"The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" is a very interesting film. It is very unique in both its story and style. The film is about a man named Dr. Caligari who sets up a booth at a carnival where he will show off his new attraction, a somnambulist named Cesare. Cesare has been asleep for his whole life, and thus has special abilities, such as the ability to predict the future. At the show, he predicts that a man will only survive until dawn. Surely enough, the man is murdered that night. The victim's best friend then begins to suspect that the somnambulist, and Caligari himself, may be involved with the murder.
The film is very unique in its art direction. The buildings are shaped in such a way that they would be physically impossible to exist in the real world. This gives the film a dreamlike quality. The film is not shooting to feel realistic, but instead to feel surrealistic. Objects have strange corners and are tilted at strange angles throughout the film. Once you understand this, it is easier to just go along for the ride.
While today's films don't take so many of the surrealistic cues from this film, there are other artistic qualities that are still used today. One example of this is in the film's use of shadows. Many of the most frightening and violent moments are shown by the characters' shadows instead of the characters themselves. This is often used as a way to cover up graphic violence, but in this film it is exclusively for artistic purposes.
On a personal level, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. Once I got used to the strange art direction, it was a very dark and entertaining film that serves as a precursor to today's Tim Burton films. The cinematography is very creepy and, along with the art direction, helps the viewer to feel unsettled by the events that are occurring. Though it is a silent film, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" is very entertaining and has much influence on modern horror.
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