The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1919) Directed by Robert Weine | VIDEO (ISO)

In the year 1783, a mystic called Dr. Caligari, wandered through the cities of northern Italy with a somnambulist named Cesare, performing at fairs. And for months he kept one city after another in panic, with murders that always occurred under the same circumstances, in which he led the sleepwalker, who was under his complete control, to carry out his adventurous plans. By placing a doll in Cesare's place, when he was not in his coffin, Dr. Caligari managed to eliminate any suspicion of the sleepwalker's guilt.” This is the short preface that begins the film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Das Kabinett von Dr. Caligari, ALE, 1919), one of the greatest horror classics. Directed by Robert Wiene, this masterpiece of silent cinema forms, alongside Nosferatu (1922) and Faust (1926), the “holy trinity” of German expressionist horror cinema; and embody what is darkest and most expressive in cinematic art. These are films that belong to the tradition of post-war pessimism, as they were made during one of the most troubled phases of German history: the end of the First World War (1914-1918). And as such, they turn towards a negative horizon, where the dominance of the shadow is almost absolute. In The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (the film that gave rise to German cinematic expressionism), the contrast of light and shadow is terrifying when analyzed in its essence. It was the film that established the general standards for expressionism, using and abusing the play of light and shadow, unforeseen angles, fast and rectilinear movements, tortuous and disfigured scenarios, all wrapped in a supernatural atmosphere that surprises the unsuspecting to this day. Due to these and other elements, which Wiene knew how to explore to exhaustion, this film is considered the first masterpiece of horror cinema.

The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920)
Original : Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari
Directed : Robert Wiene
Country : Germany