The penultimate of the screenings planned for the summer holidays will feature The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, directed by Robert Wiene. This 1920 film represents a movement of German expressionism that had an enormous impact on the development of cinematography. The sound layer for the silent movie will be created by Adam Tański’s organ improvisations.

Dr. Caligari is an itinerant hypnotist who comes to Holstenwall, one of the provincial German towns, accompanied by a somnambulist medium named Caesar. At the local fair, one of the attractions is the cabinet of Dr Cagliari and his companion. The night after the protagonist’s arrival in the city, a murder is committed, and soon another one. Initially, the sleepwalker is suspected of being the perpetrator. But is it right? After a series of mysterious killings, people are beginning to believe that the doctor might be behind them after all. The unusual visual setting for the characteristically styled scenery influencing the perception of the story was created by three painters: Walter Reimann, Hermann Warm and Walter Röhrig. It is worth noting that Martin Scorsese’s quite recent film, The Island of Secrets (2010) with Leonardo Di Caprio in the lead role, clearly refers to The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari. The silent film, directed by Robert Wiene, is a classic horror story, and at the same time a work that continues to inspire new filmmakers to this day.