It wasn’t a glossy Hollywood movie that packed the Mayfair full of spectators last weekend—instead, it was a nearly century-old silent horror film featuring a live musical accompaniment by musical trio Odditory.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a masterwork of German expressionism, a short-lived but highly influential cinematic movement that emerged in Germany in the 1920s. This mode of filmmaking, divorced from realism is radical. It uses nightmarishly surreal sets, grotesque characters, unreliable storytelling and of course murder to convey a lingering mood of distorted dread.
A sleepwalking killer stalks the spiralling streets and alleys of Holstenwall, oblivious of his hunt for a new victim. The protagonist, Francis, will stop at nothing to apprehend this shadowy butcher, but upon further inspection it seems as though the mysterious Dr. Caligari has something to do with the murders. The film progresses into a dreary and decadent catalogue of madness and defied expectations.
This cinematic fever dream is twistedly atmospheric in its aesthetics; however, in the silent era most films had some sort of musical accompaniment, be it a piano off to the side or a full orchestra.
At the Mayfair, the sounds playing alongside Caligari came from of a variety of esoteric instruments in the hands of the talented Odditory.
Eric Ross delivered a spellbinding and unsettling performance that was vaguely reminiscent of the sounds of early sci-fi on the first electronic instrument—the theremin. Jesse Stewart shuffled through an assortment of unusual instruments ranging from modified painting supplies to the waterphone. Edmund Eagan was on the continuum keyboard.
“You might have seen The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in film studies, on Turner Classic Movies, or maybe you rented at the the library, but you’ve never seen it like you will tonight,” Lee Demarbre, the Mayfair’s co-owner & programmer, said. “I saw it last night, and I still haven’t seen it like tonight, because every performance has different nuances.”
Working together these musicians perfectly complimented the unnatural and eerie tone of the film—ultimately their efforts elevated the movie going experience into something unforgettable. The band received thunderous applause and chanting after the movie finished.
“When we purchased the Mayfair we took over a failing business because no one wanted to see movies here. We had think up a whole bunch of crazy ideas that would draw people into our seats,” says Demarbre. “Years ago we started playing silent movies with music over them because we thought it would be different and it brings out lots of fans, it’ was sort of a trendy thing to do, places like the Alamo Drafthouse were doing it. We do very little promotion of our own, but the fans keep coming in numbers to see silent movies.”
With Halloween just around the corner, and a runtime spanning a mere 80 minutes, treat yourself to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari—a milestone of moviemaking that’s talked about glowingly by film professors and hipsters alike.
