1920 in film
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| - | '''''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari''''' (original title: ''Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari'') is a [[1920 in film|1920]] [[Cinema of Germany|German]] [[silent film|silent]] [[horror film|horror]] film directed by [[Robert Wiene]]. It is one of the earliest, most influential and most artistically acclaimed [[German Expressionism|German Expressionist]] films. It has been dubbed "the [[cult film]] par excellence," running continuously at the same Paris movie house from [[1920]] through [[1927]]. | ||
| - | == Plot overview == | ||
| - | The film tells the story of the deranged Doctor Caligari and his faithful sleepwalking Cesare and their connection to a string of murders in a [[Germany|German]] mountain village, Holstenwall. ''Caligari'' presents one of the earliest examples of a motion picture "[[frame story]]" in which the body of the plot is presented as a [[flashback (literary technique)|flashback]], as told by Francis. | ||
| - | The narrator, Francis, and his friend Alan visit a [[carnival]] in the village where they see Dr. Caligari and Cesare, whom the doctor is displaying as an attraction. Caligari brags that Cesare can answer any question he is asked. When Alan asks Cesare how long he has to live, Cesare tells Alan that he will die tomorrow at dawn — a [[prophecy]] which turns out to be fulfilled. | + | The year '''1920 in film''' involved some significant events. |
| - | Francis, along with his girlfriend Jane, investigate Caligari and Cesare, which eventually leads to Jane's kidnapping by Cesare. Caligari orders Cesare to kill Jane, but the hypnotized slave relents after her beauty captivates him. He carries Jane out of her house, leading the townsfolk on a lengthy chase. Francis discovers Caligari is the head of the local [[mental institution|insane asylum]], and with the help of his colleagues discovers he's obsessed with the story of a previous Doctor Caligari, who used a [[somnambulist]] to murder people as a traveling act. | + | __TOC__ |
| + | ==Events== | ||
| + | * November 27 - ''[[The Mark of Zorro (1920 film)|The Mark of Zorro]]'', starring [[Douglas Fairbanks]] opens. | ||
| - | Cesare falls to his death during the pursuit and the townsfolk discover that Caligari had created a dummy of Cesare to distract Francis. After being confronted with the dead Cesare, Caligari breaks down and reveals his [[mania]] and is imprisoned in his asylum. The influential [[twist ending]] reveals that Francis' flashback is actually his [[fantasy (psychology)|fantasy]]: Caligari is his asylum doctor, who, after this revelation of his patient's [[delusion]], claims to be able to cure him. | + | ==Top grossing films (U.S.)== |
| - | ==Responses== | + | {| class="wikitable" |
| - | Critics worldwide have praised the film for its [[expressionism (film)|Expressionist]] style, complete with wild, distorted set design—a striking use of ''[[mise en scène]]''. ''Caligari'' has been cited as an influence on [[film noir]], one of the earliest [[horror film]]s, and a model for directors for many decades, including [[Alfred Hitchcock]]. | + | ! Rank || Title || Gross |
| + | |- | ||
| + | | 1. | ||
| + | |''[[Way Down East]]'' - directed by [[D.W. Griffith]] | ||
| + | | $5,000,000 | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | 2. | ||
| + | |''[[Over the Hill to the Poorhouse]]'' - directed by [[Harry F. Millarde]] | ||
| + | | | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | 3. | ||
| + | |''[[Shipwrecked Among Cannibals]]'' | ||
| + | | | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | 4. | ||
| + | |''[[Pollyanna (1920 film)|Polyanna]]'' | ||
| + | | | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | 5. | ||
| + | |''[[The Mark of Zorro (1920 film)|The Mark of Zorro]]'' | ||
| + | | | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | 6. | ||
| + | |''[[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920 film)|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'' | ||
| + | | | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | 7. | ||
| + | |''[[The Round-Up]]'' | ||
| + | | | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | 8. | ||
| + | |''[[Double Speed]]'' | ||
| + | | | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | 9. | ||
| + | |''[[Excuse My Dust]]'' | ||
| + | | | ||
| + | |} | ||
| - | [[Siegfried Kracauer]]'s ''[[From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of the German Film|From Caligari to Hitler]]'' (1947) postulates that the film can be read as an allegory for German social attitudes in the period preceding [[World War II]]. He argues that the character of Caligari represents a tyrannical figure, to whom the only alternative is social chaos (represented by the fairground). However, Kracauer's work has been largely discredited by contemporary scholars of German cinema, for example by Thomas Elsaesser in ''Weimar Cinema and After'', who describes the legacy of Kracauer's work as a "historical imaginary". Elsaesser claims that Kracauer studied too few films to make his thesis about the social mindset of Germany legitimate and that the discovery and publication of the original screenplay of ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' undermines his argument about the revolutionary intent of its writers. Elsaesser's alternative thesis is that the filmmakers adopted an Expressionist style as a method of product differentiation, establishing a distinct national product against the increasing import of American films. Dietrich Scheunemann, somewhat in defense of Kracauer, noted that he didn't have "the full range of materials at (his) disposal". However, that fact "has clearly and adversely affected the discussion of the film", referring to the fact that the script of ''Caligari'' wasn't rediscovered until 1977 and that Kracauer hadn't seen the film in around 20 years when he wrote the work. | + | ==Films released in 1920== |
| + | <!-- This list was checked on 01 Nov. '06--> | ||
| + | *''[[Algol (film)|Algol]]'', starring [[Emil Jannings]] | ||
| + | *''[[Anna Boleyn (film)|Anna Boleyn]]'', directed by [[Ernst Lubitsch]] | ||
| + | *''[[The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari]]'', starring [[Werner Krauss]], [[Conrad Veidt]] and [[Lil Dagover]]. | ||
| + | *''[[Convict 13]]'', directed by and starring [[Buster Keaton]] | ||
| + | *''[[The Common Sin]]'', starring [[Rod La Rocque]] and [[Nita Naldi]] | ||
| + | *''[[The Girl in Number 29]]'', directed by [[John Ford]] | ||
| + | *''[[The Golem: How He Came Into the World]]'' (''Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam''), starring and directed by [[Paul Wegener]] | ||
| + | *''[[Die Todeskarawane]]'', starring [[Dora Gerson]] and [[Bela Lugosi]] | ||
| + | *''[[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920 film)|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'', starring [[John Barrymore]] | ||
| + | *''[[Haunted Spooks]]'', starring [[Harold Lloyd]] | ||
| + | *''[[Herr och fru Stockholm]], starring [[Greta Garbo]] | ||
| + | *''[[High and Dizzy]]'', starring [[Harold Lloyd]] | ||
| + | *''[[Huckleberry Finn (film)|Huckleberry Finn]]'' | ||
| + | *''[[The Last of the Mohicans (1920 film)|The Last of the Mohicans]]'', starring [[Wallace Beery]] | ||
| + | *''[[Love, Honor, and Behave]]'', starring [[George O'Hara (actor)|George O'Hara]] and [[Marie Prevost]] | ||
| + | *''[[The Mark of Zorro (1920 film)|The Mark of Zorro]]'', starring [[Douglas Fairbanks]] | ||
| + | *''[[The $1,000,000 Reward]]'' | ||
| + | *''[[Neighbors (1920 film)|Neighbors]]'', directed by and starring [[Buster Keaton]] | ||
| + | *''[[One Week (1920 film)|One Week]]'', directed by and starring [[Buster Keaton]] | ||
| + | *''[[Over the Hill to the Poorhouse]]'' | ||
