Waste of time

Just so...so bad

Boring, long, and too preachy.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The Cabinet of Caligari is a psychological thriller inspired by the famous German silent film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Aside from the names the two main characters, Jane and Caligari, and the final plot twist, this film has little resemblance with the early predecessor. The writer, Robert Bloch, a prolific author of short stories, novels and screenplays is best known for Psycho, the novel on which the Hitchcock film is based. Unlike the silent film, this is not a horror, but a psychological story akin to an episode of Twilight Zone –one of the better episodes. The acting and directing are first rate and Bloch's story intrigues and surprises even if the ultimate plot twist becomes clear before the final sequence. The opening image, light at the end of a tunnel, and disturbing music are the only clue that things may not be what they appear. An attractive blond, Jane, exits the tunnel and drives freely in her sports car, sans shoes, until she suffers a flat and finds herself, Rocky Horror Picture style, seeking refuge within the estate of the eccentric Caligari. The estate is not a creepy old mansion, but a tasteful, modern home with comfortable accommodations. After a night's rest, Jane meets Caligari's numerous unsettling guests. Unsettling, only because they accept without question or concern that Jane is being kept in the estate against her will. A large locked gate, guards and dogs prevent Jane from leaving. Most of the guests are kind and understanding. A few, including a handsome young love interest, offer to help Jane escape as long as she opens her mind to their cooperation. An elderly woman named Ruth befriends Jane and offers to help her leave, until Jane later discovers Ruth being tortured by the cruel Caligari and his staff. Jane too suffers humiliation and pain at the hand of the sadistic Caligari. She must rely on her own resolve to escape the nightmare, discovering that most things are not what they appear. While not as ground-breaking as the early film with a similar title, The Cabinet of Caligari is an enjoyable psychological thriller.

As was the case with many baby boomers, my first encounter with South African-born Glynis Johns, the daughter of renowned Welsh character actor Mervyn Johns, was via her short-lived American TV show, "Glynis." On this 1/2-hour sitcom, which only ran from September-December 1963 on CBS, Glynis played a character named Glynis Granville, a mystery writer who helped her husband solve crimes, and who was absolutely--to my young mind--delightful. A recent viewing of one of Glynis' later films, 1973's "Vault of Horror," served to remind me of just how charming she has always been, with her pretty blonde looks and inimitable husky voice. So it was with great eagerness that I even more recently popped one of her films that I'd never seen, "The Cabinet of Caligari," into the DVD player at home. Released in May 1962, five months before Glynis' 39th birthday, this "remake" of the classic German silent "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (1919) jettisons most of the original's story line, salvaging only that famous twist ending. Scripted by Robert "Psycho" Bloch, the film introduces us to 27-year-old Jane Lindstrom (our Glynis), who seeks help at the ultramodern house of Dr. Caligari (Dan O'Herlihy) after her automobile suffers a blowout. The doctor is more than accommodating, but after she is unwittingly drugged, poor Jane realizes that she--and a good half dozen other residents under the doctor's roof--is a prisoner in this bizarre household, while Caligari's demands for highly personal information, as well as his peeping Tom proclivities, abuse of other "guests" and proffering of pornographic pictures, only add to Jane's distress....Though lacking the surreal sets that made the original film an enduring and endearing classic of German Expressionism, the 1962 "Caligari" is still a fairly strange experience. Director Roger Kay utilizes interesting camera angles, freeze frames and occasionally non sequitur dialogue to engender an atmosphere of the macabre. Kay makes excellent use of space in his CinemaScope frame, and yes, DOES throw in some decidedly Expressionistic FX toward the film's conclusion. (I should perhaps add here that those viewers who choose to watch this DVD utilizing the "full-screen" option, rather than the "wide-screen," will be lacking almost 50% of the image, and will certainly be missing most of the picture's impact.) The director is ably abetted by the excellent camera work of John L. Russell, who had lensed "Psycho" for Hitchcock two years earlier (Jane Lindstrom, it might be added, has a bathtub experience in the film that is not QUITE as harrowing as Marion Crane's!), as well as by the lovely and memorable score provided here by Gerald Fried. But surely, this picture belongs to Glynis Johns, who perforce appears in every single scene in it. She is simply superb here, running the gamut from sweet to scared, haggard to Marilyn Monroe-type sexpot, suicidal and submissive to zesty and domineering; practically an Oscar-worthy performance! (And while I'm on the subject, hey, Academy: Glynis is 88 as of this writing. Howzabout an honorary Oscar for this wonderfully unique performer while she's still with us?) Perfectly cast here, she brings a combination of steely outrage and befuddled defenselessness to her role that is quite wonderful to behold, and makes the film--essentially a 100-minute-long red herring--a genuine must-see, and one that can stand independently of its famous forebear....

