Dr. Caligari (film)
Encyclopedia
Dr. Caligari is a 1989 cult film
by Stephen Sayadian
starring Madeleine Reynal
, Laura Albert, Gene Zerna, David Parry and Jennifer Balgobin. The film details a disturbed doctor and her illegal experiments on her patients.
Originally, and briefly, billed as Dr. Caligari 3000 when it debuted at selected theaters in 1989, the film promptly faded into obscurity and was only released on VHS
and limited Betamax
formats as Dr. Caligari. The film was also released in America on Laserdisc
by Image Home Entertainment. The Image laserdisc is, however, very rare, and is extremely expensive when found. The film is considered a cult classic and has been shown as a "Midnight Movie" at various times.
housewife, are the primary subjects of her mindswapping. Mrs. van Houten becomes the cannibal and Mr. Pratt the nymphomaniac; although, they seem to still retain some elements of themselves as well. Apparently Caligari's unconventional idea is to cure people by introducing equally opposite traits to balance out disturbed minds, but this is never implicitly stated in the film. Several other doctors, a married couple Mr & Mrs. Lodger, become concerned with Caligari's experiments and approach Mrs. Lodgers father Dr. Avol who confronts Caligari only to fall victim to her mindswapping and receives an injection of Mrs. Van Houtens fluid turning him into a transvestite nymphomaniac. Sex is a very prominent theme throughout the movie, especially for Mrs. Van Houten who appears topless and performs masturbation at several points, but there are no hard core graphic scenes as this was released as an R rated feature. By the end of the film Mrs. Van Houten has injected Dr. Caligari with her own nymphomanical fluid and herself with Caligari's ancestor's (the original Dr. Caligari from the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari)thus the patient becomes the doctor, the doctor becomes the patient and the inmates are left running the asylum.
"feel" to the film as well as a touch of David Cronenberg's Videodrome
. The scene where Mrs. Van Houten speaks to a glamorous image of herself on the T.V. clearly reminds one of Debbie Harry
as Nicki in Videodrome licking her lips and enticing James Woods
. Many of the special effects, such as the fleshy wall with open sores and a giant tongue, leave one feeling uneasy much in the way some people react to scenes in Lynch's films. Overall, the look of the film is an unmistakable product of the 1980s and represents a good juncture point to where film was heading at the end of the 1980s.
Excalibur Films, despite mostly dealing with porn films, currently distributes this film on DVD. The reason is that Excalibur Films was formed by the film's executive producer.
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
by Stephen Sayadian
Stephen Sayadian
Stephen Sayadian, also known as Rinse Dream is a writer, production-designer and director active in the 1980s and 1990s. His films and videoshave a small but rabid cult following throughout the United States and Europe...
starring Madeleine Reynal
Madeleine Reynal
Madeleine Reynal is an actress who starred in director Stephen Sayadian's 1989 film Dr. Caligari.- External links :...
, Laura Albert, Gene Zerna, David Parry and Jennifer Balgobin. The film details a disturbed doctor and her illegal experiments on her patients.
Originally, and briefly, billed as Dr. Caligari 3000 when it debuted at selected theaters in 1989, the film promptly faded into obscurity and was only released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and limited Betamax
Betamax
Betamax was a consumer-level analog videocassette magnetic tape recording format developed by Sony, released on May 10, 1975. The cassettes contain -wide videotape in a design similar to the earlier, professional wide, U-matic format...
formats as Dr. Caligari. The film was also released in America on Laserdisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
by Image Home Entertainment. The Image laserdisc is, however, very rare, and is extremely expensive when found. The film is considered a cult classic and has been shown as a "Midnight Movie" at various times.
Plot
The main plot involves Dr. Caligari's experiments with her patients at C.I.A (Caligari Insane Asylum) where she transfers glandular brain fluids from one patient to another. Two of her main patients, Mr. Pratt, a cannibalistic serial killer, and Mrs. Van Houten, a nymphomanicalSexual addiction
Sexual addiction is a popular model to explain hypersexuality—sexual urges, behaviors, or thoughts that appear extreme in frequency or feel out of one's control...
housewife, are the primary subjects of her mindswapping. Mrs. van Houten becomes the cannibal and Mr. Pratt the nymphomaniac; although, they seem to still retain some elements of themselves as well. Apparently Caligari's unconventional idea is to cure people by introducing equally opposite traits to balance out disturbed minds, but this is never implicitly stated in the film. Several other doctors, a married couple Mr & Mrs. Lodger, become concerned with Caligari's experiments and approach Mrs. Lodgers father Dr. Avol who confronts Caligari only to fall victim to her mindswapping and receives an injection of Mrs. Van Houtens fluid turning him into a transvestite nymphomaniac. Sex is a very prominent theme throughout the movie, especially for Mrs. Van Houten who appears topless and performs masturbation at several points, but there are no hard core graphic scenes as this was released as an R rated feature. By the end of the film Mrs. Van Houten has injected Dr. Caligari with her own nymphomanical fluid and herself with Caligari's ancestor's (the original Dr. Caligari from the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari)thus the patient becomes the doctor, the doctor becomes the patient and the inmates are left running the asylum.
Production
The movie was filmed entirely inside of large studios in a bizarre landscape combination of both artificial outdoor and indoor scenes merged together. Windows and doors hang in mid-air against all black backgrounds. and vegetation grows inside of rooms. Much of this is done to give the audience an insight into the disturbed minds of both Dr. Caligari (Madeleine Reynall) and her patients. The overdramatic, stylistic acting is amusing and pokes fun at cliches and stereotypes and thus it has the film play out as an artistc performance piece rather than a standard film.Critical reaction
Surprisingly, considering its outrageous approach, the film received excellent reviews in the mainstream press (LA Times, Entertainment Weekly, NY Post, Seattle Times, etc.) and was selected as an opening night feature at the Toronto Film Festival. Many fans of the film have cited both a strong David LynchDavid Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
"feel" to the film as well as a touch of David Cronenberg's Videodrome
Videodrome
Videodrome is a 1983 Canadian science fiction body horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg, starring James Woods, Sonja Smits, and singer Deborah Harry. Set in Toronto during the early 1980s, it follows the CEO of a small cable station who stumbles upon a broadcast signal featuring...
. The scene where Mrs. Van Houten speaks to a glamorous image of herself on the T.V. clearly reminds one of Debbie Harry
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
as Nicki in Videodrome licking her lips and enticing James Woods
James Woods
James Howard Woods is an American film, stage and television actor. Woods is known for starring in critically acclaimed films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Salvador, Nixon, Ghosts of Mississippi, Casino, and in the television legal drama Shark. He has won three Emmy Awards, and has gained...
. Many of the special effects, such as the fleshy wall with open sores and a giant tongue, leave one feeling uneasy much in the way some people react to scenes in Lynch's films. Overall, the look of the film is an unmistakable product of the 1980s and represents a good juncture point to where film was heading at the end of the 1980s.
Availability
The film is considered collectible and can still be found in VHS or occasionally Laserdisc format on-line from auction sites such as E-bay and used copies are sometimes offered at Amazon.com.Excalibur Films, despite mostly dealing with porn films, currently distributes this film on DVD. The reason is that Excalibur Films was formed by the film's executive producer.
External links
- Dr. Caligari page at Excalibur Films