Horror Month! The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was another early horror film imported from Germany.

 

What was with the German fascination with horror films? Quite possibly after the horrors of World War I, the country was willing to embrace fake horror to take its mind off of the real life horror they experienced. In any event, the impressionist Caligari was a brilliant but of escapism. Rather than portray realistic settings, the film's sets were made to look like massive impressionist paintings. The film 's plot was about the horrific hypnotist Dr. Caligari, who used his powers to hypnotize others into killing for him.

 

The film's remarkable cinematography and set design were definitely ahead of their time. The film was a smash hit in Germany, though the film had a rougher go of it overseas. The fresh memories of a horrific war and fears of German film studios taking over the global movie business led to the film getting an outright ban in France. Samuel Goldwyn had a rough go of it in the United States, but the dazzlingly horrific film eventually got an audience.

Horror Month! Nosferatu

One of the earliest horror films was the silent German classic Nosferatu. Interestingly, this classic was an unauthorized adaptation of Dracula. The film's producers were unwilling to meet the financial demands of Bram Stoker's widow, so they just changed the names of the characters.

 

The film was originally released in Germany in 1922, though it didn't make it to the United States until 1929. It was an instant success in America, becoming a huge hit. Audiences loved being scared. The film's success hinged on the creepy performance of Max Schreck, whose creepy transformation into the vampire Count Orlok would inspire many nightmares.

 

His creepy visage created an urban legend that he was a real vampire who the production company just rolled film on. It was an easy leap to make, since Max Schreck was unknown to American audiences at the time. This legend was explored in a fictionalized version of the film's production- 2000's Shadow of the Vampire.

 

Of course, Mr. Schreck was stern, but obviously human.

 

Despite this classic's success, it would be the only movie produced by its studio. The filmmakers purposely declared bankruptcy when the film was completed to avoid having to pay money to Bram Stoker's widow who had filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against them.

Whatever Happened to "The American"?

Movies have always been expensive propositions. Even MGM's famed assembly line often produced expensive films. That's one reason why even films hated by everyone involved still make their way to theaters; it's too costly to leave them on the shelf for too long. Unfortunately, some of them never get off that shelf- like the 1927 film The American.

The film starred silent film stars Bessie Love and Charles Ray. Little is known of the plot, though the film's alternate title was The Flag Maker. Could it have been about Betsy Ross? Some people described it as being a western, so maybe not. Little is also known about why it didn't get released, though it most likely had to do with how it was filmed. Producers used an experimental widescreen camera, so it probably couldn't be shown on standard movie screens. Unfortunately, this film got lost, waiting for theaters to catch up with it technology-wise. Hopefully the film might be found in time for its 90 year anniversary next year, though the odds of that happening are slim.