In 1931 horror was at its height with films such as Frankenstein, Dracula and The Wolf-man all hitting the big screen one after another to much praise. However the most influential horror films came a decade prior around 1920. Films like Nosferatu lead to the creation of the film Dracula and 1925’s The Monster laid the seeds for the eventual Frankenstein movie. And then there’s the most important film possibly ever made… 1921’s The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari.
For those who have never watched it The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari follows a hypnotist, Dr. Caligari who awakens a sleepwalker by the name of Cesare played by Conrad Veidt. Under the Dr. ‘s influence Cesare sets off on a killing spree of massive proportions. The movie is a German, black and white, silent film. The sets and backgrounds are all contorted and given sharp edges and fixtures to add to the insanity of the plot. It was even reported during the scene where Cesare awakens, multiple people left the theaters hysterically screaming at the horror they had just witnessed.
Seven years later Universal Pictures was set on releasing an adaptation of the book The Man Who Laughs, with Paul Leni set to direct. Horror icon Lon Chaney was approached to be the lead character Gwynplaine however he declined in favor of pursuing other roles. Without a lead director Paul Leni pitched Conrad Veidt to Universal as the lead, with his reasoning being Veidt’s performance as Cesare. Universal was on board with the idea and filming went ahead.
The Man Who Laughs is also a black and white, silent film. It follows Gwynplaine, a man who had his face surgically altered to have a grin at all times for his fathers mistakes. As an adult he lives life as a traveling circus clown referred to as The Laughing Man. Gwynplaine becomes romantically involved with a blind woman named Dia, although he feels like he is not good enough for her due to his disfigurement. The movie received critical praise as well as Conrad Veidt’s creepy but sympathetic character portrayal.
Fast forward to the year 1940 and Issue 1 of Batman is released to the public. In the inaugural issue is the first appearance of The Joker. When coming up with the character artist Bob Kane drew the first sketch of the character. Jerry Robinson decided to give the Joker an assortment of playing cards as his gimmick. And Bill Finger decided the character should look and take different aspects from Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs. In 2005 DC Comics even released a Joker centered graphic novel titled The Man Who Laughs.
The connection of Batman and 1920´s horror doesn’t stop there. The 1926 silent movie The Bat became the inspiration for Batman himself. And in the 1992 Tim Burton film Batman Returns, Christopher Walken plays a villain named Max Shreck. Max Shreck was also the name of the actor who played Nosferatu.
Film is a beautiful art form, not because of the special effects, large casts, the sets, or the makeup. What makes movies beautiful is the lasting influence a black and white, silent film can have after 100 years. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it led to the creations of so many other projects. Projects that you may love and enjoy to this day. It’s incredibly interesting to learn about the connections and links movies of the past have with movies of today. What’s old is certainly new again.