Dr. Caligari Gets the ‘Masters of Cinema’ Treatment in the UK

Steve Barton   |  

Jun 9, 2014

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Widely regarded as the world’s first true horror film, Robert Wiene’s 1920 classic Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari needs no large introduction. Rather, the good news is that thanks to the UK’s Eureka! Entertainment, it’s getting the full restoration/re-release royalty treatment later this year.

Let’s open this up and see what’s inside, shall we?

Synopsis:
One of the most iconic masterpieces in cinema history, Robert Wiene’s Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari shook filmgoers worldwide and changed the direction of the art form. Now presented in a definitive restoration, the film’s chilling, radically expressionist vision is set to grip viewers again.

At a local carnival in a small German town, hypnotist Dr. Caligari presents the somnambulist Cesare, who can purportedly predict the future of curious fairgoers. But at night the doctor wakes Cesare from his sleep to enact his evil bidding…

Incalculably influential, the film’s nightmarishly jagged sets, sinister atmospheric and psychological emphasis left an immediate impact in its wake (horror, film noir, and Gothic cinema would all be shaped directly by it). But this diabolical tale nevertheless stands alone – now more mesmerising than ever.

Released as part of Eureka! Entertainment’s ‘Masters of Cinema’ line, this new restoration of the film will be released theatrically across the UK on August 29, opening at the BFI Southbank and other selected cinemas nationwide. This will be followed up with a DVD/Blu-ray Dual Format Special Edition hitting shelves on September 29.

Special features on the DVD/Blu-ray are set to include an audio commentary by film historian David Kalat, a new video essay by film critic David Carins and a 56-page booklet with brand new writing, reprints and rare archival imagery.