Das Kabinett des Dr. Caligari (1920)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Dr. Caligari	Werner Krauss	½
Cesare	Conrad Veidt
Francis	Friedrich Feher	½
Jane	Lil Dagover	½
Alan	Hans Heinz von Twardowski	½
Dr. Olson	Rudolf Lettinger	½
A Criminal	Rudolf Klein-Rogge	½

Review

The hypnotic sets and ghoulish make-up in this classic suck you into an enticing universe of deceit and psychological mysticism, centered around an enigmatic doctor and his young somnambulist patient, ostensibly capable of supernatural things, whom the doctor shows off at a local fair. The film is notable for its groundbreaking visuals, mainly through the distorted, dreamlike stage sets. Das Kabinett des Dr. Caligari was not the first film in the German Expressionism movement to deploy these stylistics, but it was arguably the most distinct example of it, even drawing inspiration from cubism. And coupled with the eerie plot and acting (particularly Werner Krauss as the doctor), director Robert Wiene created what has later been dubbed the first proper horror movie, complete with the first ever twist ending on film. Das Kabinett des Dr. Caligari has stood the test of time quite well, despite not being as brilliantly directed and told as for instance the magnum opus of Weimar Expressionism, Fritz Lang's Metropolis.