The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari [1919]:
Decla Film-Gesellschaft/Berlin, Germany. Directed by Robert WieneStory. Screenplay by Carl Meyer and Hans Janowitz. Design by Hermann Warm, Walter Reimann, and Walter Rohrig. Starring Werner Krauss and Contrad Veidt

"The most cherished film of German Expressionism The Cabinet of Dr Caligari amazes both with the psychological ramifications of the story and with its grotesquely beautiful visuals. As a horror film it stands side by side with Dreyer's Vampyr and Murnau's Nosferatu as the most astounding examples of the genre. Its roots lie in the aftermath of WWI and the tormented world of the German national consciousness at that time. The film conveys through its story and aesthetics a world of chaos and disorder where the individual existence is overshadowed by fear of its own past experience and the hostile powers embodied within the establishment." Review by Spiros Gangas Taken from EUFS Programme 1993-94

Plot Summary: "Caligari's story tells of a series of murders committed in a small German town, coinciding with the arrival of Dr Caligari (Werner Krauss) at the local fair. Caligari's cabinet contains the sonambulist Cesare (Conrad Veidt), who can apparently predict the future. Two friends, Alan and Francis, and their mutual beloved Jane (Lil Dagover) visit the fair, and Alan has Cesare predict his future. He is told he will die that night. Sure enough, during the night he is murdered. Suspicion naturally falls on Caligari and his sleepwalking henchman...and in order to keep the element of suspense, you'll have to attend the showing to experience the dramatic conclusion that is the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.