THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (1920) – Episode 198 – Decades of Horror: The Classic Era

“I must know everything. I must penetrate the heart of his secret! I must become Caligari!” Du musst Caligari werden! Oops! Got carried away. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Chad Hunt, Jeff Mohr, and guest Eli Mohr – as they take in this silent classic fueled by German expressionism, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920).

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 198 – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

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ANNOUNCEMENT
Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL
Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era!
Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website.
Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.
https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

Synopsis: Hypnotist Dr. Caligari uses a somnambulist, Cesare, to commit murders.

• Directed by: Robert Wiene
• Writiten by: Carl Mayer and Hans Janowitz
• Produced by: Rudolf Meinert (uncredited), Erich Pommer (uncredited)
• Cinematography by: Willy Hameister (photography)
• Production Design by: Walter Reimann, Walter Röhrig, Hermann Warm
• Set Decoration by: Hermann Warm (uncredited)
• Costume Design by: Walter Reimann (uncredited)
• Selected Cast:
  • Werner Krauss as Dr. Caligari
  • Conrad Veidt as Cesare
  • Friedrich Feher as Franzis (as Friedrich Fehér)
  • Lil Dagover as Jane Olsen
  • Hans Heinrich von Twardowski as Alan (as Hans Heinz v. Twardowski)
  • Rudolf Lettinger as Dr. Olsen (as Rudolph Lettinger)
  • Rudolf Klein-Rogge as Ein Verbrecher / A Criminal (uncredited)
  • Hans Lanser-Ludolff as Ein Alter Mann / An Old Man (uncredited)
  • Henri Peters-Arnolds as Ein Junger Arzt / A Young Doctor (uncredited)
  • Ludwig Rex as Ein Mörder / A Murderer (uncredited)
  • Elsa Wagner as Die Wirtin / The Landlady (uncredited)

Special guest Eli Mohr picked The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) for the Classic Era Grue Crew to discuss this episode. They first tackled this landmark silent horror film almost eight years ago in episode 13, although only two of those crewmembers remain. It’s high time the OG crew members, now with eight years more experience, revisit the film with the added benefit of the fresh viewpoints from the “newer” half of the crew. This ultimate example of German expressionism again wows the Grew Crew, old and new alike. The acting, the visuals, and the heartbreaking story intrigue and fascinate right to the very end. There’s so much to talk about. You must become Caligari! Du musst Caligari werden!

At the time of this writing, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) is available to stream from Kanopy, Hoopla, JustWatchTV, Shudder, Screambox, and PPV. It is also available on physical media as 4K UHD-formatted and standard Blu-ray-formatted discs from Kino Classics.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Next in their very flexible schedule – this one chosen by Chad – is Night of the Big Heat (1967). Terence Fisher directs Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Patrick Allen, Jane Merrow, & Sarah Lawson. They’re on an island. It’s hot, really hot. Everyone sweats. A lot! Then it rains. Don’t worry. We’ll find plenty to discuss.

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To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!”