Film: Nosferatu
Release date: 19th November 2007
Certificate: PG
Running time: 93 mins
Director: F.W. Murnau
Starring: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach, Gustav Von Wangenheim, Greta Schroeder
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Mystery/Romance
Studio: Eureka!
Format: DVD
Country: Germany
Despite being released 90 years ago, Nosferatu remains one of the most iconic and infamous horror films of all time. Back in 1922, critics described Nosferatu as a masterpiece and it continues to find new audiences with every passing year. It has been remade, parodied and even gained its own mythos with Shadow Of The Vampire. So what, exactly, makes this movie stand the test of time?
The story is quite closely based upon Dracula by Bram Stoker, with a few slight changes. Thomas Hutter, a young estate agent from Wisbourg, travels to Transylvania to negotiate the sale of a property to the wealthy Count Orlok.
Upon arriving in Transylvania, Hutter is faced by local superstitions but is quick to dismiss them. He continues to the castle and ends up staying there for some time due to a peculiar malady. Meanwhile, Orlok falls in love with a photo of the young Mrs Hutter and sneaks off to Wisbourg to practice the vampiric art of seduction.
Can Hutter make it back to save his beloved wife and Wisbourg from the plague of Count Orlok?
Unfortunately, if you’ve only seen a clip of Nosferatu, then it was probably a clip of the film’s ending. Nosferatu does, however, offer a very different ending to Bram Stokers story. In fact, it was the first film ever to portray vampires being hurt by sunlight, rather than just disliking it. No matter how familiar one is with the story, there is still much on offer in the form of style, terror and pure cinematic history.
The reason for the characters names being changed, the setting being moved to Germany, and numerous other differences from Stoker’s novel, is that Prana Film had not been able to acquire the rights to adapt the novel from Bram Stoker’s Estate. Shortly after Nosferatu was released, Prana were sued and all copies of the film were ordered to be destroyed. Luckily, the film had already been distributed by this point, and a few duplicated copies survived. Prana Film was not so fortunate and declared themselves bankrupt as a result of the lawsuit, making Nosferatu their one and only production.
Being a rather uncharacteristic example of German Expressionism, Nosferatu makes varied use of distorted sets and giant shadows. In fact, Murnau is reported to have gone to great lengths to create a sense of realism, with many shots being done on location rather than in a studio. Despite this, there are still many noticeable expressionistic aspects which are used during the scary bits. There are a few objects which at a glance appear to be normal, but on closer inspection are faintly warped. There are chairs and tables with slightly crooked angles, sometimes too tall and sometimes too small. However, the expressionism in play here is infinitely more discreet than other contemporary pieces, such as The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari.
Shadows and lighting also play a big role, with many scenes being lit so as to cast huge monstrous shadows from even the most innocent of objects. The most famous sequences from Nosferatu feature the shadow of Orlok moving up the stairs, brilliantly lit to disfigure and elongate his form and build the fear. There are also many shots which are brilliantly lit and feature almost no shadow at all, almost acting as a counterweight to increase the effect of the intense shadows.
Contrary to many vampire films, the hideous Count Orlok is portrayed as a disgusting, freakish figure, rather than the glamorous and seductive modern vampire. He brings with him a plague of rats and has a visual dirtiness about him, reinforced by his dishevelled outfit. Max Schreck plays the role brilliantly, as he slithers and glides across the eerie sets.
Of course, the style of acting used in the silent era was quite different to the way it is done now. Far from a realistic portrayal, silent actors emphasised their movements and facial expressions, making up for the absence of voice. By modern standards, this can appear amusing at first, but really helps to blend the mix of realism and subtle expressionism. Murnau draws out some fantastic performances from his cast, although Schreck really steals the limelight. Strangely enough, the word schreck is German for scare or frighten.
The technical inventiveness of Murnau and F. A. Wagner, the cinematographer, shines through and really makes Nosferatu stand out that bit more. In one scene, we see Orlok load some crates onto a wagon, and as he climbs in to the final crate, the lid magically levitates. This is a great early example of stop motion editing, although the horses ruin it a bit by moving! There is also a bit where Orlok rises from a coffin, impressively stiff and straight. Plus, the rest of the movie is crammed with varying focuses and dissolves, which, at times, plunge us into a dreamlike ether.
Putting Nosferatu into an historical context reveals an even darker side to this timeless classic when we consider that it was made during the years where anti-semitism was growing in popularity, particularly in Germany. Count Orlok resembles many of the caricatures of the Jewish people which emerged in various pieces of anti-Semitic propaganda. The film also portrays a strong xenonphobic fear of cultural and racial difference, although, to be fair, Orlok isn’t the best tourist to have in town. It is hard to say whether this was something that was deliberate or not, although it is easy to see how rumour and stereotypes can work their way into popular culture.
As with many silent era classics, the whole movie is now available to enjoy on YouTube, without committing an act of piracy since Nosferatu is now a public domain film. There are also countless (excuse the pun!) versions and restorations available, some of which even have new inter-titles which have changed the characters names to Dracula and Harker. So really, it has never been easier to see this incredible film – a film which changed the vampire legend and shaped the future of horror. DOB
