The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is of the first in the series of German Expressionism films. It had a great impact on my understanding of how wide the scope of conceptual thinking at the time was and at the same time how exact a story of murder was shown. The back and forth of events in the movie, the mystery behind it, and the sudden realization that what we have been seeing was a confused memory of a madman are some great ways to develop the plot of a horror movie.

Carl Bennett in the "Silent Era Films" states that: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) is a tale of a mysterious showman who arrives in a small European town at the time of their annual fair. He intends to amaze the crowds with a genuine somnambulist who knows the past and sees the future. Outside of the sideshow, however, Caligari the showman has sinister plans.

Immediately a series of murders are committed in the town. Suspicion quickly falls on Caligari and his sleepwalker Cesare (Conrad Veidt). But a thief also becomes a suspect.

When Cesare cannot bring himself to murder the beautiful Jane, he kidnaps her, and is hunted by the angry people of the village. Caligari eventually flees the wrath of the mob, and is traced back to an insane asylum.

Werner Krauss’ Dr. Caligari is wonderfully played to archtypical levels, and Veidt delivers a stand-out performance as the somnambulist. Lil Dagover is gorgeous in her film debut as Jane, and Friedrich Fehér as Franzis is at times animatedly maniacal.

The simple but compelling story is augmented by the much-acclaimed expressionist set design that is full of angles and painted shafts of light and shadow. The angular settings and exaggerated makeup emphasize the bizarre world occupied by the mad Caligari. The film’s cramped, off-center and uneasy world is perfectly communicated to the viewer, and there can be no mistaking it: it is a mad world, but its denizens are not aware of it. Caligariremains a deliciously intriguing film, and one of world cinema’s required viewings. — Carl Bennett