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Nosferatu [VHS]

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This review refers to the Anchor Bay DVD of "Nosferatu...The Vampyre" (1979 version/1999 DVD release).....

I Love It!..I say this very enthusiastically, as normally I am slow to warm to remakes. Especially when the original is such a masterpiece itself. This German remake is magnificent. Written, produced and directed by Werner Herzog, and starring Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, and Bruno Ganz, it's an intoxicating,and edge of your seat horror film, that you won't want to miss a minute of.The images are beautifully photographed,the score is inticing,the story is brillantly acted and Herzog is artful in his direction.

The story takes place in the mid 19th century. Johnathan Harker, is about to leave his most beautiful and pure hearted wife Lucy to complete a big real estate deal. He must travel far to Transylvania, and not many are willing to lead him there. There are stories of wolves and spirits, and beautiful Lucy has a bad premonition of things to come.

Johnathon does not heed any of the warnings. He arrives, after a long journey, at the castle of "Count Dracula". Dracula(Kinski) is horrifying to look at and mysterious as well. Harker, closes the deal, and, the vampire Dracula is off to spread the Plague and danger to Harker's town and mostly his pure hearted wife! It's as thrilling as any Dracula movie ever and even "Renfield" adds his charms!

Anchor Bay has made a nice transfer to DVD. The wonderful cinematography is done justice as it is presented in widescreen(1.85:1), with a nice picture and colors(although at times it seemed a bit grainey). It may be viewed in either the original German Language(Dolby surround) with or without English subtitles, or the English Language version(Mono),also widescreen. There are no subtitiles on the English side, but was helpful to view all the credits in English after I watched the German version. There is director commentary, behind the scene featurettes and U.S. and Spanish Theatrical trailers. It also came in one of the better DVD cases I've seen.

This masterful remake of an already classic German masterpiece, is a wonderful homage to F.W. Murnau. If you haven't seen it yet, go for it, it's well worth it.

Have dinner with "The Count"....enjoy...Laurie

"Nosferatu the Vampyre" is director Werner Herzog's tribute to F. W. Murnau, whom he considers to be Germany's greatest filmmaker, as well as a haunting gothic horror tale in its own right. It is a remake of Murnau's 1922 film "Nosferatu", which is the earliest surviving cinematic adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula". Herzog has combined ideas from Murnau's film, Bram Stoker's novel, and his own imagination in creating a film that is, if anything, even more expressionistic and romanticist than the 1922 masterpiece. It is also more languid and pathetic than other "Dracula" adaptations.

This version of the Dracula tale, like 1922's "Nosferatu", takes place in Germany and Transylvania. Jonathan Harker (Bruno Ganz) is a real estate agent employed by a madman named Renfield (Roland Topor) to deliver a contract to Count Dracula in Transylvania, who wishes to purchase property in Wismar, Germany. When he reaches his destination, Jonathan finds a hideous, predatory Count Dracula (Klaus Kinski) eager to sign the deed to his new home. Several days later, ill and traumatized by horrors that he experienced at Dracula's castle, Jonathan understands that his young wife Lucy (Isabelle Adjani) will be in grave danger if Dracula reaches Wismar and sets out to save her. Count Dracula's arrival in Wismar coincides with the Plague. The city is overrun with rats and its population decimated by disease. Only Lucy comprehends the nature of the evil that has befallen the city and understands what she must do to stop it.

"Nosferatu the Vampyre" adheres pretty closely to Murnau's storyline, rather than Stoker's, except for the ending. The characters and actions have been embellished, however, sometimes with inspiration from the "Dracula" novel. Herzog's film moves slowly but steadily and spends more time with the characters than any previous "Dracula" adaptation. Count Dracula closely resembles Murnau's vampire but is even more grotesque and the least aristocratic of any cinematic Dracula. He is rodent-like and closely associated with rats and the Plague. But he departs from other Dracula interpretations in lamenting his permanent un-dead existence without light or love for centuries, which makes him a slightly tragic character. Although Count Dracula is the force that drives the narrative, the first half of the film is about Jonathan, and the second half concentrates on Lucy. Lucy Harker takes much inspiration from the character of Mina Harker in the novel "Dracula". The film's Lucy is more mystical and less methodical than the book's Mina. But, like Mina, she is stronger and smarter than the characters who surround her, and she tries her best to save everyone in spite of their blindness. Isabelle Adjani's Lucy Harker is the strongest heroine of any "Dracula" film.

