The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

I chose this one purely because it was short, and I had a time constraint that evening. But it still fits for Transcontinental Tuesday.

Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari can be said to be the first true horror film. Made before the original Nosferatu, it is also a German silent film. I appreciate silent films, but I often do not like them very much. I did like this one though. I enjoyed the scenery, the set was very well made and gave the whole film a strange mood, which was perfect. The lines and shapes the set created reminded me a lot of Burton, maybe he was inspired by it? The overall story was interesting and the characters looked pretty neat. Especially the Somnambulist, Cesare. The lighting of the film was all good, and designed in a way to set the time of the story - an orangish filter for day and blue for night. Shadow play was also really nice in it.

I enjoyed watching it, especially since it is a little piece of film history, but I wouldn't say that I loved it. Good but not great in my opinion. However, it is worth the 71 minutes or so to give it a watch. Maybe it is because it is getting closer to Halloween, and Joey is getting into the spirit, but this is the fourth film he has watched with me - unusual for him it is since he is not a big horror or Halloween fan.

My rating:

Joey's rating: