cinema history class: nosferatu

As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL.

Session: The Blood is the Life, Mr. Harker (week 1)
Movie: Nosferatu (1922)
Directed by F.W. Murnau

Plot:
A vampire moves into town. Horror ensues.

Reaction and Other Folderol:

Part of the treat of watching this was the treatment this release gave the film. Nosferatu is in the public domain, so there have been many, many different versions released from different prints of various quality. This one apparently took pieces from a lot of these and pulled them together to create the most complete version of the film available. Further, an orchestra was commissioned to record the original score (based on the original sheet music) for the disc. Keith noted that the first version he saw as a kid (which, coincidentally, is also the version Christina saw as a kid) had an odd jazzy score that didn't really fit. Thanks, PBS.

This was really a masterpiece, and a great example of by German expressionism. And, damn if it wasn't creepy. I also have to admit that I loved the image of Orlok wandering around town carrying his coffin like some kind of oversized suitcase. It all kind of makes me wonder what might have been if the whole vampire mythology had continued along with the rat-creature portrayal we saw here instead of the romantic suave vampire that is so familiar now.

One of the things I noticed -- though I was hesitant to bring it up -- was the way Orlok (the vampire) and Knock reminded me of old anti-Semitic caricatures of Jews. I was hesitant to raise the issue because I don't want to be overly-sensitive, finding anti-Semitism where it doesn't exist. But Keith said that I'm not the first to make the observation. And, in fact, Julius Streicher (editor of the infamous Der Sturmer) was fascinated by the movie, interpreting it as a metaphor for Jews causing provoking the ruination of everything that is good about society.

I was torn about whether to rate Nosferatu. It's very far out of my normal movie experience, and therefore hard to rate. But I decided to just do my best and rate it. There are certainly crude elements, but this was 1922, so I can't judge it by today's standards. But there's the thing. If I were to simply judge it by today's standards it would come off remarkably well. Orlok as the ratlike vampire holds up very well a century later. He's way more creepy than any of today's movie monsters. In the end, I have to recognize how ahead of its time this film was, and how they did such a great job creating such a vividly frightening creature.

Ratings

Me: 10

Bob-O: 10
Christina: 10

Dave: 10

Ethan: 10

Joe: 10
Sharon: 10

Cats: Yes, there is a cat