History Film / TheCabinetOfDrCaligari

This movie is frequently homaged by music videos (see Music/RobZombie's "Living Dead Girl", Music/{{Rainbow}}'s "Can't Let You Go" and "Otherside" by the Music/RedHotChiliPeppers.) In 2005, it received an indie remake starring Creator/DougJones, of ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' fame, which digitally imposed the new actors onto the original set. (Perhaps not coincidentally, Creator/DougJones also had a small role in Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/BatmanReturns'', a movie that owes a ''lot'' to the German Expressionist style.)

* BedlamHouse: The asylum in which Francis is revealed to be an inmate at the end of the film is only slightly less surreal than the sets in the story he is telling his fellow inmate. (The cell in which Caligari is thrown at the end of Francis' story notably re-appears as the cell in which Francis himself is thrown when he attacks "Caligari.")

* CuckooNest: The film represents one of the most notable uses of this trope where the character being told his account of events is just a hallucination really ''is'' insane. None of Francis' version of events really happened (or at least not as he described them;) they were, instead, the literal ramblings of a madman.

* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Dr. Caligari is a subversion, since the character turns out to be a fairly harmless psychiatrist (maybe,) and Francis is perceiving him as a DiabolicalMastermind.

!!This movie provides examples of various tropes, [[spoiler:and subverts most of them by the end]]:

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

-> '''Alan''': ''How long shall I live?''\\

Silent [[GermanExpressionism expressionist]] horror film made in 1920 Germany, starring Werner Krauss as the titular mad doctor and Creator/ConradVeidt (the bad guy from ''Film/{{Casablanca}}...'' oh, and [[Literature/TheManWhoLaughs the original]] [[SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker Joker]]) as the fortune-telling sleepwalker Cesare [[ItIsPronouncedTroPay (pronounced "cheh-ZAR-ay")]], who lives inside the cabinet.

The film was intended to be an anti-authoritarian story, inspired by the military hospitals in World War I when [[ShellShockedVeteran "malingering"]] soldiers were confined under manipulative doctors, but ExecutiveMeddling ''strongly'' diluted this message. See the trivia section for details.

This film is best-known for its extremely messed-up set design: all the angles are crooked, the shadows are ''painted onto the sets'', and it's all made out of paper. More notably, some sets are twisted versions of World War I battlefields.

This movie is frequently homaged by music videos (see Music/RobZombie's "Living Dead Girl", Rainbow's "Can't Let You Go" and "Otherside" by the Music/RedHotChiliPeppers). In 2005, it received an indie remake starring Creator/DougJones, of ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' fame, which digitally imposed the new actors onto the original set. (Perhaps not coincidentally, Creator/DougJones also had a small role in Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/BatmanReturns'', a movie that owes a ''lot'' to the German Expressionist style.)

In addition to being the first psychological thriller, this movie also received one of the first-ever ViralMarketing campaigns for a movie: before its premiere, German streets were plastered with posters that read "Du mußt Caligari werden!" ("You must become Caligari!"), without telling you anything about the fact that they tied in to a movie.

''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' was tremendously influential in cinematic history, as all the {{Trope Maker|s}} examples below attest. It is in the public domain and may be viewed in its entirety at [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrg73BUxJLI YouTube]]. A rescored version with ProgressiveRock music by Creator/IsaacBaranoff and Music/FunnyAminals can be viewed [[http://blip.tv/horndogtv/the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari-rescored-by-funny-aminals-6672709 here]].

* BedlamHouse: The asylum in which Francis is revealed to be an inmate at the end of the film is only slightly less surreal than the sets in the story he is telling his fellow inmate. (The cell in which Caligari is thrown at the end of Francis' story notably re-appears as the cell in which Francis himself is thrown when he attacks "Caligari".)
* BigBad: Caligari is the BigBad of Francis's story, with Cesare as TheDragon, but it turns out that in reality the film has NoAntagonist.

* CuckooNest: The film represents one of the most notable uses of this trope where the character being told his account of events is just a hallucination really ''is'' insane. None of Francis' version of events really happened (or at least not as he described them); they were, instead, the literal ramblings of a madman.

* EvilOldFolks: Caligari - or at least, that's how Francis sees him.

* GermanExpressionism: [[TropeMakers The Trope Maker]], or at least, TropeCodifier.

* InsaneEqualsViolent: Averted in the final scene, where the majority of the inmates - Cesare included - are portrayed as harmless.