Like Murnau's 1922 film, "Nosferatu the Vampyre" is visually expressionistic and romanticist. More of the film takes place outdoors than in other adaptations. There are lots of wide open spaces which are brightly lit, lending the outdoor scenes an airy feel, while scenes indoors tend to be dark and oppressive. This is clearly taken from the Murnau film, with its seaside scenes and bright sunshine. But the color cinematography and superior technology creates a sense of space that Murnau's film doesn't have. Colored lighting is lifted directly from Murnau's film, however. 1922's "Nosferatu" was filmed in black-and-white and tinted several colors to communicate time and mood. "Nosferatu the Vampyre"'s night scenes are bathed in blue light, and the inside of Dracula's castle is close to sepia, producing much the same effects as Murnau's toning.

English and German versions of "Nosferatu the Vampyre" were filmed concurrently. Werner Herzog shot the scenes with dialogue twice -once in German, once in English. The two versions differ by only seconds in length, but they are edited slightly differently. Whichever one you see, "Nosferatu the Vampyre" is one of the most interesting adaptations of Bram Stoker's "Dracula", even if it is an indirect adaptation. It is also the slowest paced and highly expressionistic, which somewhat narrow its appeal.

Not an adaption of "Dracula" so much a quasi-remake of "Nosferatu," the film rises out the long gliding shadow of the original thanks to the genius tag team of Kinski and Herzog, who are ambitious enough to actually re-interpret the material instead of simply re-creating it. In one of his all time top five performances, Klaus Kinski injects an incredible amount of depth into the Dracula character. He's of course menacing, but he's also sympathetic, pathetic, wise, weary, and at times even clownish. He approaches the role with the gloomy boredom and longing of a creature that has endured too many centuries alone in his crumbling castle.

In contrast to say the more charismatic Draculas we've seen over the past century, Nosferatu is quiet and meek in nature as he uses the minimal ghoul make up to not only provoke creepy unease but also vague sympathy. When he first meets Lucy, his slight shy mannerisms give the impression that he's shameful of his hideous appearance. In contrast, there is the terrifying scene when Jonathan cuts his finger; resulting in the lurching Dracula transforming into a speedy, towering, blood thirsty predator(all thanks to Kinski's seemingly unnatural movements.) As said, he also uses his appearance for tasteful comedy as well, especially during the playful scene where he's tip toeing around like a cartoon character as he plants his caskets around the town under the cover of darkness.

This isn't just the Kinski show however as Herzorg's incredible eye does more than hold up his end of the deal. The natural locations of the ruined castle, the mountains, the beach....etc. are all effectively haunting and he makes certain to linger on them just long enough for the viewer to burn them into their memory. The shots of dusk skyline are both beautifully grand and imposingly claustrophobic. Despite this being a rare venture into horror, Herzorg certainly understands how to create overwhelming apocalyptic doom and dread with startling images of gathering rats, gradually deserting streets, and increasing mass funerals. It's a very visual film with more moody atmospheric droning than dialogue and other more straightforward means of storytelling. It's very dream like, though it's one very strange and creepy dream to be sure. As the protagonist Lucy, Isabelle Adjani's gothic beauty serves the film well but she's also excellent at portraying the innocence and strength of the tragic character. Bruno Ganz's Jonathan plays the role mostly for camp which is perhaps one of the film's few missteps.

Werner Herzog's remake of the 1922 classic is an epic masterpiece in movie making. Beautifully filmed with glorious music, knock-out performance by Klaus Kinski as the flambouyant Count Dracula. Only one other film in history has impressed me this much with unforgettable scenes of the true nature and feeling of vampires. This isn't an ordinary vampire movie, it doesn't have any scares, it doesn't have any bloody scenes either, it's not made to scare or gross the audience, it's made to give the audience remarkable visions of vampires, so masterfully done that they are impossible to forget. Nosferatu The Vampyre remains poignant to this day and stands as one of the greatest films in history.

....yes, better than the original, much better than the Hammer films, better than Lugosi's version, and WAY better than Coppola's watered-down love story...this is the gothic vampire film to rule them all.

One of Werner Herzog's and Klaus Kinski's greatest collaborations. Fitzcarraldo is also highly recommended.

