The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) - Review

5/5

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a psychological horror that makes viewers question their sanity. Its surreal visuals and production design create a dreamlike setting that keeps us on edge. These visuals have become the films defining characteristic over the century and have influenced countless filmmakers up through the modern era. The story was another highlight for me. It also created a lot of horror tropes like a monster committing murders under the influence of someone. The final twist of the story was another brilliant inclusion. This stunning revelation made me reexamine the last hour I spent with the story. Caligari's performances are unique and work well within this nightmarish world. Caligari himself (Werner Krauss) is incredibly expressive and plays the doctor as a campy villain throughout the murder narrative. In another film, this could have been a terrible performance choice, but given the already surreal and fantastical setting of the story, these choices only enhance the eerie experience. Conrad Veidt's performance as the sleepwalker Cesare also makes incredible performance choices. He uses his lanky body masterfully as he slinks through this crooked world and stands imposingly over his victims. His face remains stoic for most of the film, which makes the moments he emotes and strains more impactful. While Nosferatu, which was released two years later, pushed the medium forward in the field of shot design, Dr. Caligari uses primarily static and locked-down cameras that lack a lot of the same incredible composition. At first, this seems like a failing, but the static positioning allows you to take in more of the sets and gives the actors more freedom/space for their performances. Although, the one shot I particularly enjoyed felt very similar to Nosferatu in its design. The shot I am referring to showed the murder of the second victim on the bedroom wall with a shadow. I still prefer Nosferatu's shot design in its entirety, but most of Caligari's framing works well when in context. My one and only complaint is a minor one that feels like a nitpick with a film that is so old, but I thought some characters were incredibly overexposed. There are times when certain characters are pure light. Now, film and cinematography, as art forms, were still very much in their infancy, so this criticism from me, a modern viewer, is ultimately inconsequential. In summation, this hypnotic film made its mark in horror film history and redefined the art styles and settings of cinematic stories. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a film about delusions and dreams, set the imaginations and artistry of filmmakers free.