Freshmen year of college was great. I really enjoyed the film history class, but there was one disadvantage to the first semester. It took a long time to get through silent films, and frankly a lot of them can be really, really boring in long spurts.

Then we got to (96 year old) Caligari. This movie pulled me in so well right out of the gate. I'm not exactly Mr. Abstract Love, but something about German Expressionism really works for me. I think it is because it always has a direct purpose that I believe is truly planned in advance.

All of the sets in this work so well. You get a sense of a broader set idea, even though it is clearly on a small stage most of the time. The jagged lines, sharp edges, and "color" usage all add to your sense of the feeling in frame.

As far as acting, I love the guy who plays Caligari. Such a creepy old man done so well with his happy little evil laughs. Then when he is pretending to be a civil, high class man he has a great walk and look with the fake attempts. Second, the somnambulist plays a waking scene perfectly. He manages to make a guy opening his eyes to the camera for a long period of time interesting and engaging. That is just amazing.

So yea, going through some boring ones to get to this was awesome. It helps show that silence doesn't make a film worse. Sometimes it can be used for great purpose, and this is a fine example.