Dates & times
All times are local to the venue · America/Chicago
- 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
These are the previously published dates. Check the organizer for a new edition.
Check the organizer’s latest schedule ↗The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari at AMFA: Film and German Expressionism
In The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, the setting does more than frame the story: angular architecture and fractured perspective help make uncertainty part of what the film communicates. Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts screens the 1920 work on Nov. 11 while its exhibition The Age of Anxiety: German Expressionism in Art and Film is on view.
A mystery shaped by its visual world
A mysterious showman named Dr. Caligari presents Cesare, a man who sleepwalks and makes unsettling predictions. A series of murders in a small town draws the two into a troubling mystery. The film’s dreamlike settings and disrupted perspective reinforce its atmosphere of doubt and psychological unease; AMFA describes it as a landmark of horror and suspense.
Directed by Robert Wiene and written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer, the 1920 film is a defining work of silent German Expressionist cinema. Its listed runtime is 1 hour, 17 minutes. The event listing does not specify whether the screening includes musical accompaniment or another special presentation format.
Further reading: Art on Film: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗
The gallery puts cinema beside other media
AMFA’s The Age of Anxiety: German Expressionism in Art and Film considers artistic responses to the political and economic upheaval Germany faced after World War I. It brings paintings and graphic works into conversation with imagery from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu (1921) and Metropolis (1927), films that carried the era’s tensions into horror and science-fiction cinema.
The listed works span different dates and materials. Albert Bloch’s Duell (Duel) is a 1912 oil painting; Käthe Kollwitz’s In Memoriam Karl Liebknecht is a 1920 woodcut; and Hans-Siebert von Heister’s Zorn (Anger) is a 1920 oil painting. Otto Dix’s Nebel am Abend (Fog in the Evening), from 1922, uses watercolor and gouache. That range gives visitors more than film stills to consider: the exhibition brings cinema into a gallery conversation with works made in other forms.
Further reading: The Age of Anxiety: German Expressionism in Art and Film – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗
Three AMFA staff members introduce the film
Before the screening, Dr. Catherine Walworth, AMFA’s Jackye and Curtis Finch, Jr. Curator of Drawings; Chad Bradford, director of Children’s Theatre and Performing Arts; and Kiera Smithson, performing arts manager, are scheduled to give a brief presentation. AMFA says it will address the film’s historical context, artistic innovations and influence on cinema.
The exhibition calendar also offers later ways to follow the connection between art and film: Art Insights: The Intersection of Art and Film is listed for Nov. 19, from 6 to 7 p.m., in the Amerine/Calhoun Glass Box. AMFA has also scheduled a free screening of Metropolis for Jan. 8, 2027, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., in the Performing Arts Theater.
Further reading: Art on Film: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗ · The Age of Anxiety: German Expressionism in Art and Film – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗
The screening sequence
AMFA gives 6:30–8 p.m. as the event window, with a brief staff presentation followed by The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). The introduction has no separate published start time or duration; the film itself is listed at 1 hour, 17 minutes.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026 · Performing Arts Theater, Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts
- Brief presentation by Dr. Catherine Walworth, Chad Bradford and Kiera Smithson, followed by a screening of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). The presentation has no separately stated start time.
Plan the evening
Wednesday, Nov. 11, at AMFA
The event runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Performing Arts Theater at Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. The screening is part of that event window; the film’s listed runtime is 1 hour, 17 minutes.
Art on Film: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗
Free; confirm reservation requirements
AMFA lists the event as free and links to its ticketing system. The ticket listing does not establish whether an advance reservation is required. For confirmation, contact Guest Services at 501.372.4000 or [email protected].
Art on Film: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗ · Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗ · Hours & Information – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗
Recommended for ages 13 and up
AMFA recommends the film for ages 13 and older and lists it as not rated. The event information does not say whether the screening will include musical accompaniment.
Art on Film: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗
See the galleries before the screening
AMFA’s Wednesday hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., the same closing time as this event’s listed end. If you want to visit galleries as well, plan that part of the visit before the screening.
Art on Film: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗ · Hours & Information – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗
Museum-wide accommodations
Wheelchairs are available at Guest Services on a first-come, first-served basis. Walkers, canes, crutches and other mobility aids are permitted throughout the museum; portable stools are available for gallery use. Booster seats can be obtained at the Guest Services Desk in the Atrium across from the Performing Arts Theater.
Getting to AMFA
Address and parking
The event is in the Performing Arts Theater at Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 501 East Ninth Street, Little Rock, AR 72202. AMFA lists free on-site parking.
Art on Film: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗ · Hours & Information – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗
Public transit
Little Rock METRO Route 6 serves Commerce Street, which AMFA identifies as a nearby transit stop. The museum’s map link can calculate directions from your starting point.
Before you make a plan
Does the film have a live musical accompaniment?
AMFA’s event information does not specify whether the screening includes accompaniment or another special presentation format.
Art on Film: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗
How long is the film?
AMFA lists a runtime of 1 hour, 17 minutes. The full event window is 6:30–8 p.m. and includes a brief introduction.
Art on Film: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗
Do I need to reserve a ticket?
AMFA lists admission as free and links to its ticketing system, but the available event listing does not say whether a reservation is required. Contact Guest Services to confirm.
Art on Film: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗ · Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗ · Hours & Information – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗
Can I see the related exhibition on another day?
Yes. The free exhibition is scheduled to remain in the Harriet and Warren Stephens Family Gallery through Jan. 10, 2027.
The Age of Anxiety: German Expressionism in Art and Film – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗ · Hours & Information – Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts ↗
Location & Google Maps
Performing Arts Theater, Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts
501 East Ninth Street, Little Rock, AR 72202
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.