomes convinced that Caligari is using Cesaire to commit the murders. The truth, however, is far more complex... Modern viewers who aren't used to silent film will probably be bored, or at least annoyed; depending on which version you get, the background music can be horribly inappropriate for the material, and let's face it, a lot of moviegoers today don't have the patience for subtitles, much less the cards used for dialogue in the silent days. (One longs for someone to do an ambient/gothic soundtrack for this film, as has been done for Metropolis, Nosferatu, and earlier versions of The Phantom of the Opera.) Also, in the silent film days, and especially in expressionist film, facial expressions and gestures are always exaggerated. Caveat viewer, as it were. Those who have gotten used to such things, however (repeated screenings of Shadow of the Vampire should at least give you the idea), will find much to enjoy here. The main thing to point out is the set design. A thousand-word review cannot even begin to say enough good things about the wonderful sets put together by Herrmann Warm and his colleagues from Die Sturm. Everything in this movie, from the windows to the trees, is completely off-kilter. It's a cubist's worst nightmare; there's not a single right angle to be found anywhere on the set (except, arguably, in Conrad Veidt's lower jaw). The acting gives enough that Weine cold keep the between-scene cards to a minimum and the average Joe can still figure out what's going on, so the film's sixty-seven minutes are far more action than words. Weine weaves together subplot after subplot, and while he could be charged with initiating the idea that love triangles cannot end well in film, it works in the context here. Yes, there is a great deal to like about The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. It's not as chilling as Nosferatu, but it's certainly capable of grabbing hold and not letting go. *** ½
Rating:
Summary: There is something frightful in our midst!
Review: Filmed way back in 1921, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" is perhaps one of the oldest horror films ever made. As a viewer, I see this film as a macabre, magnificent work of art. It was probably intended to be that way, since director Robert Wiene was heavily inspired by the German Expressionist movement. With its skewed and handpainted scenery, crooked angles, looming shadows, and ghostly aura, this feature film is an Edvard Munch painting brought to life. More importantly, its simple yet terrifying plotline helped give birth to early cinematic horror, which would forever place Lon Chaney, Bela Legosi, and Boris Karloff on pedestals.
Here is the synopsis: A young man named Francis (Friedrich Feher) plays the narrator, opening his story at a carnival sideshow that opened in the town of Holstenwall. Francis and his best friend Alan (Hans Heinrich Von Twardowski) attended the show to witness a truly strange attraction: An aging scientist named Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss) unveils to an astounded audience a ghoulish sleepwalker named Cesare (Conrad Veidt), who the Doctor solely commands through the power of hypnotism. Under his control, Cesare awakens from his coffin-like box to prophesise people's fates. When an excited Alan asks Cesare, "How long shall I live?" he grimly utters, "The time is short. You die at dawn!" Meanwhile, the town police investigate a string of bizarre murders. Not surprisingly, Alan would end up becoming the killer's next victim! Devastated by the sudden loss of his friend, Francis seeks aid from the town police. Together, they find clues linking the cold-blooded killings with Dr. Caligari's priceless freak of nature. In the film's latter half, Francis and the authorities read through the Doctor's notes and discover his most fiendish, insane ambition: The old man gleefully named himself after an 11th century monk who once toured across Northern Italy with a somnanbulist at his side. Dr. Caligari's studies reveal how he recruited poor Cesare from an insane asylum and forced him to commit acts of murder and terrorize innocent people! After the awful truth is exposed, justice prevails as the wicked Doctor is bound in a straitjacket and dragged away. Or is he?
I really love how Conrad Veidt's Cesare character is both terrifying and sympathetic. Although he basically wears a black bodysuit, his figure somehow provides the illusion of inhuman strength, like he was carved out of stone. However, that changes later on when Cesare breaks into the bedroom of Francis's betrothed Jane (Lil Dagover). In a state of torment, he raises the knife over his head and stops himself from stabbing the sleeping woman. In that instance, a viewer can realize that Cesare is only human, and that the Doctor is the true monster. The way actor Werner Krauss portrays him, by the way, is quite marvelous. He's clearly the manipulator of the story; a dangerously clever individual who tries desperately not to get caught. Finally, Friedrich Feher's Francis is a not a typical hero, but rather a traumatized young man seeking the truth; it's obvious that he's overcome with grief and driven almost mad. Did I say almost? As a participant in the movie's main action, Francis is both horrified and curious about the Doctor's motives.
This is a movie I definitely recommend to the openly artistic. The DVD is the perfect gift for Tim Burton fans!
Rating:
Summary: Landmark Filmmaking!
Review: I am at a loss why some are reviewing the Image Entertainment version when the KINO INTERNATIONAL VERSION is the one listed above. The Kino print is wonderfully clear and very sharp with excellent detail...there are some specks left here and there but this in no way detracts from the enjoyment. The intertitles are a bit on the slow side, but at last you can read them.
I really have little to say that hasn't gone on before except this is a superb silent film with an incredibly delicious plot twist at the end...Very dark cinema and excellent soundtrack as well!
Bravo KINO!!!
Rating:
Summary: Prime example of German Expressionism
Review: I had watched many poorly-made VHS tapes of this film and was very happy a restored version came out on video. There's probably no better way to see this film. This visual stunning silent German film tells the story of a mad doctor who trains a sleepwalker to kill people in order to study the effects of somnambulism. Filled with images resembling one's nightmare (or the mind state of a mentally-ill) -- distorted views, deformed spaces, bizarre lights and shadows -- this film in 1919 helped usher in a new era of German Expressionism, a period that produced such classics as The Last Laugh, Nosferatu, and Metropolis. This DVD is identical in content to the laserdisc from Image a few years ago, with the exception that the LD included a detailed letter explaining why there is a faint horizontal line near the top of the screen in certain scenes (it's a misplaced "frame line" that is supposed to mark the edge of a frame). The DVD merely mentions on the jacket case that this is a "defect" on the film negative. Like the LD, this DVD also presents the film in a "windowbox", ensuring every frame can be seen in full. The audio commentary on the alternate sound track is thoughtful and insightful, but the commentator reiterates much of what appears on the jacket essay. Other extras include a few comtemporary photographs related to the film, and a short silent film from the Expressionist era.
Rating:
Summary: Spooky & Entertaining Expressionist Masterpiece
Review: 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 especially obtrusive. On the other hand, I appreciate that this DVD was made from a print which has the original color tinting.
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