cinema history class: nosferatu the vampyre

 

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 4)
Movie: Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
Directed by Werner Herzog

Plot:
A vampire moves into town. Horror ensues.

Reaction and Other Folderol:

I have often said that I am skeptical of remakes. They really need to provide something to prove that a remake was needed. Delving into other genres, one of the reasons I wasn't crazy about this year's remake of West Side Story is that it didn't really justify its existence. (I wrote about that here). This, being a remake of the 1922 silent film, Nosferatu (which I wrote about here), had something to prove to me. Of course, having said that, I acknowledge that major advances in movie technology, expanding what is possible to do in a film, can provide the justification. Since the original was made in 1922, well, you can do the math.

I think what I noticed first was that the entirety of this film had an odd dreamlike quality. I can't put my finger on all the elements that contribute to that, but I'll try. The characters are very soft-spoken. In fact, the movie is very quiet. The imagery is often just a little bit odd. For example, in the scene where Harker is saying goodbye to his family, the family occupies one side of the screen while the other side is occupied by the rear half of his horse. It just seems ... weird. And Lucy's white makeup makes her seem unearthly. There are multiple scenes of people walking on the beach, that are just so quiet and still that it seems not to be a movie. The whole movie is very slow-going, but somehow it doesn't get boring; it's fascinating. Harker's trip to Dracula's castle is portrayed as epic journey over mountains, through valleys, along rivers. It seems like an endless trek.

And then we meet Dracula, as portrayed by the ever-creepy Klaus Kinski. Kinski's rat-Dracula is very similar to Orlok from the 1922 film. But with the advantages of sound, better lighting and makeup, he is able to do more with the part. Kinski's lonely Dracula is almost sympathetic; at times he seems more like an addict than a predator, and we pity him.

I absolutely loved Roland Topor's giggly manic portrayal of Renfield; he seemed to be channelling Peter Lorre. But it was kind of interesting to see that in this movie the character of Renfield was different than in the last two movies Keith showed us. In those, Renfield was confined to an asylum, and Harker's boss was a different character. In this, Renfield was Harker's boss, and -- though he clearly had a screw loose -- he's not in an asylum. If I recall correctly, there was no Renfield in the 1922 film.

But that is just one example of how this remake took liberties with the characters. In this, Lucy and Harker are already married, Lucy scarifices herself, and Van Helsing is a bit less courageous in his actions.

As I noted above, a remake needs to justify its existence. Nosferatu the Vampyre delivers.

Ratings

Me: 10

Bob-O: 10
Christina: 10

Dave: 10

Ethan: 10

Sharon: 9

Cats: Yes, there are cats. But not just cats. Kittens! Adorable cuddly kittens.