Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss) keeps a somnambulists named Cesare (Conrad Veidt) in a cabinet as part of a sideshow. At night he order Cesare to go out and kill his enemies. Will he be caught?
The plot is not the main focus here. What is are the sets which are brilliant. They're all crooked buildings and things you would see in your nightmares and not in real life. This is an example of what was called German Expressionism. The settings keep you off balance constantly throughout the film. Even better is Veidt who's downright terrifying as Cesare. He was a very handsome man but here he looks terrible and frightening. There's also excellent direction and a twist at the end while somewhat predictable today was probably shocking back in 1920. Also this is reportedly the first full length horror film ever made. Only about 60 minutes and well worth seeing.
The plot is not the main focus here. What is are the sets which are brilliant. They're all crooked buildings and things you would see in your nightmares and not in real life. This is an example of what was called German Expressionism. The settings keep you off balance constantly throughout the film. Even better is Veidt who's downright terrifying as Cesare. He was a very handsome man but here he looks terrible and frightening. There's also excellent direction and a twist at the end while somewhat predictable today was probably shocking back in 1920. Also this is reportedly the first full length horror film ever made. Only about 60 minutes and well worth seeing.