IMDb RATING
8.0/10
71K
YOUR RATING
Hypnotist Dr. Caligari uses a somnambulist, Cesare, to commit murders.Hypnotist Dr. Caligari uses a somnambulist, Cesare, to commit murders.Hypnotist Dr. Caligari uses a somnambulist, Cesare, to commit murders.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 1 nomination
Friedrich Feher
- Franzis
- (as Friedrich Fehér)
Hans Heinrich von Twardowski
- Alan
- (as Hans Heinz v. Twardowski)
Rudolf Lettinger
- Dr. Olsen
- (as Rudolph Lettinger)
Rudolf Klein-Rogge
- Ein Verbrecher
- (uncredited)
- …
Hans Lanser-Ludolff
- Ein Alter Mann
- (uncredited)
- …
Henri Peters-Arnolds
- Ein Junger Arzt
- (uncredited)
- …
Ludwig Rex
- Ein Mörder
- (uncredited)
- …
Elsa Wagner
- Die Wirtin
- (uncredited)
- …
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWriter Hans Janowitz claims to have gotten the idea for the film when he was at a carnival one day. He saw a strange man lurking in the shadows. The next day he heard that a girl was brutally murdered there. He went to the funeral and saw the same man lurking around. He had no proof that the strange man was the murderer, but he fleshed the whole idea out into his film.
- GoofsIn the wide shot, the sign at the asylum reads "Insane Asylum," in English. In the close-up, the sign is written in German (Kino Blu-ray Disc version, may not be present in all editions of the film).
- Alternate versionsUSA laserdisc reissue restores the original hand-drawn title cards that have been missing from every known print of the film since 1923. When first released on video in the United States, film was in black-and-white, and played back many scenes at double speed and featured different music. Although no scenes were cut out, the running time was reduced to only 51 minutes. The restored version restores the colour-tinting, restores the original title cards, and plays the film back at regular speed, returning the film to its original 69-minute running time.
- ConnectionsEdited into People Who Die Mysteriously in Their Sleep (2004)
Featured review
A Masterpiece of German Expressionism
Made in 1919, "The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari" was literally years ahead of its time and remains a triumphant accomplishment in the genre of German Expressionism. Remembered mainly for its stunning sets, which featured crooked buildings and twisted landscapes, "Cabinet" also boasts one of the first attempts at a twist ending, something quite new and shocking for its time.
Told mainly from the point of view of Francis, a young man who lives in the small village of Holstenwall, Germany, "Cabinet" tells the tale of murder and madness which seems to accompany the arrival of a carnival. Francis and his best friend Alan go to the carnival and are presented with the sideshow attraction Cesare the Somnambulist, a gaunt and hideous young man who spends his life sleeping in a coffin-like cabinet and seems able to predict the future when awake. Cesare (played by a young Conrad Veidt, who later went on to play the evil Nazi general in Casablanca) informs Alan that he will soon die, and indeed, Alan is found murdered the next morning. Suspicion turns to the eerie somnambulist and his strange keeper, a man called Caligari. As Francis desperately tries to solve the mystery and find his friends killer, it seems that the beautiful young Jane, beloved by both Alan and Francis, has been targeted as the next victim.
This is a genuinely creepy film which delves deep into the mysteries of the abnormal mind...an uncomfortable journey to say the least. Everyone is suspect and, in the end, we must ask ourselves: "who is really the mad one here?"
Subtle and ingenious, we see the world the way an insane person might see it; warped and confused, a nightmarish terrain where nothing makes sense and balance is not to be found.
The impact of this film is still being felt and seen today, and for good reason. It is a shocking, disturbing masterpiece. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Told mainly from the point of view of Francis, a young man who lives in the small village of Holstenwall, Germany, "Cabinet" tells the tale of murder and madness which seems to accompany the arrival of a carnival. Francis and his best friend Alan go to the carnival and are presented with the sideshow attraction Cesare the Somnambulist, a gaunt and hideous young man who spends his life sleeping in a coffin-like cabinet and seems able to predict the future when awake. Cesare (played by a young Conrad Veidt, who later went on to play the evil Nazi general in Casablanca) informs Alan that he will soon die, and indeed, Alan is found murdered the next morning. Suspicion turns to the eerie somnambulist and his strange keeper, a man called Caligari. As Francis desperately tries to solve the mystery and find his friends killer, it seems that the beautiful young Jane, beloved by both Alan and Francis, has been targeted as the next victim.
This is a genuinely creepy film which delves deep into the mysteries of the abnormal mind...an uncomfortable journey to say the least. Everyone is suspect and, in the end, we must ask ourselves: "who is really the mad one here?"
Subtle and ingenious, we see the world the way an insane person might see it; warped and confused, a nightmarish terrain where nothing makes sense and balance is not to be found.
The impact of this film is still being felt and seen today, and for good reason. It is a shocking, disturbing masterpiece. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
helpful•17718
- Gafke
- Mar 31, 2004
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Кабінет доктора Каліґарі
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $18,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $8,811
- Gross worldwide
- $9,297
- Runtime1 hour 7 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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By what name was The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) officially released in India in English?
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