The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

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Director: Robert Wiene

Writer: Carl Mayer and Hans Janowitz

Stars: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski, Rudolf Lettinger



A man (Friedrich Feher) tells the story of a mad psychiatrist (Werner Krauss) and the somnambulist (Conrad Veidt) that he commands to commit murders for him.

 


A seminal work in the history of cinema, this is generally credited as the first horror film.

 


Its slanted, angular set designs are the real star, distinctive enough to set the tone for horror movies and thrillers right up until the present day. 



It cannot have the same impact for modern audiences that it must have had at the time of its release, but it remains a satisfying experience, both for its engaging story and as an important artifact from the history of film. 



Decades later, Veidt would play Major Strasser in “Casablanca.”


Spoiler alert!!! The end of the movie!!































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