Nosferatu (1922) **

 

We recently re-watched "Bram Stoker's Dracula," and I watched the 1931 "Dracula" years ago. I figured it was time to check out the original. F.W. Murnau's “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horrors” was based on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, but made without rights to the story. Stoker's heirs sued Murnau's production company, and a German court ordered all copies of the film to be burned. Had the film not already been distributed overseas, it would have been lost. As it was, copies survived, and the film came to be considered one of the silent-film classics.

The story changes a few details, but it is basically the Dracula story. A solicitor visits an Eastern European backwater to help a wealthy Count, who happens to be a vampire, arrange to move and purchase a house. The Count sees a picture of the solicitor's fiance/wife and becomes obsessed with her, believing her to be his reincarnated lover.

I have to stop here to admit that I did not like the movie very much. I realize this makes me a Philistine among cinephiles, but unlike some other classic silent films like “Pandora's Box” or Charlie Chaplin's “Modern Times,” I found it hard to see what the big deal is with “Nosferatu.” Truth be told, we got bored and gave up on it about halfway through. It is possible that the version we got was a bad copy. Amazon offers several versions of the film, with no indication which is the “official” version. I almost wonder if the copy we saw was made at home by someone who simply mounted a camera in front of their TV. In any event, what I saw sounded bad and looked bad. It was sometimes hard to see what was going on. I will say that Max Shreck looks pretty cool as the Count, and there is one cool effect where the Count is doing one thing while his shadow does another.

Based on my experience, I would not call “Nosferatu” essential viewing. The history of the film is interesting, and there is a great 2000 film about the making of it, called "Shadow of the Vampire." If you decide to watch the film itself, I suggest moderate expectations, and try to find a properly-curated copy.

2 stars out of 5