* TheKillerInMe: It's very subtly implied - through the LoveTriangle at the beginning, the ShadowDiscretionShot of Allan's murder, Allan's absence from the final scenes at the asylum, and the revelation that Francis is insane - that Allan's murder may have been the only true part of Francis' story, in which case, Francis himself was probably the killer.
* KubrickStare: The anonymous attempted murderer (played by an uncredited Rudolf Klein-Rogge, of ''Film/{{Metropolis}}'' fame) gives one from his cell.
* LooksLikeCesare: {{C|aptainObvious}}es[[TropeMakers are.]]

* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Dr. Caligari is a subversion, since the character turns out to be a fairly harmless psychiatrist (maybe), and Francis is perceiving him as a DiabolicalMastermind.

* RevengeByProxy: Caligari sets Cesare on Jane to get revenge on her father for meddling in his affairs.

* RoomFullOfCrazy: Or Scenery Full of Crazy--Dr. Caligari hallucinates the phrase "DU MUSST CALIGARI WERDEN" (YOU MUST BE CALIGARI) appearing all over the scenery once he gets the inspiration to mimic the legendary Dr. Caligari.

* ZombieGait: Cesare [[TropeMaker. makes yet another trope]].

-> '''Alan''': ''[[TemptingFate How long shall I live?]]''\\

Silent [[GermanExpressionism expressionist]] horror film made in 1920 Germany, starring Werner Krauss as the titular mad doctor and Creator/ConradVeidt (the bad guy from ''Film/{{Casablanca}}...'' oh, and [[Literature/TheManWhoLaughs the original]] [[SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker Joker]]) as the fortune-telling sleepwalker Cesare [[ItIsPronouncedTropay (pronounced "cheh-ZAR-ay")]], who lives inside the cabinet.

This movie is frequently homaged by music videos (see Music/RobZombie's "Living Dead Girl", Rainbow's "Can't Let You Go" and "Otherside" by the RedHotChiliPeppers). In 2005, it received an indie remake starring Creator/DougJones, of ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' fame, which digitally imposed the new actors onto the original set. (Perhaps not coincidentally, Creator/DougJones also had a small role in Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/BatmanReturns'', a movie that owes a ''lot'' to the German Expressionist style.)

''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' was tremendously influential in cinematic history, as all the TropeMaker examples below attest. It is in the public domain and may be viewed in its entirety at [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrg73BUxJLI YouTube]]. A rescored version with ProgressiveRock music by Creator/IsaacBaranoff and Music/FunnyAminals can be viewed [[http://blip.tv/horndogtv/the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari-rescored-by-funny-aminals-6672709 here]].

* CircusOfFear: Probably the TropeMaker. That is one creepy circus.

* DistressedDamsel: Cesare tries to kidnap Jane.

* KubrickStare: The anonymous attempted murderer (played by an uncredited Rudolf Klein-Rogge, of ''{{Metropolis}}'' fame) gives one from his cell.
* LooksLikeCesare: [[CaptainObvious Ces]][[TropeMaker are.]]

* TheReveal: Possibly another TropeMaker for film history.

* TheKillerInMe: It's very subtly implied - through the LoveTriangle at the beginning, the ShadowDiscretionShot of Allan's murder, Allan's absence from the final scenes at the asylum, and the revelation that Francis is insane - that Allan's murder may have been the only true part of Francis' story, in which case, Francis himself was probably the killer.
* TheyPlottedAPerfectlyGoodWaste: The sets. If they weren't so stylized, they would look cheap and unconvincing. Instead, their obvious artificiality just adds to the SurrealHorror of the film.

* TwistEnding: It's AllJustADream and [[TomatoInTheMirror Francis is crazy.]] Also, supposedly the TropeMaker for the film medium.

* ZombieGait: Cesare [[TropeMaker makes yet another trope.]]

The film was intended to deal with the dangers of hospitals in World War I when [[ShellShockedVeteran "malingering"]] soldiers were confined in hospitals under their manipulative doctors, but ExecutiveMeddling ''strongly'' diluted this message. See the trivia section for details.

The film was intended to deal with the dangers of hospitals in World War I when [[ShellShockedVeteran "malingering"]] soldiers were confined in hospitals under their manipulative doctors, but ExecutiveMeddling diluted this message. See below for details.

The film was intended to deal with the dangers of hospitals in World War I when "malingering" soldiers were confined in hospitals under their manipulative doctors, but ExecutiveMeddling diluted this message. See below for details.

!!This movie provides examples of various tropes, and subverts most of them by the end:

Silent [[GermanExpressionism expressionist]] horror film made in 1920 Germany, starring Werner Krauss as the titular mad doctor and Creator/ConradVeidt (the bad guy from ''Film/{{Casablanca}}...'' oh, and [[Film/TheManWhoLaughs the original]] [[SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker Joker]]) as the fortune-telling sleepwalker Cesare [[ItIsPronouncedTropay (pronounced "cheh-ZAR-ay")]], who lives inside the cabinet.

