The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Rating:
Summary: A Creepy Classic
Review: Long recognized for its style in bizarre expressionism, THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI is an excellent example of creepy chills in the silent cinema. Newly tinted, with a solid musical score and informative film commentary, this DVD version is a must have for any film student....or even if you want to curl up by the fire and thrill to this tale of the sinister sleepwalker and the mad doctor......or is he mad? Find out for yourself. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: You may be interested in knowing...
Review: I agree with many of the comments by previous reviewers. The film is something of a museum piece, but continues to fascinate largely due to its strange, painted sets and other visual elements. Those interested in this film, either as an important work of German cinema, or as a curiousity, may like to know the rest of Caligari's story...

The original screenwriters wrote a story of an insane doctor controlling a sleepwalker and using him to do his evil bidding. This could be considered a warning to the Germans not to "sleepwalk" into the control of an evil Caligari-like dictator. But then, the film was turned over to another German filmmaker who added a "framing story" that places the story of mad Caligari as a fantasy in the head of a patient in an asylum. Intentional or not, this frame reverses the meaning of the film. Instead of a warning against following authoritarian leaders blindly, the finished film positions Caligari as a compassionate doctor who can cure the patient now that the meaning of his insanity has been revealed.

A curious bit of film trivia, given where the world was heading.

Rating:
Summary: Who else can see Anthony Hopkins as Caligari?
Review: This is basically the author of the horror films. The first horror film was actually done by Thomas Edison; it was a movie short of Frankenstein.

Anyway, This movie is one of the greatest treasures in the history of film as well as of course the world of the horror films. This is an eerie film that sticks to your mind and you cannot easily forget. It is a must for cinema fans.

It has not only been called as the first horror film, but it is the first zombie film. Its plot is an original one that has been modeled after since its release in '26.

First offered to Fritz Lang, he declined it to shoot Der Mud Tod (Destiny, another great). One of the lead actors in this, Conrad Veite (the zombie), was listed down as one of the replacements for Dracula after Lon Chaney died.

There is so much history to this: one of the great German films beside that of Metropolis.

P.S.: I gave it a four only because of the poor D.V.D. transfer: they show a bar on the top of the screen in several frames throughout the film. I understand they did this because they would have had to crop out part of the movie if they didn't. Especially in parts where they show dialogue over the set, I agree with this method. But for fans of the film who would like to see it over and over, it is a bummer.

Rating:
Summary: an awesome film thats inspired entire genres
Review: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari...what can i say? this is just an awesome film...all the characters are very creepy, even the good guys, the plot is extremely twisted, and its just awesome...everyone knows of the twisted angles and contortions of the sets, and i thought that would be one of the things that would most catch my attention when i first saw it...but i think it was the odd look all the characters had that i really liked...Cesare the tall, gaunt, gothic spectacle, Jane, the beautiful girl in a confused world, Caligari, the insane Doctor with looks to match, and even the more straight-characters...but the best thing is the complete twist ending...id like to talk about that in this review, but then id spoil the movie, so if you want to see what im talking about, go see for yourself, its that simple! All i gotta say is dont let the initial plot through you off

Rating:
Summary: German Expressionism At Its Best
Review: I had the great fortune of seeing this film at an arthouse revival two-years ago; it was the first time I saw it. Needless to say I was extremely impressed. I'm considering purchasing the dvd version now available. Do any of you recommend it?

Rating:
Summary: If Nothing Else
Review: besides the total love I habve for this movie I think it is a wonderful thing that the film has taken on a life of it's own in the Music video genre. Whether they are shameless rip-offs or tributes it seems that the directors of the Smashing Pumpikins videa for "33" and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers' clip for "The Other Side" both have undoubtable simularities to the classic movie. It is good that at least in some way this movie still reaches an audience whether they know it or not.

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: Stylish, Artistic, Creepy, the Grandfather of Twist Endings!
Review: This silent film from 1921 has got such an eerie and ominous feel to it that it's almost physical. Slowly crawling into the viewers minds are the haunting images of acid-trippy set design, the furtive, meaningful glances of Dr. Caligari, and many, many dark things implied. Much of the story is pushed along not through the visual spectrum but by what the viewer is forced to conjure as happening. When the screen proclaims there have been murders, the viewer sees them in bright, bloody detail. They hear the screams, feel the stabs, and know the maddness of the killer. Keep in mind this is a silent film! The bizarre set design, flawless performances, and the final scene with its seriously twisted ending make this essential viewing for any film connosieur, especially those of you that stray toward the genre of horror. Come and take a look inside The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari!

Rating:
Summary: This is a fantastic work of art!
Review: This is an incredible film! For many years I was under the impression that silent films were all jerky, funny looking and boring. Then I saw Fritz Lang's Metropolis and all that changed. I was introduced to the world of the German Impressionist film...and this is the Granddaddy of them all. A great transfer of the film to start helps in viewing. A lot of the problems with the old silent films are that the light levels keep fluctuating. But when a company takes the time and expense to clean up and restore a film the results are wonderful. The film is color tinted. (Not colored ...it's like the siepa opening to the Wizard of Oz kind of thing) to make the contrast level pop. The tiles are very cool to look at, as they were recreations of the originals used. The commentary track is extra interesting to point out the wonderful bits that can be over looked by the average Joe. (Like the reasons some sets have angles and some have curves, The light patterns following the footpaths..etc..) A wonderful piece of filmmaking is a must for all film buffs to see the origins of a bunch of toady's more artistic shots in cinema.

Rating:
Summary: New Restoration of The Cabinet of Doctor Caligary
Review: David Shepard's new restoration of The Cabinet of DoctorCaligari (Kino Video Release) contains additional footage--notpresented in this VHS version--as well as original art deco intertitles & a better translation. Unlike the Kino/Shepard "cut", this version of Caligari is, as Robert Keppler puts it, incomplete, "poorly translated, & taken from negatives that were shot from inferior angles, thus cutting out a lot of important details in the picture itself.