The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1921)

A milestone of the silent film era and one of the first "art films" to gain international acclaim, this eerie German classic from 1919 remains the most prominent example of German expressionism in the emerging art of the cinema. Stylistically, the look of the film's painted sets--distorted perspectives, sharp angles, twisted architecture--was designed to reflect (or express) the splintered psychology of its title character, a sinister figure who uses a lanky somnambulist (Conrad Veidt) as a circus attraction. But when Caligari and his sleepwalker are suspected of murder, their novelty act is surrounded by more supernatural implications. With its mad-doctor scenario, striking visuals, and a haunting, zombie-like character at its center, Caligari was one of the first horror films to reach an international audience, sending shock waves through artistic circles and serving as a strong influence on the classic horror films of the 1920s, '30s, and beyond. It's a museum piece today, of interest more for its historical importance, but Caligari still casts a considerable spell. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Caligari is a Masterpiece!

Made at the height of the German Expressionist movement, Caligari is a true classic and a magnificent gem. As a silent film fanatic, this film is on par with other greats such as Nosferatu and the REAL Phantom Of The Opera with Lon Chaney. Kino has done a great restoration job on this piece and I highly recommend this version over many other low-budget restorations I've seen over the years. May 3, 2008

Image or Kino?

I'd like to add my two cent's worth here. Not going in to the film itself, I just want to discuss the 2 main versions out there, the Image "Special Collector's Edition" disc from about 10 years ago and the new Kino "Restored Authorized Edition". I watched both side to side (2 TVs & 2 DVD players)

Despite some raves about the Kino version (which I can't really understand), the Image version wins hands down. Kino, which normally puts out a superior product whatever movie they are releasing, I believe really dropped the ball with this one. For one, they went totally overboard with tinting...most scenes now appear to be a deep, dark blue, and the black areas have a weird, mottled, speckley, "wavy" look, like TV reception that isn't quite coming in. Granted, this is mostly only really bad during the first reel, in the opening garden scene, improving slightly as the film goes on, but it's still annoying.

The Image disc, by comparision, is brightly lit, scenes being either a "regular" grey like you see on the usual b/w silent film, or an amberish tint that still shows up fine. The entire Kino version just seems too dark & murky. The intertitles of both are in that funky, abstract font, but each has slightly different wording for the same scenes (and I don't know which is actually more accurate to the original, but both convey basically the same information). For example, one may say "Listen while I tell you a story" while the other says "I will now tell you a story" (I made both those up, but it was to get the idea across!). However, the intertitles on the Kino version are, again, much darker than the Image disc. Also, the Image print in general just seems much sharper & clearer than the Kino, and the musical score is much better & more fitting. Kino gives you a choice of 2 musical scorings & both are atrocious and do not seem to fit the "mood" of the story.

On the other hand, Kino does have more extras, particularly a much longer segment of GENUINE: THE TALE OF A VAMPIRE (43 minutes) while Image gives you about a 3-minute snippet. Also, and most important, that annoying horizontal line that cuts across the top of certain scenes on nearly every version out there (including the one shown on TCM) has been removed on the Kino disc. Long considered to be a flaw in the original film, it's most likely a goof in the converting process somewhere, and this shows that we DO have the technology to remove it, which we did not have back when the Image disc was made. Quite frankly, this was the ONLY main advantage I could find in the Kino print, and it does not make up for a blue, murky, dark movie. I'd much rather have a clean, crisp, clear, brightly lit film & deal with the line (it's not in every scene in the movie, just certain ones anyway).

I guess the best of both worlds would be if Image put out a new version, using it's same print but removing the line as Kino did. THAT would really be the "Ultimate Edition" in my opinion. February 29, 2008

Distorted Reality

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is famous for being a prime example of German Expressionism, a strange artistic movement in the 1920s that emphasized mood more than story. This film is filled with strange angular sets, heavy reliance on shadow, and a psychological theme. It is a film enthusiast's delight, especially if said enthusiast believes in the artistic content of silent films.

Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss) is a spider-like man who creeps around on his cane peddling his great find. Cesare (Conrad Veidt) is a Somnambulist, a man in a hypnotic state who tells the future. He also has murderous tendencies, or so we learn when several people in the town are killed late at night. Everything is not as it seems, however, and the twist ending will leave you breathless.

The default music on the Kino DVD might put off traditional silent film fans. It relies heavily on guitar, which makes the suspenseful scenes even moreso and adds to the strangeness of the film, but it might be unfavorably jarring. Thankfully there is an alternative score. February 3, 2008

This is the first time I've ever recommended an Alpha Video release over a Kino Restoration

Five minutes into the Kino restoration of "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," I had to stop the movie. Having spent years with the cheap Alpha Video release, I was amazed to see that the quality of this Kino restoration was actually WORSE than the Alpha video release. Just to be sure, I put in the Alpha Video release, and then the Kino release again, comparing them shot-by-shot.

There is absolutely no doubt that the Alpha Video version is MUCH clearer. While it lacks the original color tinting that the Kino version offers, there are no blurs, dark spots, or contrast issues when viewing the Alpha version. The picture is entirely clear.

The Kino release seems to sacrifice everything else for the sake of providing a cut that contains the original color tinting, but the picture is far worse. Additionally, the Kino release contains just as many jumps and scratches as (if not more than) The Alpha Video release. And, while the Alpha soundtrack doesn't always match the action of the film, the modernized brass ensemble soundtrack on the Kino restoration just feels wholly inappropriate.

In short, I see absolutely no reason to spend more for the Kino restoration of this film. I own both the expensive Kino release and the cheap Alpha Video release, and I'll be watching my Alpha copy from now on. Besides, Kino just made their "Restored Authorized Edition" of Nosferatu obsolete last month by creating an Ultimate edition that is far cleaner and contains the original score. Considering the popularity of Dr. Caligari, I'm sure an Ultimate edition is on the way for this film, as well. Don't waste your money on this edition. December 21, 2007

Specifics for the Alpha Release

For the price I paid through Amazon Marketplace, I really can't complain. The film is of very poor quality (scratchy, dark in spots, and twice the picture looked as a VHS tape might when the picture "warped") but watchable. I didn't need a pristine print; just one that was watchable and this one was sufficient. My only major complaint is that the information on Amazon's product page (obviously taken from the information on the box) is that the DVD's running time is 82 minutes. In actuality, it is 66 minutes. So are 16 minutes missing from this print? Did I get the entire film? October 22, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...