NOSFERATU (1922)

Nosferatu, that name alone can chill the blood. Does it not sound like the call of a deathbird? Nosferatu is probably one of the luckiest films of all time. All copies were ordered destroyed after F.W Murnau failed to acquire filming rights for Dracula. He had changed the story just enough to seperate it from Stoker's story. Florence Stoker, his widow, noticed more than enough similarity as far as she was concerned. If this bitch (and I use the word passionately) was successful in her bid to wipe this film out, the world would have lost a great piece of art. Thanks to bootleggers and maybe film collectors, the movie did survive and can now be found in most DVD bargain bins often in varying degree's of quality. There seem to be three versions (63, 83, and 93 minutes) but if I had to reccomend one, I'd pick up the KINO ON VIDEO version which contains an extra disc with the film using it's original German intertitles, among other things. It contains a most fascinating documentary entitled "The Language of Shadows" which links Nosferatu to the occult even more than it already has been. Nosferatu is one of the better classic films that used on-location shots rather than sets, but the authentic scenes throughout the film surely enhance it, especially the scenes in and around Count Orlok's castle. Now some may say location shooting disqualifies the film as a true German Expressionist piece. I disagree. The use of shadow is far too heavy in this film to not count it as German Expressionist.

Count Orlok was the first and best screen vampire. He has easily retained his title 88 years later. He was played by Max Schreck, who's name in German means terror (not a publicity campaign). Interestingly enough, this name was used for a business man villain in the 1992 masterpiece, BATMAN RETURNS. Schreck was chosen for the vampire due to his "ugliness" and was indeed a strange man who enjoyed long walks through dark forests. Shreck acted in several films, but will be remembered primarily for this.

As with my F13 review, a summary of such a familiar story is rather pointless. There are only a couple of key moments I desire to mention. When Knock (Harker, or Hutter's boss) Reads the letter from Orlok stating his wish to purchase a home in Wisborg, we can see an unrecognizable language. We are never told what exactly this says, but it is obviously a Demonic or occult language and seeing it written down is very creepy, I find. Perhaps more so that it's never explained.... The scene of Orlok traveling by sea is very creepy and desolate, almost a sign of utter hopelessness. This hopeless feeling is greatly expanded after Orlok brings his rats (and the plague) to Wisborg. The scene of a man drawing crosses in chalk on doors throughout the town truly captures desolation in a way no other vampire film did, until Nosferatu was remade in 1979 by Herzog (We'll get to that, don't you worry...).

Perhaps it's the fact Nosferatu was a location film that elevates it's level of terror well above it's contemporaries. Still to this day the film can chill, while others of the period, though amazing in their own right, have lost the power to scare. But if there is any criticism to be made of Nosferatu, we can place the blame on Gustav Von Wagenheim (Harker, Hutter) who's overacting (even for the silent period) gets in the way of true terror in many cases. Orlok and Knock are the only characters who are utterly convincing throughout and many of the film's best scenes involve them. Still Wagenheim is a fun character to watch, even if his acting is often far too over the top. I'm simply pointing out what has become a dated flaw. This "flaw" does not impede my love for this film in any way.

Albin Grau, who produced the film, was an enthusiastic occultist who published numerous materials dedicated to his Occult beliefs. He claimed that during WW1, as a German soilder somewhere in eastern Europe, to have heard of real life vampires. He was shown a document claiming an exhumed body was found to have sharp teeth protruding from the mouth and no signs of decomposition. The lord's prayer was read over it, whereupon it groaned and died. A sidenote, but something I had to share with readers.....

Perhaps Nosferatu has lost much of it's original impact. I've still watched it countless times and it is probably the greatest of all Silent Films. However, I tend to look at the film from an artistic approach (as I do many of the period). It is also a film that creates a mood of dread, utter hoplessness and thus presents an "end of the world" feeling of doom, something that no other period piece has accomplished, in my mind. There are many subtle sexual themes that critics try to point out, but I hold my belief that if Murnau was sending us any message, it probably had more to do with Occultism (Prana film, who made this their first and only film, desired to make occult pictures). Murnau was lost from us at far too young an age. I don't believe I've seen any other of his films, but seeing Nosferatu leaves me screaming for more. FIVE STARS OUT OF FIVE.