Shutter Island - Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (1920) Discussion

[–] chaseredbat 14 years ago

there were a lot of similarities... but then again this movie was basically the inspiration for every psychological thriller made after it. so yes, shutter island was clearly inspired by this film, as were countless other movies.

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[–] Chefeetaboopers 8 years ago

That's sorta a big stretch to say EVERY SINGLE PSYCHOLOGICAL MOVIE EVER MADE IN THE HISTORY OF MAN WAS INSPIRED BY THIS MOVIE. Yes, because no one has imagination or creativity or a mind smart enough to come up with psychological thriller movies on their own without needing to watch this one. Sure, I have no doubt that tons of movies were inspired by it, but not everyone has seen this movie and not everyone finds inspiration in the same thing. It's definitely unique and new for its time, but your quote over-exaggerated just a tiny bit.

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[–] TwilightandShadow 14 years ago

I just watched this movie and yes, I was thinking about it being an inspiration for Shutter Island. So I came to the IMDb board to see if anyone talked about this and I saw this thread, lol.

Normal is not something to aspire to, it's something to get away from.

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[–] loyal_lumpling 14 years ago

I think this film might've been the first case of that type of plot twist, which yes, crops up everywhere now, including Shutter Island. SI is definitely more like this then some, in as far as the setting etc, but it might not even realize it's been inspired by this film. I think this film just started the trend that other films now often follow.

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[–] TwilightandShadow 14 years ago

You're probably right. It's more likely that I saw the resemblance in idea by watching these 2 movies during the same year, but that doesn't mean it was directly inspired by Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

Normal is not something to aspire to, it's something to get away from.

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[–] vicsju1991 13 years ago

a little over a year later, and I had th exact same thought lol
My Name is Lucifer, Please Take my Hand

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[–] SpideyFan914 14 years ago

Yeah, I thought of that too, haha. If Scorcese had come up with Shutter Island himself, I'd point out that he's almost definitely seen this movie, being that he is a seventy-something film buff and Caligari is an essential among serious film buffs. However, Shutter Island is based off a book, and I don't know anything about the author.

That said, it was still probably indirectly inspired, because, yes, they do use that kind of twist a lot nowadays, though perhaps not to quite the same extent and appeal as in Caligari and Shutter Island. Also, Scorcese probably drew the connection. Perhaps that's where those crazy dream sequences came from. I wonder if you can connect any of the shots.

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[–] mishenkamh 13 years ago

Yeah, definitely. I must admit I've seen Shutter Island long before this classic. Now it seems strange because somehow I was expecting this kind of twist at least half way through the film and when Francis came to the mental asylum I immediately thought of Scorsese.
The same with Cesare, from the moment he opened his eyes, all I could think of was Edward Scissorhands, though, it was Tim Burton who got inspired by Conrad Veidt's portrayal and not the other way round.
It's a shame I always find the old movies like this much too late so I sort of spoil them for myself.

What keeps you up nights, Mr. Dillinger?
Coffee.

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[–] cpbvk 13 years ago

The author of "Shutter Island" claims not to have seen "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" before writing the book, but there are definitely strong similarities. It's certain that he was inspired by it indirectly.

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[–] Humlon 11 years ago

Exactly what I thought.

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[–] Forlorn_Rage 9 years ago

I was thinking more along the lines of The Usual Suspects(1995).

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[–] Ayala1982 9 years ago

Exactly what I had in mind. I'm sure Scorsese was influented by it.
BTW Shutter Island is one of the few movies I rated 9. Still not sure how to rate this one, though.

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