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About this movie

Genres:
Horror, Classics, Mystery & Suspense
Language:
English
Running time:
1:11:43
Partner rating:
YELLOWV
Released:

Cast & Crew

Cast

  1. Werner Krauss Dr. Caligari
  2. Conrad Veidt Cesare
  3. Friedrich Feher Francis
  4. Lil Dagover Jane
  5. Hans Heinrich von Twardowski Alan
  6. Rudolf Lettinger Dr. Olson
  7. Rudolf Klein-Rogge A Criminal
  8. Henri Peters-Arnolds
  9. Ludwig Rex
  10. Elsa Wagner

Directors

  1. Robert Wiene

Producers

  1. Rudolf Meinert
  2. Erich Pommer

Writers

  1. Hans Janowitz
  2. Carl Mayer

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari

In one of the most influential films of the silent era, Werner Krauss plays the title character, a sinister hypnotist who travels the carnival circuit displaying a somnambulist named Cesare (Conrad Veidt). In one tiny German town, a series of murders coincides with Caligari's visit. When the best friend of hero Francis (Friedrich Feher) is killed, the deed seems to be the outgrowth of a romantic rivalry over the hand of the lovely Jane (Lil Dagover). Francis suspects Caligari, but he is ignored by the police. Investigating on his own, Francis seemingly discovers that Caligari has been ordering the somnambulist to commit the murders, but the story eventually takes a more surprising direction. Caligari's Expressionist style ultimately led to the dark shadows and sharp angles of the film noir urban crime dramas of the 1940s, many of which were directed by such German émigrés as Billy Wilder and Robert Siodmak.

Reviews by Rotten Tomatoes

Scored 'fresh' by Rotten Tomatoes

100%Tomatometer score: 100% positive reviews from professional critics.

percent positive reviews

  1. Positive review
    Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times A case can be made that Caligari was the first true horror film. Full review External link
  2. Positive review
    Catherine Bray, Film4 Pre-dating even early genre landmarks Nosferatu (1922) and Metropolis (1926) by some distance, Robert Wiene's silent film is both influential and one of a kind. Full review External link
  3. Positive review
    Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader This is more than just a textbook classic; the narrative frame creates ambiguities that hold certain elements of the story in disturbing suspension. A one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Full review External link
  4. Positive review
    Variety Staff, Variety Robert Wiene has made perfect use of settings designed by Hermann Warm, Walter Reimann and Walter Roehrig, settings that squeeze and turn and adjust the eye and through the eye the mentality. Full review External link

Read more reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

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