"The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" is an Expressionist Masterpiece

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is been considered by many as the exemplar of German Expressionism, a 1920's film movement that emphasized haunting atmosphere through stylized designs and macabre narratives. In terms of artistry the film still holds up surprisingly well. The movie is filmed on sets and stages designed with a jagged and angular look; created by designer Hermann Warm and painters Walter Reimann and Walter Rohrig. The sets stand out as unreal and make Caligari an unsettling and surreal film experience. Caligari uses a comatose sleepwalker, or somnambulist, Cesare, to do his bidding, killing off townspeople -- given a greater dose of paranoid unease by the film's twist ending which calls into question much of what we have seen. The look of the film feeds into the dark, psychological story and vice versa. What sets the film apart though is its atmosphere. No film quite looks or feels like Caligari. The unrealness is heightened and emphasized and it was this look that went on to influence countless movies from film noirs to later horror films. Few movies continue to seem so original and unique all these years since its release.

Grade: A