Iconic German Expressionist Films
THE CABINET OF DR CALIGARI Director: Robert Weine Release Year: 1920 (Germany) Synopsis: The Cabinet of Dr Caligari is a story of Francis, who, with the help of flashbacks, recounts his terrifying experiences at a small German village, where he first encounters Dr Caligari, a man with the power to control people in their sleep. When Francis’s friend is mysteriously murdered and his fiancée is kidnapped, he pursues Dr Caligari to a mental asylum, in order to unravel the mystery surrounding these terrible events. The film in relation to German Expressionism : The Cabinet of Dr Caligari is a b&w silent horror film, that employs the formal qualities and stylistic techniques of German expressionism. The major themes portrayed in this film are madness, betrayal and the nature of authority as a vicious and domineering force. The contrast between insanity and sanity is depicted at the end when it is revealed that the entire story is being told by a mental inst...