 The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari 1920  N/R, 52 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama / Horror / Thriller
Director: Robert Wiene
Cast: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski, Lil Dagover, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Rudolf Lettinger, Hans Lanser-Rudolf, Ludwig Rex, Elsa Wagner, Henri Peters-Arnolds
This German Expressionist film tells the gruesome story of murder and terror set among black shadows painted across geometrically irregular streets and rooftops running zigzag among leaning chimneys. Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss) is a hypnotist who travels with a carnival and displays a sleepwalker named Cesare (Conrad Veidt) as his attraction. While performing in a small, German town, murders take place, and when Francis' (Friedrich Feher) best friend Alan (Hans Heinrich von Twardowski) is killed, Francis connects the murder to Caligari. He accuses Caligari of committing the murders, but the police ignore him. When Francis performs his own investigation, he finds clues indicating that Caligari has ordered Cesare to commit the murders, and after a brutal confrontation with Caligari, Francis ensures that Caligari will be locked away in an asylum.
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The Man Who Cheated Life 1926  N/R, 55 min.
Genre: Drama
aka: The Student of Prague
Director: Henrik Galeen
Cast: Conrad Veidt, Werner Krauss, Sylvia Torf, Ferdinand von Alten, Elizza La Porta, Agnes Esterhazy, Fritz Alberti, Marian Alma
One of Germany's early film masterpieces, this is the story of a student, Balduin (Conrad Veidt), who is not content with his life and longs for love and wealth. He gets more than he bargained for when he meets Scapinelli (Werner Krauss) who offers him a deal that's hard to refuse–but there are strings attached.
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Othello 1922  N/R, 80 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Dimitri Buchowetzki
Cast: Emil Jannings, Werner Krauss, Friedrich Kuhne, Lya DePutti, Magnus Stifter, Ferdinand von Alten, Lea von Lenkeffy
This German-made, silent version of the Shakespeare play, though taking some liberties with the Bard's story, is an elaborate production and interesting to watch.
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Tartuffe 1925 N/R, 70 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: F.W. Murnau
Cast: Emil Jannings, Lil Dagover, Werner Krauss, Rosa Valetti, Hermann Picha, Andre Mattoni, Lucie Hoflich, Camilla Horn
Based on Moliere's satirical play, this is the tale of Tartuffe (Emil Jannings), a religious hypocrite who uses his skills to rip off believers. He is now on the verge of talking wealthy Orgon (Werner Krauss) into handing over Orgon's daughter, whom Tartuffe loves, AND Orgon's land and money in exchange for divine absolution. But he doesn't quite get away with it.
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Waxworks 1923 N/R, 65 min.
Genre: Horror / Thriller
Director: Paul Leni
Cast: Emil Jannings, Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, William Dieterle, Olga Belajeff, John Gottowt, Georg John, Ernst Legal
In this silent film, a wax museum obtains three new figures–Harun al Raschid (Emil Jannings), Ivan the Terrible (Conrad Veidt), and Jack the Ripper (Werner Krauss)–and hires a writer (William Dieterle) to tell the stories of the three for the museum's visitors. The film tells the three stories as imagined by the writer.
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| 1. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
2. The Man Who Cheated Life (1926)
aka: The Student of Prague
3. Othello (1922)
4. Tartuffe (1925)
5. Waxworks (1923)
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