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The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

Started by Chedney Honks, October 18, 2021, 05:23:53 PM

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Chedney Honks



Hot on the heels of the marvellous Vampyr, I decided to watch another classic silent horror and this time a masterpiece of German Expressionism, Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari.

Without spoiling too much, given the number of surprises and ambiguities in the film, it's the story of circus sideshow performer who compels a somnambulist to commit murder on his behalf. More broadly, it's a film about madness and - apparently - the German desire for a tyrant, which was quite prophetic.



Most striking is the set design and the weird oblique lines and painted shadows. I love the skewed perspectives and high contrasts. It's so artificial, like a construct, which it may be. The doors and windows and trees are particularly full of personality.

The eponymous Dr Caligari is excellent, as is Cesare, the somnambulist, played by the legendary Conrad Veidt. They stand out beyond every other performer perhaps because they match the Expressionist style of the film so much better, where everyone else else seems a little sombre and muted. They're all wild eyes and severe make up.



For a movie that's over one hundred years old, it's amazing how much the story and characters resonate and how atmospheric it looks despite being little more than painted boards and curtains. I also love the six-act structure and the pacing. It's pretty much bang on twelve minutes per act with memorable scenes and shots packed into each one. The bookends are also great and I wanted to watch the film again immediately to see how the outcome changes the experience and expectations.

It's a brilliant film and at only 70-odd minutes, there's no caveat about pacing or having to get in the mood. Right off the bat, it's gripping and eye-catching and it never lets up. Very warmly recommended.


Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth


Quote from: Chedney Honks on October 18, 2021, 05:23:53 PM
Without spoiling too much, given the number of surprises and ambiguities in the film, it's the story of circus sideshow performer who compels a somnambulist to commit murder on his behalf. More broadly, it's a film about madness and - apparently - the German desire for a tyrant, which was quite prophetic.

I'd like to watch the documentary about Siegfried Kracauer's theories of Weimar cinema: From Caligari to Hitler international Trailer

Chedney Honks

That's on the Eureka Blu-ray as an extra but not seen it yet. I will do, though, the topic is fascinating. This period of German cinema is remarkable.

Keebleman

It has some claim to being the first 'art-house' hit.  It was championed and discussed by the cognoscenti the world over, and one Parisian cinema ran it for five years straight apparently.

I saw it in a cinema a few years ago.  Given that it is usually classed as a horror movie, I was surprised by its rather playful tone.

Twit 2


Chedney Honks

Quote from: Twit 2 on October 18, 2021, 09:02:48 PM
City Girl next!

Sunrise, The Man Who Laughs and Hands of Orlac first, but I'll get there.

Twit 2


bgmnts

I think I've heard Nic Cage say all his mental faces are a homage to these german expressionist films so for that I am eternally grateful.

phantom_power

There is a colourised version with sound on Amazon Prime. If the original version is good then this one must be amazing

dissolute ocelot

Quote from: phantom_power on October 22, 2021, 10:29:17 AM
There is a colourised version with sound on Amazon Prime. If the original version is good then this one must be amazing
I noticed that, and then noticed it was colourised, newly soundtracked, and significantly shorter than usual. There are lots of other versions of the film on YouTube and Archive.org, with intertitles in various languages, but I'm not sure which is best.

Chedney Honks

I had assumed that post was a joke but I respect you're a good person.

I did a bit of research beforehand and found that the Eureka MoC Blu-ray is the best one available. I was well impressed, one of the best silents I've seen.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Das-Cabinet-des-Dr-Caligari-Blu-ray/105454/#Review


phantom_power

It isn't a joke in that it exists. It is a joke in me thinking it must be better. I probably didn't need to spell that out. That whole colourisation trend didn't last long did it

Chedney Honks

No worries, I totally got the gag.

I've seen it on there but not actually looked as a comparison. It's a shame Eureka don't tend to offer anything on the streaming services. The Masters of Cinema line is consistently brilliant.

McChesney Duntz

The colorization is more of an overall tint - like black and white with a wash of color over it. It's not too distracting.

Chedney Honks

Sorry, yeah, tinting was just a thing. I thought he meant colorisation like making full colour versions of B/W footage.

phantom_power

I didn't realise it was just a tint. I thought it had been colourised like that awful version of Night of the Living Dead

NoSleep


Zetetic

Took my partner to see it outside on Museum Island, with an orchestra and a discussion of how the experiences of the First World War and the human remains of it fed into the subject of the film and Expressionism.

I remember very little of anything, but I remember bits of that. Led her to M and Mabusa and so on.

dissolute ocelot

Quote from: phantom_power on October 22, 2021, 07:45:36 PM
I didn't realise it was just a tint. I thought it had been colourised like that awful version of Night of the Living Dead
The short clip I saw of the modernised Caligari on Amazon looked very garish with absurd comic-book titles and intertitles and weird optical effects, but most of that appears to actually be from the original film. So I'm not sure if it's unfair to diss it now. There's a couple of slightly wobbly versions on archive.org; I'd hope the DVD releases don't look like they were made with a hand-held camcorder.

NoSleep

Looks like there was a 4K restoration in 2014 (already mentioned upthread):

https://archive.org/details/turner_video_5

Small Man Big Horse

I watched this today and was extremely impressed, visually it's just stunning throughout, and packed with strange and odd details, I'm sure I missed a good few of them and it's a rare film that I'd like to watch again due to that.