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.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant film but an explanation for all!
Review: It has been rumored for years that when the producers set out to make The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari they intended to end the film with Caligari getting captured and no framing story. Wrong! A first draft of the film's script shows there was always intended to be a framing story. But the one that was first intended was different than the one presented on film. Originally Francis and Jane were supposed to be at a picnic years later and reminiscing about their days in the town when murderer Caligari showed up. This was changed to the looney bin frame story probably so authority woudn't be depicted quite so negatively. Agreed the film is brilliant and powerfully scarey in it's final execution (no pun intended).
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Film, Terrible Transfer.
Review: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is an excellent film, and others have covered this fairly well. I give the film five stars.
However, I give these cheap prints of the film one star, and so my score of three is a reminder to potential buyers that you get what you pay for. I have one of the cheap $6 DVDs of this film, and will not make this mistake again. The transfer on these cheap versions is simply terrible. Invest in the more expensive version if you want to purchase this; the cheap ones are murky and somewhat trying to watch. Since a major part of this film is the innovative interplay of light and shadow used to create the mood, a crisp transfer (as much can be expected from such an old film) is paramount. What else is paramount is being able to see what's going on and which character is which, issues that aren't always easy with the cheap versions. Spend the extra $10, buy the good version, and save yourself the frustration of trying to figure out what's going on in almost every scene.
Rating:
Summary: Pure Art
Review: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is very original. Then again, it was in 1919; it has to be original. From what I read in reviews of other versions, this one is slightly different. Whatever the difference is, I don't care because this one is possibly the greatest film ever made. It is also, in my opinion, the first ever zombie movie. Even though Cesare is technically a somnambulist, he is still under control of Dr. Caligari and is made to murder...sounds like a zombie to me. Basic, non-spoiling plot: Two men are in love with one girl. One man is murdered as predicted by a somnambulist at a side show at the Fair with Dr. Caligari. It turns out that it was Cesare (the somnambulist), after he kidnapped the woman that the two men were in love with. Cesare has a heart attack (looks like it any way), falls to the bottom of the hill he has climbed carrying the woman, and dies. Sounds like a simple, boring story, right? WRONG. The last 10 to 15 minutes of the film really catches you. It turns out it is not just a dramatizing film of murder, yet a complete twist of insanity. Good luck finding this original 1919 silent movie at a store for rental. By this baby through Amazon. It's very cheap, and suprisingly enough---it actually has special features(not many, but they're there)! This movie is highly original, extremely creative, mind-bending, and over-the-top weird with sets of swirly walls and odd doors. Not to mention the make-up. Beautiful movie. Buy it. Enough said.
Rating: 
Summary: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919)
Review: The story is told in a very simplistic manner and the pace is sluggish. The hammy, melodramatic acting really dates the film and causes what was once a horror film to seem comedic. The one high mark is that the twist ending actually surprised and impressed me.
Rating: 
Summary: Fine-Quality DVD
Review: This DVD is a good quality transfer. The picture is good considering it is from 1920. It is in full-screen, with color-tinting (blue for night scenes, yellow for interior scenes, etc.) The soundtrack on this version (Image) is great! It is an eerily, serialism-esque score written just for this film. Some silent films have been given a "modern treatment" with contemporary scores, but this DVD is judiciouly been given an appropriately "period-feel" in relation to the time and place that this movie was made. The score fits the film extremely well and is a well crafted work. The DVD also comes with a commentary soundtrack that teaches the viewer about the film and the time in which it was shot in Germany. There is plenty of explanation about Expressionism as an art form in film, literature, and art of that time. A must for any film student! I highly reccomend this DVD. It was well worth the price! It's literally amazing that an eighty year old film can still entertain and surprise a completely foreign audience, but some things about human beings are just universal and this film encompasses much that is universal in mankind.
Rating:
Summary: "There are spirits all around us..."
Review: This is the film that set the pace for German expressionistic films. Its dark, its creepy, its strange. Its Edward Gory meets Frankenstein. If you like Tim Burtons work, you will appreciate the skewed perspectives, the painted sets, and the Edward Scissorhads-esque "Somnambulist". In a world where nothing is as it seems and nightmares are reality, Robert Wiene takes you to the edge of sanity and hurls you off the ledge.
This is the digitally mastered version of the 1923 German re-issue of the 1919 original. I'd call it a black and white silent film, but it has been tinted in sepia, purple, and green at times supposedly to better reflect the original director's intent. This version also has a new score by Timothy Brock which fits the eerie film very well, in my opinion. Very avant-garde.
*As a bonus, this edition also has an excerpt of another Wiene film "Genuine" whish is supposedly about a vampire, but theres not enough footage to really tell you what its about- only teases you and leaves you wanting more.
Rating:
Summary: The classic German Expressionist horror film of 1919
Review: When we talk about the history of the "movies" it is "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" ("Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari") that has almost always represented the first prime example of the "cinema," where we treat films as art. This is the best example of German Expressionism with angular sets and exaggerated performances by the actors that represented the dementia of the title character. Werner Krauss is the mad doctor, who uses his somnambulist Ceasar (Conrad Veidt) from his carnival sideshow to do his evil deeds, with Lil Dagover is the damsel in distress. The film is framed by a rather clever plot device that turns the narrative upside down in the end, as a young man (Friedrich Feher) tells the story of Dr. Caligari's visit to the small German town of Holstenwall to an older one, as they sit together on a park bench. There is also a strong sense of how the film serves as a metaphor for the destruction of post-war Germany. Whatever the films shortcomings, the classic status of this 1919 film directed by Robert Wiene is assured by the striking art direction. The abstract, expressionists designs provide severely angled corners, crooked lines, and objects highlighted by decorative stripes. If "Then Battleship Potemkin" opens us up as students of cinema to the possibilities about montage, then "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" does the same for mise-en-scene. The film also establishes many of the conventions of the horror film (e.g., the mad scientist, beauty and the beast), although, surprisingly enough, the basic storyline has never been remade.
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