Das Cabinett des Dr. Caligari/ The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920), oversized single weight, silver gelatin, matt finish photograph, first US release (1921)

Das Cabinett des Dr. Caligari/ The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920), oversized single weight, silver gelatin, matt finish photograph, first US release (1921)

Unframed: 11 x 14 in. (28 x 36 cm)

Framed: 16 1/4 x 19 1/4 in. (41.2 x 49 cm)

These very rare oversized photographs from this 1920 masterpiece hardly ever surface.

This famous German silent horror film, directed by Robert Wiene, is considered the ultimate work of German Expressionist cinema. It tells the story of an insane hypnotist, Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss) who uses Cesare (Conrad Veidt), a sleepwalker, to commit murders. The film contains all the qualities of German Expressionist cinema - it is dark and twisted, with distorted imagery, unusual angles, curving lines, and unconventional perspectives. All this creates a very unnerving feel and a true work of art. Wiene said of Dr. Caligari: "The film must be crazy from the beginning - in every way. Nothing must be normal... and then it will work. Whether the press then tear us apart or whether it is a great success, we shall see. But either way, it's worth it."