The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Restored Authorized Edition)

1. The Image edition has the original film-stock color tinting, an important creative device and a big part of what makes this such a beautiful film (especially for its time), this version does not.
2. The Image edition is beautifully transfered from a very nice print of the film, you can see everything as it was intended to be seen. I'm sure this is how the film looked when it was originally released. This edition is a terrible transfer from an already terrible print.
3. The Image edition has better music.
4. The Image edition has better intertitles.
5. The Image edition has an aditional audio commentary.

To sum it up, the Image edition isn't a piece of garbage, and it does this masterpiece justice. Don't waste your time with this edition. Sell your shoes if you can't afford the extra scratch, watching this DVD is painful. Trust me.

When Alan is, in fact, murdered during the night, Francis suspects that Caligari and Cesare were involved in making Cesare's "prediction" come true, and he goes to the police with his suspicions. Unfortunately, the police have arrested another man for Alan's murder, and they give Francis the brush-off. Undeterred, Francis follows Caligari in hopes of obtaining proof of his suspicions. When they ultimately wind up at an insane asylum, Francis is shocked to learn that Caligari is the director of the institution. But with the help of Francis, it is soon revealed that Caligari has himself gone mad, and the good Doctor is subsequently hospitalized in his own institution. Or is he?...

THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (1920; 1921 for the U.S. version) is one of the masterpieces of the silent era and, along with Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS (1927), is one of the best examples of German Expressionist cinema. Though the story is entertaining, the real genius lies not so much in the narrative as in the bizarre and surrealistic mise-en-scène. The sets do not reflect nature or reality but are instead highly stylized--using an expressionist form that reflects both cubist and fauvist influence--and are meant to project to the audience the psychological discordance of Caligari and other characters in the film. And the physical appearance of the characters, especially the principals, are also expressionistic exaggerations, making them more caricatures than characters and serving to heighten the sense of uneasiness and mental disharmony. So to put it succinctly, the film conveys its underlying theme of ubiquitous psychosis as much through visuals as through narrative--an especially good quality in the era of silent films--and this fact elevates it above mere entertainment to the summit of high art.

Any film student, cinema aficionado, or collector of old classics will definitely want to add this movie to their collections. But some contemporary viewers may find it difficult to appreciate THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI. Indeed, in this age of color "talkies," it is sometimes hard for even ardent film students and aficionados to catch all of the nuances in the narrative and visuals of a silent film, and sometimes two or more viewings may therefore be required. The wonderful collector's edition DVD from Image Entertainment offers a feature commentary by film historian Mike Budd, and a SECOND viewing with this commentary turned on will certainly help to clarify some of the more subtle aspects of this historical film. (For the first time through, don't watch the film with the commentary, as Mr. Budd does early on reveal some facts about the ending.)