Silent [[GermanExpressionism expressionist]] horror film made in 1920 Germany, starring Werner Krauss as the titular mad doctor and ConradVeidt (the bad guy from ''Film/{{Casablanca}}...'' oh, and [[TheManWhoLaughs the original]] [[SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker Joker]]) as the fortune-telling sleepwalker Cesare [[ItIsPronouncedTropay (pronounced "cheh-ZAR-ay")]], who lives inside the cabinet.

* MurderTheHypotenuse: Alan's murder resolves the love triangle of which he is a part with Jane and Francis.

* ShadowDiscretionShot: The murder of Allan. Remember, we never actually ''see'' Cesare in that scene.

* GermanExpressionism: [[TropeMakers the Trope Maker]], or at least, TropeCodifier.

* RavenHairIvorySkin: Jane Olsen

* ExecutiveMeddling: The TwistEnding was originally the idea of a studio exec (sometimes credited as Fritz Lang himself), and it arguably makes the movie much more uncomfortable. Supposedly after screenings, a man would come out and reassure the audience that everything was going to be alright. WordOfGod stated that the film was supposed to represent what [[WorldWarOne people in power could force others to do against their will]], [[ShellShockedVeteran leaving them unresponsive shells]] who were a [[BrainwashedAndCrazy slave to the whims of those in power]]. Many historians view the changed ending as a sign that the audiences of the time weren't comfortable with the idea of questioning authority, even if that authority was corrupt and instigated them to do horrible things - a [[WorldWarTwo foreboding]] [[ThoseWackyNazis portent of]] [[JustFollowingOrders things to come]]. Instead, the twist makes the film about the realization of how little authority the individual has over their ''own'' actions and the dangers of blaming outsiders, which - although probably not what the studio intended, unless it really ''was'' Fritz Lang's idea (he would be all over this kind of message) - is also a pretty timely point to make in interwar Germany.

* ViralMarketing: One of the earliest examples, with posters reading "Du mußt Caligari werden!" ("You must become Caligari!"), with no explanation of who Caligari was or why the reader must become him, plastered all over German cities in the lead-up to the film's release.

The film was intended to deal with the dangers of hospitals in World War I when "malingering" soldiers were confined in hospitals under their manipulative doctors, but ExecutiveMeddling diluted this message.

* ExecutiveMeddling: The TwistEnding was originally the idea of a studio exec (sometimes credited as Fritz Lang himself), and it arguably makes the movie much more uncomfortable. Supposedly after screenings, a man would come out and reassure the audience that everything was going to be alright. The benevolence of the example is somewhat suspect, as WordOfGod stated that the film was supposed to represent what [[WorldWarOne people in power could force others to do against their will]], [[ShellShockedVeteran leaving them unresponsive shells]] who were a [[BrainwashedAndCrazy slave to the whims of those in power]]. Many historians view the changed ending as a sign that the audiences of the time weren't comfortable with the idea of questioning authority, even if that authority was corrupt and instigated them to do horrible things - a [[WorldWarTwo foreboding]] [[ThoseWackyNazis portent of]] [[JustFollowingOrders things to come]].

* {{Homage}}: It's received so many homages, it has become subject to the WeirdAlEffect.

* MindScrew: The ''sets'' are pure MindScrew. In fact, if you compare actual World War I photos to some scenes, you'll find that some of the movie scenes are twisted version of WWI battlefields.
* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Dr. Caligari is a subversion, since the character turns out to be a fairly harmless psychiatrist, and Francis is perceiving him as a DiabolicalMastermind.

This movie is frequently homaged by music videos (see Music/RobZombie's "Living Dead Girl", Rainbow's "Can't Let You Go" and "Otherside" by the RedHotChiliPeppers). In 2005, it received an indie remake starring Creator/DougJones, of ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' fame, which digitally imposed the new actors onto the original set. (Perhaps not coincidentally, Creator/DougJones also had a small role in TimBurton's ''Film/BatmanReturns'', a movie that owes a ''lot'' to the German Expressionist style.)

* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Cesare,Francis and Jane.

The film deals with the dangers of hospitals in World War I when "malingering" soldiers were confined in hospitals under their manipulative doctors. Within a larger context, it also deconstructs the self-justifying narratives that were beginning to take hold in Germany and eventually led to the rise of Nazism.

* TheKillerInMe: It's very subtly implied that Francis is the real killer.

* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Dr. Caligari. Actually a deconstruction of this trope, since the character turns out to be a fairly harmless psychiatrist, and Francis is perceiving him as a DiabolicalMastermind.

