The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

A landmark of German expressionist cinema and arguably the first true horror movie, Robert Weine's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) was one of the most important films of its time, influencing a generation of filmmakers, including Fritz Lang. Werner Krauss stars as the tyrannical title figure, a carnival sideshow barker in cape and top hat who commands the sleeping Cesare (Conrad Veidt), the main attraction, to rise at night and do his bidding—turning Cesare into a literal sleepwalker who is both monster and victim. With his painterly sets of jutting beams, leaning walls, and heavy black lines, director Weine pulled audiences into an aggressively unreal world of theatrical artificiality, presented as a vision of madness and horror through images so vivid that they are still referenced today. Previous editions have suffered from damaged footage, missing frames, and inferior source material; but the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation undertook a comprehensive digital restoration, using the original camera negative as the primary source (earlier releases were struck from archival prints). The success of the two-year effort is visible in every frame here, restoring the work to its complete, uncut form and featuring unprecedented clarity, stability, and detail. Released on DVD and Blu-ray, extras include the retrospective documentary Caligari: How Horror Came to Cinema, an additional musical score (by Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky), and a booklet. Offering the definitive edition of a genre classic, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (S. Axmaker)