Two Milestones in German Expressionism

A twisted story of hypnosis, somnambulism, murder, and mystery set in a distorted world of shadows. Termed the “first true horror film,” Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is both the definitive work of German Expressionism and a landmark of cinema history at large. This stellar 4k restoration recreates the tinting of the original, adding to the feverish atmosphere of the film.

Robert Wiene directed the silent horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in the aftermath of World War I, while the horrors of industrialized warfare and fanatical nationalism persisted. Political instability, hyperinflation, mass unemployment, and urban conflict defined the 1920s in Germany, giving rise to expressionist cinema. These conditions inspired hallucinatory films full of nightmares, mystery, crime, madness, and desire. Films at the Whitney presents two striking examples from this unique creative period in partnership with the Yale University Art Gallery and the exhibition “Munch and Kirchner: Anxiety and Expression.”

Series curator: Lorenz Hegel, Ph.D. candidate in the combined program in Film and Media Studies and German Studies

Co-sponsored by Yale University Art Gallery and Whitney Humanities Center