Secrets of Dr Caligari’s Cabinet revealed

A Moving Image Arts teacher in Lisburn made an intriguing discovery recently while clearing out some boxes at home. An old film storage can revealed a copy of the famous 1920 film ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’ (Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari). It had languished there for a number of years having been purchased on eBay and subsequently remained unopened and forgotten until the discovery. Teacher David Cleland at Wallace High explains:

“The pack arrived over five years ago and for some reason I only managed to get around to opening it this week when I discovered the dull metal tin in an old box. I am not sure why I actually opened the film tin but to my surprise, as well as the actual film, the tin contained a number of old documents and receipts that went alongside the release.”

Further investigation of the documents revealed that the original owner had rented a copy of the film from the BFI in January 1960. David elaborated:

“At first I panicked assuming I had bought a rental that hadn’t been returned to the BFI for fifty years but fortunately I then found the receipt for this reel. It turns out the owner was such a big fan of the Caligari film that in 1963 he contacted the Entertainment Films Company in New York and bought his own copy for $34.95 plus $1.50 to cover the postage to the UK!”

Other documents in the find, including explanatory notes, newspaper cuttings and Polaroid stills suggest the original owner was also a teacher or film educator.

“My favourite parts of the find have to be a typed document with photos glued to it and a photocopy of the November issue of Flickers Magazine,” added David, “Many of the photocopied documents are written by Gerald McKee who became a member of the VFC (Vintage Film Club) in 1960 and subsequently became the editor of Flickers in 1979. McKee enthusiastically continued to edit the publication until his death in June 2007.” Flickers continues to be published and has an online presence: www.flickers-online.co.uk

The ‘Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’ was a German silent film directed by Robert Weine and is considered to be one of the most influential examples of German Expressionism with its starkly-lit distorted sets and is a classic of the horror genre. It is also credited with introducing the twist ending to cinema.

When asked if he had plans to show the film to his Moving Image Arts students David responded:

“I think the only negative with this discovery was the small sticker on the back of the metal tin that says “2 Reels” which means I only have half the film, but I still consider a golden find!”

For further information see:

www.flixelpix.com/blog/the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari/

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (IMDB)

British Film Institute

Flickers Magazine