Press Release | Berlin, 12/09/2013

Bertelsmann Sponsors Restoration of Silent Film Classic “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”

• New version to premiere at Berlinale 2014
• Thomas Rabe: preservation of important European cinematic heritage

The international media and services company Bertelsmann is partnering with the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation to sponsor the digital restoration of one of the most important German silent movies: “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.” Directed by Robert Wiene, the 1920 movie is regarded as a prototype of expressionist film and a milestone in film history. With its image quality and historical coloring restored, including the expressionist title cards, the silent movie from the Murnau Foundation’s stocks can once again do full justice to its importance. The restoration, whose main sponsor is Bertelsmann, marks the first time that all the historic material handed down is being used. The musical accompaniment will be newly designed; ZDF has commissioned the U.S. jazz musician John Zorn, known for his avant-garde arrangements. The restored version of “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” will be premiered in the Grand Ballroom of Berlin’s Philharmonie on 9 February 2014 at the 64th International Film Festival in Berlin. The Stiftung Deutsche Kinemathek is a co-sponsor of the presentation at the Berlinale Classics.

“Bertelsmann has a long tradition in film, and the preservation of Europe’s film heritage is a priority for the company,” says Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe. “Facilitating the restoration of a jewel of film history like ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' fits well with this.” He pointed out that since 2011, Bertelsmann has hosted the annual “UFA Filmnächte” (“UFA Film Nights”), open-air screenings of silent movie classics accompanied by live music, adding that the event has developed into a real crowd-pleaser.

The Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation has been digitally restoring “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” since the beginning of the year, in cooperation with partners including a specialized replication lab in Bologna. Past versions of the movie are based on various contemporary rental copies that show according wear and tear and loss of photographic quality. The previously unused negative from the German Federal Film Archive (Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv) now offers the possibility of creating a new version of the movie with significantly improved image quality. Digital restoration makes it possible to produce a digital master of the movie, which is suitable for all forms of exploitation including DVD and Blu-ray, TV broadcast and distribution in movie theaters.

About Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann is an international media company whose core divisions encompass television (RTL Group), book publishing (Penguin Random House), magazine publishing (Gruner + Jahr), services (Arvato), and printing (Be Printers) in some 50 countries. In 2012, the company’s businesses, with their more than 100,000 employees, generated revenues of €16.1 billion. Bertelsmann stands for a combination of creativity and entrepreneurship that empowers the creation of first-rate media, communications, and service offerings to inspire people around the world and to provide innovative solutions for customers.