| + | *''[[The Penalty (film)|The Penalty]]'', starring [[Lon Chaney, Sr.|Lon Chaney]] | ||
| + | *''[[Pollyanna (1920 film)|Pollyanna]]'', starring [[Mary Pickford]] -(film only mentioned in article) | ||
| + | *''[[The Saphead]]'', directed by and starring [[Buster Keaton]] | ||
| + | *''[[The Scarecrow (1920 film)|The Scarecrow]]'', directed by and starring [[Buster Keaton]] | ||
| + | *''[[Shipwrecked Among Cannibals]]'' documentary film | ||
| + | *''[[Stolen Moments (1920 film)|Stolen Moments]]'', starring [[Rudolph Valentino]] | ||
| + | *''[[Way Down East]]'', starring [[Lillian Gish]] | ||
| + | *''[[Within Our Gates]]'', directed by [[Oscar Micheaux]], starring [[Evelyn Preer]] | ||
| - | ==History== | + | ==Short film series== |
| - | Writers [[Hans Janowitz]] and [[Carl Mayer]] met each other in [[Berlin]] following [[World War I]]. The two saw the then-new film medium as a revolutionary form of artistic expression—visual storytelling that necessitated collaboration between writers and painters, cameramen, actors, directors. They felt that film was the ideal medium through which to both call attention to the emerging pacifism in postwar Germany and exhibit the radical anti-bourgeois art. | + | *''[[Harold Lloyd]]'' (1913–1951) |
| + | *''[[Charlie Chaplin]]'' (1914-1960s) | ||
| + | *''[[Buster Keaton]]'' (1917–1941) | ||
| - | Although neither had connections to any Berlin film company, they decided to concoct a scenario. As both were enthusiastic about [[Paul Wegener]]'s works, they chose to write a horror film. The duo drew from past experiences—Janowitz had disturbing memories of a night in 1913, in Hamburg: After leaving a fair he had walked into a park bordering the Holstenwall and glimpsed a stranger as he disappeared into the shadows after having mysteriously emerged from the bushes. The next morning, a young woman's ravaged body was found. Mayer was still [[embittered]] about his sessions during the war with an autocratic, highly ranked, military psychiatrist. | + | ==Animated short film series== |
| + | *''[[Felix the Cat]]'' (1919–1936) | ||
| + | *''[[Koko the Clown]]'' (1919–1934) | ||
| - | At night, Janowitz and Mayer would often go to a nearby fair. One evening, they saw a sideshow titled "Man and Machine," in which a man did feats of strength and forecast the future while supposedly in a hypnotic trance. Inspired by this, Janowitz and Mayer devised their story that night and wrote it in the following six weeks. The name "Caligari" came from a book Mayer read, in which an officer named Caligari was mentioned. | + | ==Film Debuts== |
| + | * [[Humphrey Bogart]] | ||
| + | * [[Claude Rains]] | ||
| + | * [[Otis Skinner]] | ||
| + | * [[Cornelia Otis Skinner]] | ||
| - | When the duo approached Erich Pommer about the story, Pommer tried to have them thrown out of his small Decla studio. But when they insisted on telling him their film story, Pommer was so impressed that he bought it on the spot, and agreed to have the film produced in [[expressionism|expressionistic]] style, partly as a concession to his studio only having a limited quota of power and light. | + | ==Births== |
| + | *January 20 - [[Federico Fellini]], film director (d. [[1993 in film|1993]]) | ||
| + | *January 20 - [[DeForest Kelley]], actor (d. [[1999 in film|1999]]) | ||
| + | *January 27 - [[John Box]], production designer, four-time [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] winner (d. [[2005 in film|2005]]) | ||
| + | *January 30 - [[Delbert Mann]], director | ||
| + | *February 11 - [[Billy Halop]], actor (d. [[1976 in film|1976]]) | ||
| + | *February 26 - [[Tony Randall]], actor (d. [[2004 in film|2004]]) | ||
| + | *March 16 - [[Leo McKern]], actor (d. [[2002 in film|2002]]) | ||
| + | *April 1 - [[Toshiro Mifune]], actor (d. [[1997 in film|1997]]) | ||
| + | *April 2 - [[Jack Webb]], actor (d. [[1982 in film|1982]]) | ||
