"There are spirits everywhere..."

Perhaps the first horror film ever made, The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari or as it was originally titled in German Das Gabinet des Dr. Caligari, came to the screen in 1920 as a German Expressionist film directed by Robert Weine. Thanks again to public domain, you can watch a wonderful version of the film here.

The film is one any film student should watch and I also recommend it for those of you out there who are artists. The techniques used in the film are a little trippy and surreal at times. Expressionism, which was very prominent in Germany, was about distorting reality to create emotional turmoil. Other expressionist works include artist such as El Greco and Edvard Munch's famous and oft-stolen painting "The Scream", two of the German films I blogged about earlier The Golem as well as Nosferatu, the music of George Gershwin and Igor Stravinsky, as well as the literary works of August Strindberg, Franz Kafka, and Eugene O'Neill. Though you don't have to be a student of art or film to enjoy this movie, there are definite aspects of the movie art and film lovers would see before the rest of us.

The plot is somewhat elusive since the film is Expressionist, and all. The main character Francis (Friedrich Feher) tells a story about his friend Alan (Hans Heinrich von Twardowki) and Francis’s fiancée Jane (Lil Dagover). Alan and Francis go to a fair where they meet the strange Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss) who shows his future-predicting sleepwalker Cesare (Conrad Veidt) to them. Cesare tells Alan he has until dawn to live and it comes to pass that Alan is murdered the next day. Cesare is the prime suspect and abducts Jane. Turns out, Dr. Caligari has been using Cesare to help him commit murders while sleepwalking for a period of time. Cesare runs away from those pursuing him, dying of exhaustion. After Cesare has died, they find Dr. Caligari has fled. Francis finds Caligari at a mental asylum. The ending at the asylum provides you with several twists and turns, making you wonder if anything in the film actually happened at all. The film may make you think or may leave you scracthing your head, trying to figure out what it was you just watched. Either outcome, I still think you should watch it.

The technical and artistic effects used in this movie are strange and wonderful, hence their appeal to the art and film lovers out there. The current time is done in strange blueberry hues whereas the flashback is done in dingy brown ones. This is one of the first films to do a “frame story” or flashback premise. The makeup is artistic and creates an image that is sort of a cross between a mime, a goth, Edward Scissorhands, and the guys from KISS. The scenery is extremely artistic and surreal. Most of the sets were made from paper and shadows were painted on the walls. The effects of the film are often citing as influencing film noir. The entire film has a dreamlike, surreal quality to it, which meshes perfectly with the macabre and unforeseen ending twists.

An artical done on the plot and further exploration of the film can be found here, written by the film and movie buffs at Plume-Noir.com. The Plume-Noir article details how this film influenced future German Expressionist film as well as its impact on German films in the 1930s and those made when Hitler came to power. Also, the Moving Picture Blog has done a great study on the film as well, which you can read here. Joe Leydon of this blog probably did a better job of describing the film than I did, so I would highly recommend you checking this out if you want to know more about the film.

Where is the real evil?

In the days of silent film in Germany, writer and director Paul Wegener embarked on what may be considered the first movie trilogy about the Golem, a legendary Jewish monster created by a rabbi to help in the Jewish struggle against a religiously oppressive Europe. The first in the series, The Golem, was made in 1915 and is legendary not only because of its subject matter — which some consider antisemitic — but also has gained in legend because of its status as a lost film. Of course, this version is not entirely lost and if you scramble around the internet, you can find some precious remaining clips of the original film. The sequel was a short comedy film Wegener made in 1916 called The Golem and the Dancing Girl. The third and final movie and the only one to survive was the 1920 full length feature, which was a prequel to The Golem. It is the film which I intend to focus on.

The official title of the film in German is Der Golem, wie er in die Welt Kam translated into English as The Golem: How He Came Into the World and it details just what it says, the birth of the Golem. Another great public domain film, you can watch it here. Though not necessarily a horror film, the film I want to talk about in this post is often put into that genre, especially because of the time period during which it was made. I decided to include this during my Fright Fest because I found, like in many creature movies, the evil of this movie is not the monster but the monstrousness of society.

Now before we go on further and I start getting angry comments about antisemitism, let's put the film into a little perspective. It was made during the Weimar Republic in Germany, pre-Hitler's rise to power a year or so later. During the time period, movies did not have to be politically correct and though you can detect some antisemitic sentiments in the film, that doesn't mean you should not watch it and judge it for yourself. Any of you that want to can read the real Jewish legend of the Golem here and do your own comparison of the legend and the film. After watching it myself, I found it rather pro-Jewish, but that is irrelevant to you watching the film yourself. Personally, I prefer to be a bigger person, look past any political/antisemitic message this film might have, and focus instead on the filmography, which is splendid.

The film is a horror film of sorts, a creature flick one might say, and, like Frankenstein, involves the creation of a monster intended to help people but instead takes a dark turn. Accused of black magic and being a threat to the Christians of Prague, the Jews are told they have to leave. They create the Golem to defend their people against the dark force that threatens their existence. The Golem starts out kindly enough, doing what he is told and not causing any arm. More than anything, he helps out around the house of Rabbi Loew, who created him. The Golem more than anything is a good creature who wants to help others. Despite the rabbis intent for good and the Golem’s seemingly good nature, the Golem turns against his master at the end, because of the evil of the Rabbi’s assistant, and everything begins to unravel. There is also a subplot about the High Rabbi Loew’s daughter falling in love with the Emperor’s messenger who is sent to evict the Jews, for those of you who love forbidden romance.

