MovieChat Forums > Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (1920) Discussion > Scene repeated in Babes in Toyland?

Scene repeated in Babes in Toyland?

posted 12 years ago by JackBluegrass
2 replies | jump to latest

Dr. Caligari steps down from a cottage near the beginning of the film.

That descent and Caligari's weird appearance reminded me of the (Silas?) Barnaby character in the much-later Laurel & Hardy classic, Babes in Toyland (1934), also called "March of the Wooden Soldiers".

Barnaby is played by German actor Henry Kleinbach. Barnaby's scary descent - with an evil look left and right - from a cottage in the wood reminded me of Caligari doing that same thing.

Did anyone notice that?

[–] BillyFisher 12 years ago

I don't know if it was deliberate, but I was reminded of Babes in Toyland, too.

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[–] JackBluegrass 12 years ago

Billy, thanks for your comment. It was the only one received.

In the 1910s up to the early 1930s, Hollywood lagged behind Britain, Europe, and Russia in the technical and creative aspects of filmmaking. So, Hwood's strategy was kidnapping errr....luring their directors, cinematographers, writers, and technicians to the U.S. Left Coast. Sort of like today's tech companies doing mergers and acquisitions to bring needed talent on board.

I have been watching silent 1920s and early 1930s films from Europe on Netflix DVDs. Many scenes from those early classics were baldly copied in later Hollywood productions.

Stupid!?! I never called you stupid! To call you stupid would be an insult to stupid people!