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Technically any good? The story follows the events in a small European village after Dr. Caligari and his cabinet arrives. He charges people to see "Cesare the Somnambulist" who spends his entire life sleeping in Caligari's cabinet to be woken only by the doctor, himself. But when people in the village start dying, who is to blame?
One of the most characteristic things about this movie is how they didn't try to do anything with lighting--instead, they literally paint the shadows onto the sets. The effect is that the actors literally pop off the screen and the sets look creepy and surreal.
The acting in this 1920 silent film is perfectly reasonable for the time period, though if you've never seen a silent before you may have trouble accepting their behavior. The story is wonderful and invented a premise that would be used often in the scifi and horror genres over the following century. So far, I'm not sick of the premise yet.
How did it leave me feeling? Creeped-out, as always. I've seen this movie a bunch of times (most recently projected with live music and SFX--the best way to see it!) and it never fails to entertain me. I also see new things I've missed before with each viewing.
Final Rating? GSN - Go See Now - if you can find it on the big screen, that's the best way to really appreciate it, but really it's good on small screens, too.
Orignal From: CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (1920)
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