| + | *May 11 - [[Denver Pyle]], actor (d. [[1997 in film|1997]]) | ||
| + | *May 16 - [[Martine Carol]], actress (d. [[1967 in film|1967]]) | ||
| + | *May 26 - [[Peggy Lee]], singer, songwriter, actress (d. [[2002 in film|2002]]) | ||
| + | *June 18 - [[Ian Carmichael]], English stage, film and television actor | ||
| + | *June 29 - [[Ray Harryhausen]], producer, visual effects artist | ||
| + | *August 6 - [[Ella Raines]], actress (d. [[1988 in film|1988]]) | ||
| + | *August 17 - [[Maureen O'Hara]], actress | ||
| + | *August 18 - [[Shelley Winters]], actress (d. [[2006 in film|2006]]) | ||
| + | *August 22 - [[Ray Bradbury]], writer | ||
| + | *September 18 - [[Jack Warden]], actor (d. [[2006 in film|2006]]) | ||
| + | *September 23 - [[Mickey Rooney]], actor | ||
| + | *September 27 - [[William Conrad]], actor (d. [[1994 in film|1994]]) | ||
| + | *September 27 - [[Jayne Meadows]], actress | ||
| + | *October 1 - [[Walter Matthau]], actor (d. [[2000 in film|2000]]) | ||
| + | *October 13 - [[Laraine Day]], actress (d. [[2008 in film|2008]]) | ||
| + | *October 17 - [[Montgomery Clift]], actor (d. [[1966 in film|1966]]) | ||
| + | *October 18 - [[Melina Mercouri]], actress (d. [[1994 in film|1994]]) | ||
| + | *October 21 - [[Hy Averback]], actor (d. [[1997 in film|1997]]) | ||
| + | *October 22 - [[Mitzi Green]], actress (d. [[1969 in film|1969]]) | ||
| + | *October 27 - [[Nanette Fabray]], actress | ||
| + | *November 2 - [[Ann Rutherford]], actress | ||
| + | *November 10 - [[Jennifer Holt]], actress (d. [[1997 in film|1997]]) | ||
| + | *November 19 - [[Gene Tierney]], actress (d. [[1991 in film|1991]]) | ||
| + | *November 25 - [[Ricardo Montalban]], actor (d. [[2009 in film|2009]]) | ||
| + | *November 30 - [[Virginia Mayo]], actress (d. [[2005 in film|2005]]) | ||
| + | *December 29 - [[Viveca Lindfors]], actress (d. [[1995 in film|1995]]) | ||
| + | *December 30 - [[Jack Lord]], actor (d. [[1998 in film|1998]]) | ||
| + | *December 31 – [[Rex Allen]], American cowboy actor, singer (d. 1999) | ||
| - | == See also == | + | ==Notable deaths== |
| - | *[[German Expressionism]] | + | |
| - | *''[[From Caligari to Hitler]]'' | + | |
| + | * February 4 Leo Delaney, 35, silent film actor | ||
| + | * February 11 [[Gaby Deslys]] 38, actress | ||
| - | == External Links == | + | * April 25 [[Clarine Seymour]] 21 American actress |
| - | *[http://www.brokenprojector.com/wordpress/?p=9 The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari at BrokenProjector.com] | + | |
| + | * May 22 Hal Reid 59 American actor & director(father of Wallace) | ||
| + | |||
| + | * June 14 [[Gabrielle Rejane]] 64 stage & film actress | ||
| + | |||
| + | * August 2 [[Ormer Locklear]] 29 American stunt flier. | ||
| + | |||
| + | * September 5 [[Robert Harron]] 27 American actor | ||
| + | |||
| + | * September 10 [[Olive Thomas]] 25 American actress | ||
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
| - | [[Category:Film as a Subversive Art]] | ||
Revision as of 19:00, 26 February 2010
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
The year 1920 in film involved some significant events.
Contents |
Events
- November 27 - The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks opens.
Top grossing films (U.S.)
| Rank | Title | Gross |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Way Down East - directed by D.W. Griffith | $5,000,000 |
| 2. | Over the Hill to the Poorhouse - directed by Harry F. Millarde | |
| 3. | Shipwrecked Among Cannibals | |
| 4. | Polyanna | |
| 5. | The Mark of Zorro | |
| 6. | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | |
| 7. | The Round-Up | |
| 8. | Double Speed | |
| 9. | Excuse My Dust |
Films released in 1920
- Algol, starring Emil Jannings
- Anna Boleyn, directed by Ernst Lubitsch
- The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, starring Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt and Lil Dagover.
