TCM broadcasts "Cabinet of Dr. Caligari"

[Maxie Zeus]

Heads up for those interested, tonight (Sunday the 7th) at midnight ET, Turner Classic Movies will broadcast "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari." It's a German silent film from 1919, and one of the most influential movies ever made.

For those keen on Batman, "Caligari" was one of the films that launched the "German expressionist" movement in cinema, which went on to highly influence both American film noir and comic books. Tim Burton's films draw heavily on the same kind of stylized design and visual work, and the one-shot "Batman: Nosferatu" basically transfers the "Caligari" story to Gotham City and the Batman universe.

Check it out.

[The Mad Hatter]

Ooooh! You're not the only one who likes that movie! It remains a fascinating piece of work even though it was made over 80 years ago, and is much weirder and creative than most movies out there. If you like Batman, Tim Burton or high creativity at all, you'd be cheating yourself if you didn't watch this.

[Eraserhead]

I've always liked it too. "The Exorcist" of its day.

The TCM version makes the film much more eerie due the distorted soundtrack, unlike plenty other silents that use that damned organ!

The "un-happy" ending is also a plus for this ageless milestone...Oh yeah, I dont know if you noticed, but MacFarlane's toy-line has figures of the Doctor himself!

[RockItShipper]

I don't think it's McFarlane... If I remember right, Art Asylum did the prototypes for another company.

[Frozen]

The 'Silent Screamers' line was produced by Aztec Toys, I think. Damn fine they were too... The Graf Orlok was particularly nice.