The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (Das Cabinet des Dr Caligari) - 1920 - Robert Wiene

I have seen many, many strange films in my time. But of all of them, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari is by far the strangest. And yet at the same time, it makes perfect sense.

Everything about the film is dream-like and disorientated. As soon as Francis begins to narrate the story, the scenery turns into what is only a mess to the eye, where buildings bend and twist, are at impossible angles, and are exaggerated; small buildings look too small to live in and large buildings tower above the rest, pathways are either dead straight or ludicrously bendy, bridges look impossible to walk over, the kind of thing you can only imagine. You can only admire the effort put into making the backdrop.

It is difficult to give a 'short summary' of the film; too much goes on, and too much revealed information may leave spoilers. But I shall say: The story is of a travelling fair that comes to a mountain village, where one of the attractions is 'The Cabinet of Dr Caligari' - which features a somnambulist (a sleepwalker), who can answer any question posed to him. Alan, Francis' friend, bravely asks when he will die. The answer shocks the audience - he will not live to see tomorrow.

It must be remarked at how cleverly the film has been made. One scene features a murder - no prizes for guessing who the victim is - which is exceedingly brutal, yet we see not a thing. What we see, instead, is the shadows of the murder taking place - but it is so explicit, if short, that it still shocks modern audiences. That's the beauty of German expressionism.

Also my admiration for Conrad Veidt, who plays Cesare the somnambulist, went up considerably after watching this film. His part may be limited, but he plays it very well, and stretches his part to make the most of it, and show the world what he can do. It is like in The Man who Laughs, where, although the part only requires him to smile all the time he is on screen, he conveys so many forms of emotion, that I would be very surprised if any other actor can perform to, or better than, his standard of acting ability.

In short - this film is an excellent example of German expressionism at its best. Furthermore, it is an extremely notable part of history, as it is the first film to include a 'twist in the tale' - and a clever and intriguing one it is.