- Convict 13, directed by and starring Buster Keaton
- The Common Sin, starring Rod La Rocque and Nita Naldi
- The Girl in Number 29, directed by John Ford
- The Golem: How He Came Into the World (Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam), starring and directed by Paul Wegener
- Die Todeskarawane, starring Dora Gerson and Bela Lugosi
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, starring John Barrymore
- Haunted Spooks, starring Harold Lloyd
- Herr och fru Stockholm, starring Greta Garbo
- High and Dizzy, starring Harold Lloyd
- Huckleberry Finn
- The Last of the Mohicans, starring Wallace Beery
- Love, Honor, and Behave, starring George O'Hara and Marie Prevost
- The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks
- The $1,000,000 Reward
- Neighbors, directed by and starring Buster Keaton
- One Week, directed by and starring Buster Keaton
- Over the Hill to the Poorhouse
- The Penalty, starring Lon Chaney
- Pollyanna, starring Mary Pickford -(film only mentioned in article)
- The Saphead, directed by and starring Buster Keaton
- The Scarecrow, directed by and starring Buster Keaton
- Shipwrecked Among Cannibals documentary film
- Stolen Moments, starring Rudolph Valentino
- Way Down East, starring Lillian Gish
- Within Our Gates, directed by Oscar Micheaux, starring Evelyn Preer
Short film series
- Harold Lloyd (1913–1951)
- Charlie Chaplin (1914-1960s)
- Buster Keaton (1917–1941)
Animated short film series
- Felix the Cat (1919–1936)
- Koko the Clown (1919–1934)
Film Debuts
Births
- January 20 - Federico Fellini, film director (d. 1993)
- January 20 - DeForest Kelley, actor (d. 1999)
- January 27 - John Box, production designer, four-time Oscar winner (d. 2005)
- January 30 - Delbert Mann, director
- February 11 - Billy Halop, actor (d. 1976)
- February 26 - Tony Randall, actor (d. 2004)
- March 16 - Leo McKern, actor (d. 2002)
- April 1 - Toshiro Mifune, actor (d. 1997)
- April 2 - Jack Webb, actor (d. 1982)
- May 11 - Denver Pyle, actor (d. 1997)
- May 16 - Martine Carol, actress (d. 1967)
- May 26 - Peggy Lee, singer, songwriter, actress (d. 2002)
- June 18 - Ian Carmichael, English stage, film and television actor
- June 29 - Ray Harryhausen, producer, visual effects artist
- August 6 - Ella Raines, actress (d. 1988)
- August 17 - Maureen O'Hara, actress
- August 18 - Shelley Winters, actress (d. 2006)
- August 22 - Ray Bradbury, writer
- September 18 - Jack Warden, actor (d. 2006)
- September 23 - Mickey Rooney, actor
- September 27 - William Conrad, actor (d. 1994)
- September 27 - Jayne Meadows, actress
- October 1 - Walter Matthau, actor (d. 2000)
- October 13 - Laraine Day, actress (d. 2008)
- October 17 - Montgomery Clift, actor (d. 1966)
- October 18 - Melina Mercouri, actress (d. 1994)
- October 21 - Hy Averback, actor (d. 1997)
- October 22 - Mitzi Green, actress (d. 1969)
- October 27 - Nanette Fabray, actress
- November 2 - Ann Rutherford, actress
- November 10 - Jennifer Holt, actress (d. 1997)
- November 19 - Gene Tierney, actress (d. 1991)
- November 25 - Ricardo Montalban, actor (d. 2009)
- November 30 - Virginia Mayo, actress (d. 2005)
- December 29 - Viveca Lindfors, actress (d. 1995)
- December 30 - Jack Lord, actor (d. 1998)
- December 31 – Rex Allen, American cowboy actor, singer (d. 1999)
Notable deaths
- February 4 Leo Delaney, 35, silent film actor
- February 11 Gaby Deslys 38, actress
- April 25 Clarine Seymour 21 American actress
- May 22 Hal Reid 59 American actor & director(father of Wallace)
- June 14 Gabrielle Rejane 64 stage & film actress
- August 2 Ormer Locklear 29 American stunt flier.
- September 5 Robert Harron 27 American actor
- September 10 Olive Thomas 25 American actress
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "1920 in film" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
