8.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.8 |
Francis recalls in his memory the horrible experiences he and his fiancée Jane recently went through. Francis and his friend Alan visit The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, an exhibit where the mysterious doctor shows the somnambulist Cesare, and awakens him for some moments from his death-like sleep. When Alan asks Cesare about his future, Cesare answers that he will die before dawn. The next morning Alan is found dead. Francis suspects Cesare of being the murderer, and starts spying on him and Dr. Caligari. The following night Cesare is going to stab Jane in her bed, but softens when he sees the beautiful woman, and instead of committing another murder, he abducts her. Francis pursues the fleeing Dr. Caligari, and sees him disappear into a madhouse, where he is sure he will find the truth behind all these mysterious events...
Starring: Conrad Veidt, Werner Krauss, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover, Hans Heinrich von TwardowskiForeign | 100% |
Horror | 50% |
Psychological thriller | 20% |
Surreal | 17% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
Robert Wiene's "Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari" a.k.a. "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (1920) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Classics. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the recent 4K restoration of the film; Rudiger Suchsland's documentary film "Caligari: How Horror Came to the Cinema"; alternate score by Paul D. Miller a.k.a. DJ Spooky; restoration demonstrations; and image gallery. The release also arrives with a leaflet featuring film historian Kristin Thompson's essay "Expression of Horror". With German intertitles and optional English subtitles. Region-A "locked".
The somnambulist
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Robert Wiene's Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Classics.
The following text precedes the film's opening credits:
"The 4K restoration was undertaken by Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung in Wiesbaden from the original camera negative held at the Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv in Berlin. The first reel of the camera negative is missing and was completed from different prints. Jump cuts and missing frames in 67 shots were completed by different prints. A German distribution print is not existing. Basis for the colors were two nitrate prints from Latin America, which represent the earliest surviving prints They are today at at the Filmmuseum Dusseldorf and the Cineteca di Bologna. The intertitles were resumed from the flashtitles in the camera negative and a 16mm print from 1935 from the the Deutsche Kinemathek-Museum fur Film und Fernsehen in Berlin. The digital image restoration was carried out by L'immagine Ritrovata - Film Conservation and Restoration in Bologna."
As the quoted text above confirms, the release uses as a foundation the same excellent 4K restoration which British distributors Eureka Entertainment accessed when they prepared their Blu-ray release of this iconic German film. Excluding a minor discrepancy in the brightness settings -- the high-definition transfer Eureka Entertainment used appears slightly darker -- detail and clarity are every bit as impressive as they are on the Region-B release. Image stability is very good, though in areas of the film where frames are missing the occasional skips are easy to spot. Regardless, having seen the film on DVD multiple times, I can confirm that the stabilization enhancements are indeed quite remarkable. There are no traces of digital anomalies to report in this review. Finally, the encoding is very good. All in all, this is a magnificent restoration of Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari, and I am absolutely convinced that it will remain the definitive presentation of the film on the home video market. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release (see below). Also included are optional English subtitles for the intertitles.
1. Original score by the University of Music, Freiburg: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. (Also used on Eureka Entertainment's release).
2. Alternate score by Paul D. Miller a.k.a. DJ Spooky: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.
The two lossless tracks are outstanding. The first score is quite moody and fits the film's atmosphere very well. There are various string solos which occasionally create the impression that one is listening to a newly discovered dark chamber piece composed by Alban Berg. The pure and intentionally flat brass solos are equally effective. (On the Region-B release this score is also offered in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1).
DJ Spooky's new score is equally atmospheric but has a distinctively modern edge. It blends a variety of ambient electronic sounds, sound effects, and occasionally very beautiful soft vocals.
The new 4K restoration of Robert Wiene's Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari is one of the very best that I have seen done for a silent film. The film has literally been given a new life and there is no doubt in my mind that an entirely new generation of film lovers will rediscover it. Kino's upcoming Blu-ray release features Rudiger Suchsland's outstanding documentary "Caligari: How Horror Came to the Cinema" as well as a very good exclusive score created by DJ Spooky. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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