Pablo Picasso allegedly said that “good artists copy and great artists steal”. The adage, made popular by Steve Jobs in 1990s, can be applied to the world of cinema. Dracula, 1897 novel by Bram Stoker and the most popular and influential literary work in the history of horror genre had its first screen adaptation made in 1922 by relatively minor German studio Prana Film, whose executives Enrico Deickmann and Albin Grau never bothered to secure film rights from Stoker’s widow. The result of their efforts was Nosferatu (subtitled A Symphony of Horror), horror film directed by F. W. Murnau, which is now considered one of the greatest films of silent era and one of the most influential films of the genre.
Script by Henrik Galeen made major alterations to Stoker’s literary sources, which included change of characters’ names, setting and certain newly added details. The plot begins in 1838 in fictional Northern German port city of Vysborg. Protagonist, played by Gustav von Wangenheim, is Thomas Hutter whose employer, real estate agent Knock (played by Alexander Granach), tasks him of securing lucrative house purchase in the city. Hutter must travel to Transylvania to deliver contract to Count Orlok (played by Max Shreck), eccentric recluse living in remote run-down mountain castle. Hutter leaves the city and his beloved life Ellen (played by Greta Schröder) and his enthusiasm for the mission is unimpeded despite locals being afraid of Count and not daring to venture to his castle. At the castle Hutter finds his client to be person whose hideous appearance is matched by sinister disposition and apparent taste for his blood. Hutter, to his horror, discovers that Orlok sleeps in coffin and that he has arranged some of those coffins and himself within one of them to be transported to Vysborg, apparently attracted to the image of Ellen he has accidentally revealed. Hutter manages to escape from castle but arrives to his city too late. Orlok has in the meantime arrived by ship and brought with him rats and plague that would start to decimate local population. Ellen realises that only if she willingly sacrifices her blood to the vampire she could keep him in her room long enough to be exposed to vampire-killing sunlight.
A century ago, most audiences were deeply scared by what they saw in Nosferatu. Today, audience that takes sound and colour for granted is unlikely to see this as a horror film. Many would, however, easily recognise Nosferatu as art film. Murnau who, despite starting directorial career only few years earlier, already had large number of titles in filmography, proves to be very talented and methodical film maker. All the shots in the film were perfectly planned and shot, allowing director to put relatively small budget to good use. Producer Albin Grau, an architect by trade, provided excellent production design, while cinematography by Fritz Arno Wagner and Günther Krampf plays with shadows and strong contrast between light and darkness to great effect. This, in turn, made Nosferatu one of the most recognisable works of German Expressionist cinema. Murnau, who thanks to this film, earned reputation of one the most distinguished members of that movement, also uses different locations – in Northern German towns, Slovakian mountains and even at sea – showing great skill in weaving them into coherent whole. The only aspect where Nosferatu shows its clear technical limitations is inability to properly show nighttime scenes.
This is compensated with excellent casting, most notably in case of main antagonist. Count Orlok represents something quite different from vampires in most 20th Century horror films. Instead of suave charming seducer, like the one played by Bela Lugosi in Hollywood decade later, main vampire here is played by Max Shreck as a monster very much like those from sinister East European legends about “undead” rising from the grave. Shreck, an eccentric actor whose private life was source of all kinds of urban legends, plays it encumbered by heavy make-up that make Orlok’s hideousness as unquestionable as his evil. His image later fueled accusations that creators of Nosferatu, conciously or unconsciously, employed anti-Semitic stereotypes which could also be recognised in some details of the plot. Gustav von Wangenheim provides strong contrast as good-looking, well-meaning and, in the first part of the film, overenthusiastic protagonist. Greta Schröder, relatively unknown actress, does more than solid job in the role of protagonist and antagonist are fighting about.
Nosferatu became major hit in Germany after premiere. Bram Stoker’s widow, however, was unimpressed with it and launched lawsuit against producers, resulting in court order for the film’s destruction. Thankfully, the order was never properly carried out and various copies of Nosferatu survived to this day. The film is now recognised as not only as the first adaptation of Dracula, but also for establishing an important aspect of modern vampire mythology – vampires’ vulnerability to sunlight. Nosferatu through the decades became subject of countless homages and references in films, art and popular culture. In 1979 famed German director Werner Herzog directed remake Nosferatu the Vampyre starring Klaus Kinski. In 2000 the shooting of Nosferatu became subject of darkly humorous film Shadow of the Empire in which John Malkovich played Murnau and Willem Dafoe played Shreck.
RATING: 8/10 (+++)
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