The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Madness simply oozes from the Cabinet. Dark distorted images (the sets seem to have fallen out of a brain afflicted with a persecution complex and a twisted perception of reality) in the most classic sense. The incidental music is extraordinarily suggestive. A jazzy bizarreness combined with various sounds and complemented by a symphony orchestra. Incredibly intense. (06/12/2011)

This is one of the few officially respected films that has earned its position. If I had to name one film that is synonymous with all the perfection a film can evoke in a person, all the answers to the questions of why to continue to engage with and be inspired by film, it is The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Of course, the perceptive viewer must then become Caligari himself. (16/03/2012)

Expressionism speaking not only with the proverbially exalted facial expressions and accentuation of the eyes, but above all with delirically twisted and uncertain scenery. Is the story of a mad doctor just a fool's dream? Is that reality? An extremely impressive work that, thanks to its unique visuality (and the resulting atmosphere), does not lose its qualities. Film as art. Art as a film. (28/01/2004)

Doctor Caligari's cabinet inscribes itself into the subconscious mainly with its images, individual shots, and the play of light and shadows, which can still evoke a sense of horrifying, unexpected, terrible, and insane even in today's time. Expressionism, which oozes from the environment at every step, then points out how intertwined the visual arts were with the cinema of that time. (20/01/2014)

A fantastic film that only becomes fantastic at the end, when everything makes sense, including the wonderfully warped sets. The restored extended version is a treat, and it's certainly not the last time I'll see it – on the contrary, I think it's only when I see the film a second time that I'll see it in all its glory. (24/02/2020)