The scenery is beautiful and seems to have the same production value as an epic film. Lighting is used wonderfully throughout the film. Since color is not an option during this period in film, lighting effects such as the ones found in this film are all that filmmakers could use to create such effects, which Wegener has done splendidly. The music of the film is also masterful and helps create the atmosphere that makes the film. Amazing special effects are used to portray the mysticism in the movie and use elements one might not suspect early film of having. The costuming is also magnificent, the costume of the Golem in particular. This truly is an all around wonderfully made film.

On a side note, this film is sponsored by a great blog called Filmschatten which features tons of forgotten and public domain films in their entirety for you to enjoy. I really hope you'll check out the blog, the film, and have some fun.

The Strange and Supernatural Adventure of Allan Gray

For those of you who like art film, you might want to check out what might be one of the earliest art-horror films ever made. Vampyr was made in 1930, though released in 1932, and is one of the first handful of films made after the invention of sound. Of course, this movie does not rely on the new technology of sound to make its point. With little dialogue — and some may say plot — Vampyr relies on lighting and shadow techniques to create drama. The film appears a little grainy at times, but don't be alarmed. That's all part of the lighting effects. In fact, the lighting of this film has been continually praised since its making. For those of you who want to watch it, the film is public domain and can be found here.

The film is French-German but is made by Danish director Carol Theodor Dreyer, whom takes credit for the magnificent lighting effects. The film is meant to have a dreamlike, surreal quality to it and focuses more on imagery than anything else. The film itself was popular enough that it was translated into French, German, and English. Unfortunately, prints of the English version are all but lost and so we have to do with self-made title cards and subtitles with the film in the original German. Most of the actors were amateurs (think student art film people), but nonetheless, it is a good film. I really hope none of this information detracts from you wanting to watch it because it truly is a good film.

Vampyr is based on Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's novella Carmilla, which predates Bram Stoker's Dracula. For those of you interested, Carmilla can be read here on the vast online library that is Project Gutenberg. The story is relatively the same, and parallels most vampire stories of the era. The story follows young Allan Gray as he comes to a castle to study demonology and vampires. A dreamer himself, Gray had some problems distinguishing between what is real and what is surreal. He is given a copy of a book called The History of Vampires, which arouses his suspicions about the strange things happening in the area. Then, the beautiful daughter of the lord who's castle Gray is staying in comes down with a mysterious illness. At first, it is believed to be only anemia, but Gray feels there is something more sinister at work and tries to uncover the mystery of the dark forces haunting the area. As things get more intense, Gray discovers his quest to find the truth could cost him his soul.

So, this film is a great art film for those of you into that and does have vampire elements for those of you who are into that. It is also great for anyone who is a fan of lighting effects and early sound films. Of course, I don't want to limit this film to anyone in one of those categories. I really think everyone should watch Vampyr as a means of broadening your film horizons.

A Symphony of Horror

I had the pleasure of discovering that Google Video has the complete silent film of Noseferatu posted for viewers to see in its enterity. The film itself is short compared to most modern day features, running at around an hour and twenty-four minutes. Officially titled in English Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, the 1922 German film, directed by F.W. Murnau, is the closest any film interpretation has come to recreating Bram Stoker's classic novel Dracula on the silver screen. Before Bela Lugosi turned Dracula into a sauve, sophisticated, man about town, Nosferatu was the terrifyingly devilish impression people had of vampires.

The film was actually made in Germany, but since it is silent, the title cards were easily translated into English for a wider audience. This translation is a true testament to how the art of film can transcend the language barrier. More than reading the title cards, though, you find yourself relying on the expressions and actions of the characters to propel you through the story. Without the added music in the background, you can still understand completely what is going on. However, I would recommend keeping the music on and turned up since the score, done by the Silent Orchestra, is particularly haunting. Several scores for the film exist and are widely available, even fragments from the original score by Hans Erdmann remain and can be heard, thanks to the Phoenix Wind Project.
Now, I know a lot of people are not big fans of silent movies and they would much rather hear the lines from the actors than read the title cards on the screen, but this film is definitely a classic and any film buff, lover of horror or vampires, or just someone looking for a little culture and exploration can get into this film. Sure, the dreaded Count Orlok may not be as terrifying to modern audiences as he was to the first generation of movie-goers, but he is still the closest to Stoker's description of Dracula and terrifying in his own, silent right. And yes, the "werewolf" towards the beginning is in fact a hyena.

Some of the scenes you might fine a little cheesy since we're used to a word of modern filming techniques, CGI, and computers, but you have to learn to appreciate the abilities they had in the time period. And even if some scenes are a little dated, there are scenes, such as the entrance of the Nosferatu himself that will still chill you to the bone, especially if its after midnight and all the lights are off. For its day, the film is wonderfully acted. The hauntingly talented Max Schreck takes the title role of Nosferatu/Count Orlock in stage makeup that rivals modern horrof film costuming. The other stars of the film are the angelically handsome Gustav von Wangenheim as Jonathan Harker and Greta Schröder as his tragically beautiful wife, Mina.

At any rate, Nosferatu is not only a classic film but a classic horror film, one of the must haves on any ultimate horror movie list.