The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

Original 1921 Movie Poster

Directed by Robert Weine 

Released 1920 (US Release 1921)

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is still shown in film appreciation classes like the one I am writing this blog for because it has made a lasting impression on the film industry. The film was directed in 1920 Berlin, during the peak of the German Expressionist movement, and is considered one of the most successful horror films of the silent film era.

These streets would terrify me, even if there wasn't a
mysterious string of recent murders...

Due to lack of funding in a poor, post-World-War Germany, the film used almost entirely canvas backdrops for sets. These sets were painted in the Expressionist style, with jagged lines, abstract buildings, and menacing shadow effects. True to expressionist art, these scenes were meant to alter perspective in such a way that the audience felt particular emotions; in this case, suspense and fear.

In a similar vein, the costumes and actions of the actors were meant to set the audiences emotions. Today we would consider these costumes stereotypical for a horror film, but that is only because pioneering films such as this one paved the way. Cesare the somnambulist (sleep-walker) is portrayed always in all black, with very pale skin and huge dark bags under his eyes. These features are very similar to modern day zombies and undead. Similarly, Dr. Caligari is shown with unkempt hair, glasses, and frequently a wild grin. These features are today synonymous with the archetype of a mad scientist or doctor in movies.

Cesare the somnambulist - the creepiest looking guy in early cinema

Though the Doctor comes in at a close second

Perhaps even more important than the aesthetic contributions of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari are the storytelling devices used. The movie makes large use of narrative frame, and is one of the first movies to use it in such big way. The narrative frame is set up by telling nearly the entire story through flashbacks. Once the protagonist Francis is identified, the rest of the story is told through his eyes, making all of the relationships with other characters his own. The brilliance with this technique is that by presenting Francis as an unreliable narrator, the entire story is cast into a level of doubt, which adds to the overall mystery and unease in the film.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is also credited as the first film to have a twist ending.

******************** SPOILER ALERT ******************** 

The following paragraphs reveal plot twists of both this film and the 2010 film Shutter Island, read on at your own risk!

At the climax of Francis' flashbacks, Dr. Caligari is confronted in the insane asylum and his own madness is shown as he learns of the death of Cesare. The final scene of the flashback shows Francs triumphant as the doctor is put in a straight jacket and locked away in his own facility.

The writer of Shutter Island claims to have never seen
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, but the stories are nearly identical

However, it is at this point that the flashback ends, and the garden Francis and his friend are in is actually the courtyard of the insane asylum where Francis himself is a patient. All of the characters in the film are actually other inmates, and "Dr. Caligari" is truly the asylum's director.

Here we are nearly a century later, and a nearly identical story was used in the 2010 film Shutter Island (a detective investigating a missing patient at an insane asylum turns out to be the missing patient). Sound familiar? The Cabient of Dr. Caligari set a precedent for the fundamentals of a great psychological horror film. It has left a lasting legacy of the film industry, and will continued to be shown in film study courses world-wide when discussing pioneering films of the silent era.