In this silent, classic example of early German expressionism, this cinematic landmark relates the stylized tale of a Dr. Caligari, a fairground showman who hypnotizes an innocent villager--turning him into a sleepwalking "zombie"--and compels him to carry out fiendish murders. Inarguably a landmark in world cinema, Robert Weine's one-of-a-kind thriller features fantastical, heavily stylized sets, antirealist acting, and evocative subjective camerawork.

A silent film.

Producer Erich Pommer originally hired Fritz Lang to direct, but when Lang's busy schedule kept him from working on the film he was replaced by Robert Wiene. Pommer is responsible for writing the film's famous surprise ending.

The film's production cost is estimated at under $20,000.

Excerpt: "See the sleepwalker, floating down the street, ripped from some nightmare! A street of misshapen houses with brooding windows, streaked by dagger strokes of light and darkened by blots of shadow! You will immediately feel the terror in the movements of that floating grotesque!" -- from the American advertising campaign for "Caligari".

DVD Features:

Region 1
Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.33
Additional Release Material:
Behind the Scenes
Shorts: GENUINE: THE TALE OF A VAMPIRE
Alternate Audio Tracks:
1. Original Score by Donald Sosin
2. Contemporary Score by Rainer Viertblock
Interactive Features:
Scene Access
Interactive Menus
Text/Photo Galleries:
Stills/Photos
Production Art
Poster Art

Conrad Veidt: Actor, director, producer
Werner Krauss: German Film/Stage Actor

Robert Wiene: Director/Actor/Screenwriter

"...One of the first -- and still one of the greatest -- psychological horror movies..."
"...This is an impressive color-tinted rendering of the German silent classic..."
"...[An] eerie classic..."
"...Exhibit A for the whole German Expressionist movement....A classic." -- Rating: A