Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. (1920)

Calificación de los usuarios:

8.1/10   

Director:

Robert Wiene

Escritores:

Hans Janowitz (writer)
Carl Mayer (writer)

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

19 marzo 1921 (USA)

Género:

Horror | Suspenso

Frase comercial:

You must become Caligari.

Plot:

Dr. Caligari's somnambulist, Cesare, and his deadly predictions.

Plot Keywords:

Asylum | Somnambulist | Fair | Murder | Hypnotism

Comentarios de los usuarios:

Art = Film

Reparto

Werner Krauss	...	Dr. Caligari
Conrad Veidt	...	Cesare
Friedrich Feher	...	Francis (as Friedrich Fehér)
Lil Dagover	...	Jane Olsen
Hans Heinrich von Twardowski	...	Alan (as Hans Heinrich v. Twardowski)
Rudolf Lettinger	...	Dr. Olsen

También conocida como:

Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari (Alemania) (alternative spelling)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (USA)
El gabinete del Dr. Caligari (Spain) [es]
El gabinete del doctor Caligari (Spain) (alternative spelling) [es]

Duración:

71 min | France:78 min | Spain:50 min | USA:67 min | USA:51 min (video version)

País:

Alemania

Color:

Negro y Blanco (tinted)

Relación de Aspecto:

1.33 : 1

Sonido:

Silent

Clasificación:

Germany:18 (1920) | Finland:K-15 (new rating: 2001) | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Australia:PG | Germany:12 (bw) (1964, 1995) | Spain:7 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:U (video rating) (1993) | UK:A (original rating)

Locaciones de Filmación:

Lixie-Atelier, Weißensee, Berlin, Germany

Compañía:

Decla-Bioscop AG

Trivialidades:

In the May 12, 1921 edition of the Chicago Daily News, Carl Sandburg wrote of the film: "It is a healthy thing for Hollywood, Culver City, Universal City, and all other places where movie film is being produced, that this photoplay has come along at this time. It is sure to have healthy hunches and show new possibilities in style and method to our American Producers."

Errores:

Continuidad: There is an inconsistent positioning during the struggle on the bed between Cesare and Jane.

Citas:

[first lines]
Man in garden: Spirits surround us on every side... they have driven me from hearth and home, from wife and child.

Conexiones de Película:

Editado en People Who Die Mysteriously in Their Sleep (2004) (V)

Art = Film

Dr. Caligari presents the viewer with a frightening vision of the world through the lens of German Expressionism.

I cannot recommend this film highly enough. It's truly fascinating. And, it really (really) is an art film, since it purposefully and strikingly exhibits the new art of the German inter-war milieu. So, be prepared for an other-worldly excursion into the "total work of art," or Gesamtkunstwerk, of this monumental and influential film.

This film is best seen at night, alone, and with the modern soundtrack which is available on the fully restored version. If the DVD you're watching does not have (a) choice of two soundtracks (traditional music and much-scarier modern track), (b) tinted inter-titles set in a surrealistic (actually expressionistic) font, and (3) is fairly high quality, then send it back and get the restored version. The quality and completeness of silent films are a major factor in experiencing the art form as it was meant to be experienced. The modern sound track in Dr. Caligari makes the film much more accessible for modern audiences (the eerie effects in the modern track heighten the feel of the film for the modern viewer) - try both tracks, you'll see.

It's surprising how frightening and impactful this film can be. You will have dreams about it, I promise. These between-the-wars German films are riddled with creepy foreshadowing for us in the present, who know what was about to happen in Germany.

Anyway, I think the film is best viewed with NO NOTICE. You don't really want to know the plot (the meaning of the end of the film can be interpreted in radically different ways - keep that in mind when it happens). Only one note - artistically the German Expressionist movement is worth reading about after you see the film - you'll notice the theme of "death and the maiden" woven into this artwork. Also, this film is the direct ancestor of films like "Nightmare Before Christmas" and a lot more - you'll recognize the Expressionist look in many presentations in television and film.

WARNING - I would NOT show this film to children. It's very subtly and psychologically undermining - you'll be thinking and freaking about this thing for months to come - such a thing shouldn't be experienced by children - it's an adult, art film (no, not that kind) made for adults.