CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, THE [DAS CABINET DES DR. CALIGARI] (1921) – 1

Vintage original 11 x 14″ (28 x 36 cm.) lobby card, USA. Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, dir: Robert Wiene; Goldwyn. The first great masterpiece of the horror film genre, and a groundwork film of German Expressionist cinema — with every set handpainted, their distorted lines and shapes echoing the nightmarishness of this famous film.

The story is about Caligari, a rather dubious “doctor” who sets up a tent show to exhibit his attraction: Cesare, the 23-year-old somnambulist, always in a trance, who can tell fortunes. Caligari, in fact, has total control over Cesare, and begins ordering him to go commit murders while sleepwalking.

This card depicts one of the most famous images in early silent horror film history — two visitors examine the somnambulist, who is seemingly in a kind of coma, as the sinister Caligari watches on the right. Originally trimmed on its top and right and left sides, and paper conservator Mario Cueva added the required stock paper to fill in the missing blank margins, along with tissue support which went minutely into the image. The card now looks great, and it is an almost impossibly rare piece, so another copy could take a lifetime to find. GOOD-VERY GOOD.