Directed by:
Friedrich Wilhelm MurnauScreenplay:
Henrik GaleenVOD (1)
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In this first-ever screen adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a simple real-estate transaction leads an intrepid businessman deep into the superstitious heart of Transylvania. There he encounters the otherworldly Count Orlok — portrayed by the legendary Max Schreck, in a performance the very backstory of which has spawned its own mythology — who soon after embarks upon a cross-continental voyage to take up residence in a distant new land… and establish his ambiguous dominion. As to whether the count’s campaign against the plague-wracked populace erupts from satanic decree, erotic compulsion, or the simple impulse of survival — that remains, perhaps, the greatest mystery of all in this film that’s like a blackout… (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (7)
A love of black-and-white images that whisper their bizarre messages and prophecy into the quiet. The twisted world of the maniac Caligari and the creeping threat of the vampire Nosferatu. Undoubtedly the most suggestive treatment of the Dracula myth – precisely because evil cannot speak, precisely because it has only two colors. Nosferatu aka Orlock aka the mysterious Max Schreck is not only a cinematic creature, he is the perfect embodiment of evil and destruction, death, a hunch of the future destruction of the German nation. This film doesn't have weak moments. It doesn't scare intensely, but it's one long case of filmmaking enjoyment that doesn't need expensive effects to captivate the viewer with its emotionality and atmosphere. This is film in its raw form. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a film.
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If I compare Nosferatu and its genre and artistic similarity to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, I like the former a bit better, which together with The Cabinet represents the top works of German Expressionism in film. I'm not that familiar with Bram Stoker's book, so I wouldn't have registered any substantive difference from the source material, which was said to be the result of copyright issues. After watching the film, there were definitely a few memorable scenes that stuck in my mind, like Count Orlok rising from the grave like a plank, or his shadow on the stairs.
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First of all, I have to say that seeing Nosferatu the Vampire at the Scala in Brno with the absolutely amazing musical accompaniment of Ensemble Marijan was a great experience, and I envy the people of Brno that the student project kinẽma musica was created there and that it is thriving. As far as the film is concerned, sure, it's a rather entertaining film from today's perspective, especially when it comes to the acting of Gustav Von Wangenheim, for example, but it does have moments where all the fun goes by the wayside. For example, Orlok's murder of the ship's crew is an exemplary horror, and the ending with the shadow groping for the door and then for the heart of the beautiful Ellen.
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The horror is not induced by scare scenes but by a superbly built atmosphere and, above all, unique shots and scenes. Absolutely unforgettable are essentially all scenes featuring Orlok, whether as a coachman, a landlord, or as a vampire. The shadows cast by Orlok are among the most haunting in horror film history.
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The film indeed exudes ideas, but unfortunately Nosferatu is evidence that some movies will only remain for future generations as a depiction of "how things were done back then". I can't take Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's creation seriously in any way and I can't imagine myself ever watching it again, even though I fully appreciate its role in history.
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