Faust & The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
with live score by The Invincible Czars
Saturday, October 10th at 7 PM
$25 Public | $20 Members

In 2026, The Invincible Czars celebrate 100 years of the silent masterpiece Faust with a brand-new electrifying score that marries new and old elements of classical music, bossa nova, and even a touch of heavy metal to bring the movie to life for contemporary audiences, incorporating a mix of instruments including flute, violin, and electric guitar. This special program pairs Faust with another landmark of German Expressionist cinema, Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

Faust (1926)
In one of the great achievements of German silent cinema, F.W. Murnau brought Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s legendary tale of temptation, damnation, and redemption to the screen with breathtaking visual imagination. Gösta Ekman stars as the aging alchemist Faust, who, desperate to save his plague-stricken village, enters into a pact with the devilish Mephisto (Emil Jannings) in exchange for youth and the power to fulfill his desires. But Faust’s pursuit of pleasure ultimately leads him to Gretchen (Camilla Horn), with tragic consequences for them both. Murnau’s final German film is a monumental showcase of Expressionist design, elaborate sets, astonishing special effects, and some of the most inventive camerawork of the silent era. At once spectacular and deeply spiritual, Faust transforms the classic “deal with the devil” story into a haunting meditation on temptation, guilt, forgiveness, and the redemptive power of love. (Germany, 1926, 106 mins, NR, Silent w/ English intertitles | Dir. F.W. Murnau)

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
In one of the most influential films of the silent era, Werner Krauss plays the title character, a sinister hypnotist who travels the carnival circuit displaying a somnambulist named Cesare (Conrad Veidt). In one tiny German town, a series of murders coincides with Dr. Caligari's visit, implicating the mad hypnotist and his somnambulist. Caligari's Expressionist style ultimately helped inspire the dark shadows and sharp angles of the film noir urban crime dramas of the 1940s, many of which were directed by such German émigrés as Billy Wilder and Robert Siodmak. The haunting synth-heavy score provided by The Invincible Czars’ for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari helps to craft the atmosphere of a warped world of fear and menace. (Germany, 1920, 76 Mins, NR, Silent w/ English intertitles | Dir. Robert Wiene)