Owen’s Oldies: ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’

Marcus Falcão / THE GATEPOST

By Owen Glancy

Arts & Features Editor

“The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” has the distinction of being the oldest film covered in Owen’s Oldies yet. It is the first silent film I’ve covered and it was released all the way back in 1920. 

When this film was released, the world of cinema was at its most volatile. The major studios across the world hadn’t quite become as solidified as they would be in the 1930s, and the cinematic canon was still being established. 

It truly was the era of cinematic experimentation, when artistic movements had major impacts on the world of cinema. Of all these movements, the effects of German expressionism would become the most important, something “Caligari” displays perfectly. 

The warped architecture, the harsh shadows, and the macabre subject matter - all of these are staples of German expressionist paintings that found their way into the films of the 1920s. These are all very present in “Caligari,” the film that is often considered the most important German expressionist work. 

Every building is slanted, windows are anything but square, and characters cast harsh, angular shadows that dominate the space. This style of production design was not just incredible for the time, but it was, and still is, incredibly influential to many filmmakers. From the noirs of the 1940s and ’50s to the gothic horror films of the 1920s and ’30s, “Caligari’s” visual influence was immediately apparent. 

The film was not revolutionary for just its visuals though, as the story was also incredibly influential. It follows a man named Francis telling the story of his run-in with the mysterious Dr. Caligari, a traveling carnival man who shows off the somnambulist monster Cesare whilst secretly using him to murder his adversaries. However, Cesare falls in love with a woman, making Dr. Caligari’s plans go awry. 

Both the story-within-a-flashback and monster-falls-in-love-with-a-girl plot elements were by no means new when considering all of storytelling as a whole, but this was new for the realm of cinema. It influenced so many films that trying to name them all would be an impossible task. 

“Rashomon’s” flashback-centered storytelling, “King Kong’s” tale of beauty and beast, “Double Indemnity’s” dramatic shadows, and even “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves’” occasional scary imagery are directly inspired by “Caligari.” This film truly is the zenith of so many aspects of filmmaking that it’s truly staggering. There’s almost no movie made today that cannot in some way trace its existence back to “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.”

With its influence in mind, some would be quick to dismiss the film as “good for the time” but not worth watching now outside of its educational value. This assessment could not be more wrong. The film is still a creepy, atmospheric, and entrancing watch, even more than 100 years after its release. 

Every scene is filled to the brim with moody lighting and odd performances, transporting the viewer to the hazy realms of the protagonist’s memories. Dr. Caligari himself, played by Werner Krauss, is a hypnotic and memorable character brought to life in a way that feels incredibly ahead of its time. This is a performance that, while still having some of the silent-era acting quirks, feels incredibly modern in its nuances. 

The film is held together by its ending, a twist that stands amongst the greats for accomplishing two things - being shockingly ahead of its time and completely re-contextualizing the entire film. 

“The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” is a film that is as phenomenal to watch as it is influential on the world of cinema as a whole. It is style and substance blended in a way that’s both masterful and incredibly approachable. If you’re someone who’s never seen a silent film or a German film, “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” is an excellent place to start. 

This film is in the public domain, meaning you can stream it for free pretty much anywhere.