Here is a film that much improves on a second viewing. The first viewing, unfortunately, may turn a lot of people off because of its moderate pace and what comes across as bad writing and bad dialog. But give it a try... or two tries. All that seeming badness is there for a reason. This is the story of Jane, a woman on 'vacation', whose car has a flat. She gets out and walks, ending up at the house of a very powerful and apparently evil man, Caligari, who keeps her captive. Others she meets at the place come across as characters from the Twilight Zone. In fact, everything about this place and its characters, plus the way they interact with Jane, is very off. Characters seem to appear for no reason and sometimes deliver dialog that is purposely over the top and even wildly campy. The plot focuses on Jane's relationship with Caligari, who appears to be some whacked out psychotherapist, and her attempts to escape his psychological as well as real hold on her. Other people at this house try to help her escape... or do they? By the end of the film, though some may see it coming a mile away, everything is put into focus. I wanted to re-watch the film right away, but decided to give it some breathing room. When I finally did re-watch, I was amazed at how much more interesting it was, knowing what I knew from the first viewing.*** SPOILERS NEXT PARAGRAPH:Of course what we learn is that we have been viewing the world through the mind of a mentally deranged woman. Once we see that, as we watch the film the second time, we can see that all the weirdness, bad dialog and bizarre character behavior was really Jane's mind playing tricks on her. The tricks reveal what a state of denial Jane is in about her fear of aging and losing her beauty. I'm sure many women have problems facing this aspect of their lives. The visuals of the film and concepts like a revolving door to enter Caligari's office, the twisted stairwell, the stark lighting, and effective use of still images, all contribute to creating a very uneasy state of mind. When I first watched, some scenes truly creeped me out, though they made me laugh at the same time. On second viewing, they still creeped me out, but the laughter was gone. The major flaw in the script is that following a major mental trauma Jane is considered "cured" and well enough to leave what we find out is not Caligari's 'home', but a mental institution. *** END SPOILERS This movie is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but I think it's an imaginative remake of the 1919 expressionist "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," minus the somnambulist and the bizarre sets. Yet the remake's visuals hearken back to the design of the original. The twisted stairwell, an amazing hallway dream sequence that could have been right out of the 1919 film, the psychologically conceived sets and often artificial lighting really recreate the mood of the old film.Glynis Johns is quite effective as Jane. She plays her right on the edge. Her conversations with Caligari (Dan O'Herlihy) are laughably disturbing. Often Jane's shock of what she sees is our shock as well. I know many find this film just plain terrible, but I think it has many surprises if you give it a chance (or two!). Gerald Fried's inventive score fleshes out Jane's state of mind beautifully. "Caligari" may have been pitched as a horror film, but it's not. If you go into it thinking it's a fright film, you'll be disappointed. As a voyage into the depths of insanity, though, it has a lot going for it. Just like Jane, who enters a house expecting one thing only to find something very different, you need to know what you're getting yourself into before watching!

Driving through a tunnel into the great unknown of "freedom", with her shoes off no less, Jane(Glynis Johns) faces quite a predicament with her car's tire blows out. After a mile or so trek down the lonesome, uninhabited road leading to the gate of a mansion, Jane believes she's found help when the resident's owner, Caligari(Dan O'Herlihy)offers to send someone to fix her vehicle. Told the vehicle has more than just tire damage, Jane's offered refuge, but finds herself trapped within the (electric) gates of the estate with Caligari not allowing her access out. The rest of the film shows Jane's attempts at getting out of the clutches of Caligari and finding others within the estate seemingly trapped as her. But, as Caligari would later inform her..nothing is what it seems.Thanks to the success of "Psycho" which perhaps opened a door to explore more psycho-sexual subject matter, that film's writer, Robert Bloch, had an opportunity to explore similar terrain. Caligari, a sinister figure who seems to remain in his little office, unscrupulously forward with questions of Jane's sexual history, desiring to know everything about her. He makes it known that he will not touch Jane, and seems like a perverted sadist who gets his jollies listening to female captives baring their record, naked to him. Characters present on Caligari's estate, Christine(Constance Ford), his dutiful servant who seems eager to carry out any wish, no matter how cruel it might seem, Paul, a mannered gent with a quiet calm whose role seems uncertain, often consoling a tormented Jane wishing to leave. Mark(Richard Davalos), a handsome fellow Jane befriends at a gathering of folks at Caligari's dinner table..Mark is transfixed with her, but only can see her at night, for some reason, so wishing to part with her from the estate. Frank(Lawrence Dobkin)who offers Jane a chance to possibly break free, who seems to be in charge of holding others inside, only allowing certain people out(..like a nosy cook/maid). Ruth(Estelle Winwood)seems to be in the same predicament as Jane, a prisoner only allowed access out to the town every once in a while. When Ruth promises Jane a chance to leave, it seems she is beaten to death by Frank with Caligari standing present with Christine. But, overall, it's a film about Jane and her attempts to leave the estate which holds her captive. Watching as she slowly deteriorates emotionally, Glynis Johns provides us with a sympathetic character who seems robbed of her freedom, forced into remaining in this place with eyes around every corner encountered by friendlies who wish to chat and converse. I will say that the ambiguous nature of the behavior of the characters present in Jane's orbit and their dialogue which often hides certain things from her, talking in riddles, comes together when the film reaches it's climax. Bloch, I felt(..perhaps, I'm one of a few), crafts a nifty little psychological tale where you are kept guessing, like Jane, as to what are the true motivations of everyone around Jane, and why is she being held against her will. I found the lurid dialogue, for a film made in '62, rather startling because the confrontations between captor and prisoner often probe areas of a sexual nature. Johns has a magnificent scene where she attempts to seduce Caligari, desperate at this point, believing he might be impotent, hoping to fracture his psyche a bit...by cracking his foundation, she would've at least given him a taste of his own medicine. The film is as Caligari tells Jane..nothing is as it seems. Keep that in mind. Director Kay and writer Bloch really keep you at bay, with Jane encountering some strange situations that are often head-scratching..that is, until you find out the "real truth" of what ails Jane.Perhaps a sleeper if one can shake off the comparisons to the German silent masterpiece of the same name..just approach this as a different film, and you might enjoy it more.