Starring Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski
Directed by Robert Wiene
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A young man tells the story of his encounters with the mysterious Dr. Caligari and the somnambulist he exhibited at a local fair, and how a series of murders took place after their debut.
A landmark film in German cinema, Wiene's production is best known for its painted backgrounds and unorthodox sets, featuring weird angles and curves and skewed shapes, creating a strange world for the characters to inhabit. The true meaning of all of this becomes clear at the film's ending, but Wiene and crew establish a unique mood through their art direction and Willy Hameister's photography on the way there. Krauss, as Caligari, and Veidt, as the somnambulist Cesare, are the standout performers, with visual personas that have become iconic- Krauss with his ridged glasses and stovepipe top hat, and Veidt, clad all in black, with heavy-lidded eyes. It's a credit to all involved that the actors become believable inhabitants, visually and narratively, fitting in naturally with the sets and backgrounds. This is one of silent cinema's treasures, worth revisiting often.
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