* TheyPlottedAPerfectlyGoodWaste: The sets don't look real at all. This is because they're not.

* ExecutiveMeddling: [[TropesAreNotBad A semi-benevolent example.]] The TwistEnding was originally the idea of a studio exec (sometimes credited as Fritz Lang himself), and it makes the movie ''much'' more interesting and uncomfortable. Apparently after screenings, a man would come out and ''reassure the audience'' that everything was going to be alright. The benevolence of the example is somewhat suspect, as WordOfGod stated that the film was supposed to represent what [[WorldWarOne people in power could force others to do against their will]], [[ShellShockedVeteran leaving them unresponsive shells]] who were a [[BrainwashedAndCrazy slave to the whims of those in power]]. Many historians view the changed ending as a sign that the audiences of the time weren't comfortable with the idea of questioning authority, even if that authority was corrupt and instigated them to do horrible things - a [[WorldWarTwo foreboding]] [[ThoseWackyNazis portent of]] [[JustFollowingOrders things to come]]. Instead, the twist makes the film about the realization of how little authority the individual has over their own actions and the dangers of blaming outsiders, which is also a pretty timely point to make in interwar Germany.

* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Cesare and Francis.

* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Cesare and Francis

* LooksLikeCesare: [[CaptainObvious Ces]][[TropeMaker are]]

* SacrificialLamb: Allan, murdered by Cesare to kick the plot into gear

* {{Sleepwalking}}: Cesare is a somnambulist

* ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight: Cesare sneaks into people's windows and stabs them in the middle of the night

''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' was tremendously influential in cinematic history, as all the TropeMaker examples below attest. It is in the public domain and may be viewed in its entirety at [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrg73BUxJLI YouTube]].

Silent [[GermanExpressionism expressionism]] horror film made in 1920 Germany, starring Werner Krauss as the titular mad doctor and ConradVeidt (the bad guy from ''Film/{{Casablanca}}...'' oh, and [[TheManWhoLaughs the original]] [[SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker Joker]]) as the fortune-telling sleepwalker Cesare [[ItIsPronouncedTropay (pronounced "cheh-ZAR-ay")]], who lives inside the cabinet.

%% * BrainwashedAndCrazy: Cesare
%% * CircusOfFear: probably the TropeMaker

%% * DistressedDamsel: Jane, when Cesare attempts to kidnap her.
%% * EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Cesare and Francis
%% * EmpathicEnvironment

%% * MadnessMontage: Surely the Trope Maker.
%% * MadScientist: Caligari.

%% * {{Roofhopping}}: Cesare

%% * SacrificialLamb: Alan

%% * {{Sleepwalking}}
%% * SurrealHorror

%% * ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight: Cesare

%% * ZombieGait: Cesare [[TropeMaker makes yet another trope.]]

* {{Sleepwalking}}
* SurrealHorror

* ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight: Cesare

* ZombieGait: Cesare [[TropeMaker makes yet another trope.]]

''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' was tremendously influential in cinematic history, as all the TropeMaker examples below attest. It is in the public domain and may be viewed in its entirety at [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrg73BUxJLI&feature=fvw YouTube]].

* AllJustADream

* BedlamHouse
* {{Bizarrchitecture}}: Good ''lord''. It borders on AlienGeometries.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Cesare
* CircusOfFear: probably the TropeMaker
* CuckooNest
* DistressedDamsel: Jane, when Cesare attempts to kidnap her.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Cesare and Francis
* EmpathicEnvironment

* GermanExpressionism: [[TropeMakers the Trope Maker]], or at least, TropeCodifier
* {{Homage}}: it's received countless, which eventually caused the WeirdAlEffect

* MadnessMontage: Surely the Trope Maker.
* MadScientist: Caligari.

* MurderTheHypotenuse

* OnlySaneMan: Oh, no you're not.

* {{Roofhopping}}: Cesare

* SacrificialLamb: Alan

* TouchOfTheMonster: The PietaPlagiarism on the cover is the first in film

* UnreliableNarrator
* ViralMarketing

* ZombieGait: Cesare [[TropeMaker makes yet another trope]]

This movie is frequently homaged by music videos (see Music/RobZombie's "Living Dead Girl" as well as "Otherside" of the RedHotChiliPeppers). In 2005, it received an indie remake starring Creator/DougJones, of ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' fame, which digitally imposed the new actors onto the original set. (Perhaps not coincidentally, Creator/DougJones also had a small role in TimBurton's ''Film/BatmanReturns'', a movie that owes a ''lot'' to the German Expressionist style.)