The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, or I Never Want to be a Somnambulist

Some of the best horror I have seen comes from the Silent Film era. The German expressionist movement produced amazing work, and Hitchcock made some great silent films as well. More about him later....for now, I'll concentrate on the 1920 German expressionist horror, 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.'

This is another film that I like to watch multiple times a year. The first thing that I love about this is the sets. Everything is set at odd angles, shadows are painted on directly on the backdrops, and some of the furniture is exaggerated. For instance, the clerk's chair in the magistrate's office is quite tall, with very small footholds where the clerk climbs down to address Dr. Caligari. While he sits in the chair, it and the angle of the table force him to hunch over the documents awaiting him. No wonder he snaps at Dr. Caligari when he attempts to apply for a permit to showcase the Somnambulist....

The story follows an account given by the main character, Francis, and a distracted old man. Francis doesn't look well himself. As a woman approaches, a haunting figure in white with a blank expression on her face, he tells his elderly friend that she is his fiancé. He then proceeds with the story of how she came to be this way.

There is a love triangle between Jane, the fiancé, Francis, and his friend, Alan. There is no jealous behavior, and the men are great friends. A carnival comes to town, and Francis and Alan decide it would be fun to attend. This is where they see the great Dr. Caligari, portrayed by Werner Krauss, and the Somnambulist, played by Conrad Veidt. The acting by these two men is phenomenal. Veidt's first appearance of the Somnambulist produced the same effect on me as the iconic image of Nosferatu ascending the staircase--nightmares. Sometimes the best scares are created by shadow play or simple expressions. It's just the shot of the Somnambulist opening his eyes, staring at the camera. Dr. Caligari has his own scare factor as well, with his disturbing glares and all around strange appearance, but Veidt lends a quality to his character that is a bit more eerie. He's very adept at this--just watch him in 'The Man Who Laughs.' I'm planning on covering this one in a later post.

The full movie is available on YouTube, and I have embedded it here for you if you care to watch it.