Shadow of the Vampire (2000) ****

Bram Stoker's 1897 novel “Dracula” has been adapted to screen many times, but the first film adaptation was not called “Dracula.” German filmmaker F.W. Murnau was unable to get the film rights from Stoker's estate, so he simply commissioned a screenplay with the names and a few details changed, including using the word “nosferatu” for “vampire” and changing “Count Dracula” to “Count Orlock.” The changes weren't enough. Stoker's estate sued and won, and the court ordered all copies of “Nosferatu: A Symphonie of Horrors” destroyed. Fortunately, some copies survived, and the expressionistic, silent film has come to be appreciated as a classic.

“Shadow of the Vampire” re-imagines the making of that film, with the central conceit being that Murnau (John Malkovich) achieved unparalleled realism not with special effects, but by recruiting an actual vampire to play the Count (Willem Dafoe). He introduces the beast as actor Max Schreck, and explains his unusual behavior on set as an early form of method acting: Schreck remains in character throughout filming and will only film at night. The ruse works, and the cast and crew are impressed by Schreck. Murnau, however, finds that his control over the creature is limited, and Schreck starts feeding on the crew.

If “Dracula” and “Nosferatu” were about erotic obsession, “Shadow of the Vampire” is about artistic obsession. Murnau will stop at nothing to make a great film, to the point where we ask, “Who is the real monster here?” (For the record, the real Murnau was not reportedly an obsessed beast of a director.)

Malkovich is in top form here, but it is Dafoe's award-winning portrayal of the vampire that really makes the film. He is a repulsive creature, but he occasionally forces us to see his underlying humanity, creating the most humorous and poignant scenes in the film. Trying to negotiate with Murnau to feed on some of the crew, Schreck suggests, “I think we could do without the writer.” Later, around a campfire, Schreck discusses the novel “Dracula” with other crew members. He points out that Count Dracula, once the proud King Vlad, would have had many servants during his mortal life. As a centuries-old revenant living in a ruined castle, he has no servants, and is embarrassed when his young visitor, Harker, catches him setting his own table. “It is the loneliest scene in the book.” Schreck is a killer, but we ultimately sympathize more with him than with Murnau.

This was a movie that I heard about and intended to see when it came out, but somehow it eluded me for 19 years. I'm glad I finally remedied that. I probably wouldn't call “Shadow of the Vampire” essential viewing. It doesn't seem to have had much impact on film or culture, and I never hear friends referring to it. It's a great movie, though, and you shouldn't wait 19 more years to check it out.

4 stars out of 5