The Cabinet of Dr. Calagari 1920 Robert Weine

directed by Robert Weine
Germany 1920

Undoubtedly one of the most exciting and inspired horror movies ever made. The story is a classic sampling of expressionist paranoia about a hypnotist who uses a somnambulist to do his murders, full of the gloom and fear that prevailed in Germany as it emerged from WWI. There are plenty of extremely boring sociological/critical accounts of the film; best to avoid them and enjoy the film's extraordinary use of painted light and Veidt's marvellous performance. Incidentally, the influence of Caligari on the cinema is much more problematic than some historians suppose. Thematically it has rarely been copied, and the style only really infiltrated in dream sequences and other odd devices.

Excerpt from TimeOut Film Guide located HERE

Posters ( Click far right to enlarge )

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DVD Comparison:

Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Kino - Region 0 - NTSC

All captures courtesy of Pavel Borodin

(Image Entertainment R0 - NTSC Left vs. Kino International R0- NTSC - Right)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Image Entertainment Region 0 - NTSC	Kino International Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:11:36	1:14:18
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.21 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.80 NTSC 704x480 24 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Image
Bitrate: Kino
Audio	(Dolby Digital 2.0) - Music only	(Dolby Digital 2.0) - Music only
Subtitles	English Intertitles - no "subs" - DOES NOT SCROLL!	English Intertitles - no "subs" - SCROLLS!
Features	Release Information: Studio: Image Entertainment Theatrical Release Date: March 19, 1921 Aspect Ratio: Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1 Discographic Information: DVD Encoding: All Regions Layers: Single Edition Details: Special Feature: Musical scores by Timothy Brock Audio Essay by Mike Budd Photos, advertising and art A 3-Minute excerpt from Robert Wiene's "Genuine: Tale of a Vampire" (1920) DVD Release Date: August 14, 2002 Snapper Case	Release Information: Studio: Kino International Theatrical Release Date: March 19, 1921 Aspect Ratio: Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1 Edition Details: Two musical scores: by Donald Sosin and by Rainer Viertblöck A 43-Minute Condensation of Robert Wiene's "Genuine: Tale of a Vampire" (1920) Behind-the-Scenes Footage of Robert Wiene on the set of "I.N.R.I." (1923) Excerpt with original Germany intertitles Gallery of more than 40 photos, posters and production sketches DVD Release Date: September 24, 2002 Keep Case

Comments:

The first part (about 5 minutes) of Kino version has looks pretty poor. But overall it is sharper, has better contrast and is less cropped. On the Image Entertainment version "some scenes" display a translucent line near the top of the frame. This is a defect carried over from original film copy." This line is not present on Kino version.

The extras on Kino version are also better with a condensation of Wiene's Genuine: the Tale of a Vampire, Behind the Scenes promo footage of Wiene directing I.N.R.I., two musical scores, gallery of photos and artwork, samples of original German intertitles.. It also has animated menus.

- Gary W. Tooze

Associated Reading (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)


Metropolis (Bfi Film Classics, 54) by Thomas Elsaesser	Movie Posters of the Silent Film Era To Color by Rex Schneider, Christopher Buchman	American Film Cycles: The Silent Era (Bibliographies and Indexes in the Performing Arts) by Larry Langman	Family Secrets: The Feature Films of D. W. Griffith by Michael Allen	The First Female Stars : Women of the Silent Era by David W. Menefee	Silent Players: A Biographical and Autobiographical Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses by Anthony Slide	The Silent Cinema Reader by Lee Grieveson, Peter Kramer	Silent Stars Speak: Interviews With Twelve Cinema Pioneers by Tony Villecco	Haunted Screen Expressionism in the German Cinema by Lotte Eisner