Quick Movie Reviews
Rating of
4/4
Logan D. McCoy - wrote on 06/25/2019
Decades before the world would know the name Tim Burton, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" would be the pioneer of bizarre.
Rating of
3/4
sapien - wrote on 11/20/2012
I got a little lost in Act 5 due all the reading of cursive writing the watcher must do (it is, afterall, a silent movie!). But, the last act was pretty good.
Rating of
3/4
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/25/2012
Although the version I saw didn't have the best music or title cards, the film itself was very good. Horror has its roots here with the set design and makeup being very distinct. Plus, this may be the first example of a twist ending. All-around, a must see for anyone interested in early film and early horror.
Rating of
2.5/4
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 01/13/2012
Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss) and his faithful sleepwalking Cesare (Conrad Veidt) have committed murders. Francis (Friedrich Fehér), and his friend Alan (Hans Heinrich von Twardowski) visits a carnival where they witness Caligari. Caligari kidnaps Jane (Lil Dagover). The score was wonderful and make-up ahead of its time. It was the this film that influenced Edward Scissorhands (in which Caligari was used for Edward's physical appearance), Shutter Island and The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari could have been, if not the first, to introduce the horror genre with a nice twist in the end if only the method of its story telling would have been better.
Rating of
3/4
mitchellyoung - wrote on 08/11/2011
Despite its age, this film is still deeply disturbing with its angular set design and creepy makeup. The horror stems more from the psychological elements of the plot, also, making it that much more effective.
Rating of
3/4
CJP - wrote on 10/20/2008
Action: 3/3 + Comedy: 0/2 + Good vs Evil: 1/1 + Love/Sex: 1/1 + Special Effects: 1/1 + Plot: 1/1 + Music: 1/1 = 8/10 or 80%. This German silent film was so ground breaking and shocking that it ran successfully in theaters for 7 years (1919-1926) and is considered by many to be the first horror film. It has a twist ending along with the traumatic play on psychological ethics that enable it to remian inspirational and a reference to countless modern horror pieces. A number of dubbed versions exist, as well as a computer generated remake by director David Lee Fisher, which all should avoid at any cost- stick to the original silent!
