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List Price: $14.98Amazon.com's Price: $13.49 You Save: $1.49 (10%)Prices subject to change.
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Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
Brand: Image Entertainment
EAN: 0014381396225
Format: Black & White, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Label: Image Entertainment
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Image Entertainment
Region Code: 1
Release Date: June 05, 2007
Running Time: 76 minutes
Sales Rank: 44641
Studio: Image Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: 2006-01
Editorial Review:
Description:
Follow a new twist in the warped road of delirium in this 'remix' of silent film era classic! Writer and director David Lee Fisher scanned the original backgrounds of the 1919 German Expressionist classic and put speaking actors into the mix, including Doug Jones (Pan's Labyrinth, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer) as somnambulist Cesare, breathing new life into the work known as the world's first horror movie. Find out why this intriguing new take on an unforgettable psychological thriller is a not-to-be-missed innovation in filmic storytelling!
Amazon.com:
Yes, this is a remake of the classic 1919 silent film, but with a twist: Through the wizardry of digital hocus-pocus, the set design of the original has been captured and reproduced to provide a vintage backdrop for new actors, who performed in front of a green screen. So everything still has the revolutionary, crazy-quilt pattern of German Expressionism, with new costumes and make-up reflecting the 1919 style. The story and some of the dialogue is intact: this is still the strange tale of a carnival hypnotist named Caligari (played here by the convincing Daamen Krall), who controls the actions of a haunted sleepwalker, Cesare. No remake could match the delirious power of the original film, but this one falls short of even being an interesting curio. The technical trick is intriguing for the first few minutes, but the inadequacy of the actors (their flat line readings are especially jarring when played against the heavy stylization of the world around them) and the slow pace do their damage. One good casting note: Cesare, played so memorably by Conrad Veidt in the original, is played here by Doug Jones, the remarkable actor-mime whose work is central to many of Guillermo del Toro's films (including Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy). Jones hits the Expressionist note, without saying a word. --Robert Horton
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Open the Cabinet
I've seen this done before: When Gus Van Zant took on Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, shooting it frame for frame from the original. I think the acting fell short in that film, and why it was a failure. Remakes are something that Hollywood loves, as much as they want recycled comic book movies. However, this film, using the "original" set designs, puts this in a superior quality achievement. It's refreshing to see a filmmaker want to tackle such a unique film. When Nosferatu was remade in in 1979 by Werner ... Read More
Rating: - Intriguing But Little Known "Remix" of Classic Silent
As an avid film buff, I was surprised to pick up a copy of "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" and see that it was not a new DVD release of the 1919 German expressionist classic, but rather, a remix (read: remake) produced by a California independent in 2005. I generally keep up with film releases and had never heard a word about this new incarnation of "Caligari". At any rate, I was intrigued enough to buy the DVD. I'm glad that I watched it before getting around to reading some of the reviews here and on ... Read More
Rating:  - Caligari speaks!
I took in the "talkie" version of Cabinet of Dr. Caligari tonight..
Essentially, it's a reworking of the original 1919 film, utilizing a new speaking cast, and via computer superimposing them over the sets. Occasionally new material and sets are meshed in with the original imagery, but on the whole it follows it's source quite closely. This is kind of too bad, because the film actually works best in the scenes that aren't re-imaginings of how the original might have played were it shot with ... Read More
Rating:  - Disappointed
I'm a big fan of the original film and was excited to learn of this digitized remake. The computer imaging and music were exceptional and fully satisfied my expectations for this type of film but the script and acting all but ruined the experience for me. The dialogue and plot seemed forced and fake. Daamen Krall (Caligari) and Doug Jones (Cesare) were wonderful in their roles yet I felt as if their talent was wasted on the weak script. The remaining actors were amateur at best seemed to be drowning in each ... Read More
Rating: - Definitely Worth A Look.
I must say that I was intruiged to say the least by the idea of a "re-mix" of THE CABINET OF DR CALIGARI using the original sets and adding new actors and sound. It reminded me of Giorgio Moroder's 1984 update of METROPOLIS which used color tints, subtitles and a pop/rock score. Thanks to today's digital technology writer/director David Lee Fisher was able to film his actors entirely on a greenscreen set and then add the original 1919 CALIGARI backgrounds in a mostly seamless effort although occasionally you ... Read More
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