Der Krieger und die Kaiserin

I watched this beautiful and strange film this past week and the more I think about it the more intrigued and charmed I am by it. The performances are superb and it's all in the most wonderful saturated colors. I can't really explain what it's about without giving too much away, but suffice to say it's a meditation on fate, life, love and the pursuit of happiness and a real gem of a film.

Du musst Caligari werden

Last night I watched The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari for the first time and I can definitely recommend it. Directed by Robert Wiene in 1920, the film is a masterpiece of German Expressionism, not to mention creepy as all hell. Conrad Veidt's performance as the somnambulist Cesare was terrifying--when he awakens from his slumber (shot of it above), it is one of the most bone-chilling moments of cinema I have witnessed. His heavy makeup, dark costume, and trembling, inhuman facial and body movements make for a spectacle so frightening that even Lil Dagover's overwrought performance as Jane seems justified. For those of us who don't buy into the whole "gore is scary" thing that seems so popular these days, it's a perfect Halloween thriller. Go watch it!