Directed by Robert Wiene
Written by Carl Meyer and Hans Janowitz
1920/Germany
Decla-Bioscop AG
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/YouTube
Francis: You fools, this man is plotting our doom! We die at dawn! He is Caligari!
I had forgotten how groundbreaking this film is.
Two young friends are in love with the same woman. A carnival comes to town. One of the main attractions is Dr. Caligari and his somnambulant slave Cesare (Conrad Viedt), who can predict the future when wakened by the good doctor. Cesare tells one of the friends he will not live to see the next dawn.
Cesare’s prediction comes true. The surviving friend spends the rest of the story trying to get the goods on Caligari. But things are not as they seem …
This has the distinct expressionist style of the German Weimar films and was one of the first horror films. I really like the theatrical sets and the stylized acting.
According to The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, the three best movies ever made is Dr. Caligari, Face-off and Paddington 2..
At least they are right on the first of the movies.
I’ll have to take their word for it since I haven’t seen the other two!
This is such a great movie, and formative for the way we see films. Anything that pulls that ending is referring to this.
Totally agree. Love this era of German cinema.
This is such a great movie! I’ve seen it a bunch of times over the years. One time, my 12-year-old nephew walked by while I was watching it, and he actually sat down and watched it! Usually he makes a face for any movie made before 1995 except for Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.
I enjoyed it thoroughly once again. Have you tried Nosferatu out on your nephew?
He ended up watching Safety Last and the silent version of The Unholy Three.