Nosferatu unfolds like a languorous, disturbing dream. The images have an hallucinogenic, archetypal quality: mummified human remains in an ancient tomb; the figure of a woman sitting on a beach studded with tombstones; a dead sea-captain lashed to the wheel of a deserted sailing ship.

Like Kubrick's The Shining, Nosferatu is less a standard genre film than a singular expression of a filmmaker's vision. Writer-director Werner Herzog began with F.W. Murnau's expressionist classic, mixed in elements from Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, then set about creating a meditation on the vampire myth. What would it really mean to live forever, and be compelled to feed on the blood of others? What of the unspeakable boredom? The longing for companionship? For normalcy? For death? As played by Klaus Kinski, Herzog's Dracula has spent hundreds, if not thousands of years alone with these thoughts. He is the ultimate poster boy for German angst. If not for the skill of his performance and Herzog's direction, he might have lapsed into self-parody.

There are shots that all but reproduce moments from the silent classic - right down to the overwrought body language. But Herzog, Kinski, and the rest of the cast (including Bruno Ganz as Jonathon Harker and Isabelle Adjani as his wife Lucy) keep it in check and keep it beautifully stylized, so it all works.

Probably due to the involvement of American studio 20th-Century Fox, Nosferatu was shot in both English and German versions. Both are on this double-sided DVD; comparing them is instructive, since there are non-trivial differences in the visual construction of both films. Most critics agree (and I concur) that the German one is superior.

Finally, to get an idea of whether you will like this - or any - Werner Herzog film, take the Armageddon-Matrix test: if you hated Armageddon because it was empty and overblown, but kind of liked The Matrix because of its ideas, then you may like Nosferatu. If, on the other hand, you thought Armageddon rocked, but only kind of liked The Matrix because it was slow in places, then don't even think about it.

I first saw this in the summer of 1987 on Channel 4 here in England. I was 13 years old and the movie's dark lasciviousness left such a deep impression upon me that I followed the tape for years like a bounty hunter. I finally got the opportunity to buy both the English and the German version from Amazon this year and awaited their arrival with extreme anticipation. Herzog's reworking of the FW Murnau silent is like heroin for the eyes. This film transcends definition in that it is a movie made of a movie and not made for actors per se. You can tell this by the suppressed use of dialogue (hence giving rise to the ease Herzog had in making 2 entirely different language versions using separate film sessions). The chills are entirely implicit. What does come out is the delicious photography which Herzog fuses well with an ethereal soundtrack from Popol Vuh, Wagner and some Messe opera at the end. Ganz is the perfect victim because he is so soft-spoken and wide-eyed. Adjani is a luscious foil for Kinski, whose erotic appeal comes out in tragic spurts near the end. We through, accentuated by Herzog's anachronistic camera lens and the terror mushrooms in the subconscious which gives rise to a longer term type of disquiet. The mummies in the intro. add intensity to the story. We're taken from that crypt to the happy breakfast table of the Harkers in the space of a minute, like a tooth being jerked back and forth before it is wrenched out of the gum. The best part of the film has to be the journey to Castle Dracula. There is so much expectation loaded in there. The imagery conjured by the Gypsy warnings at the campfire creates an apprehension the size of a planet while the mountain lines and jagged caves of Harker's final leg of the journey give rise to something even larger. You can feel the warmth of civilization in the campfire flames. When you juxtapose that with the howling wolves and the oppressive night both inside and outside Castle Dracula, your sense of safety becomes highly polarised. Herzog used a blue filter for the Castle shots and this adds a heaviness in feel which has to be seen to be appreciated. His technique overall with the camera is pure wizardry. For him, 'Nosferatu' was a homage piece but, ironically, it exudes a beautifully cold type of anti-energy which he failed to capture with any of his other works, including 'Aguirre' and 'The Glass Blower', both being in the specter vein. For some reason, the remake has been murdered by professional reviewers for years. It's been termed 'mediocre' and the like but I believe those early reviewers lacked something. Perhaps it was the dichotomy between the reign of slasher films and 'Nosferatu' which gave them a hard time. I'll wager many of them wrongly had the film mentally pigeon-holed as purely being horror before the cinema curtain fell aside and were disappointed. Prejudice is an evil thing in this case as you need to let the movie soften you. After all, you can't give scope to something which goes beyond all scope. Better than the 1922 original? No; not better, but definitely a makeover of it which would have brought a tear to Murnau's eye for sure. One thing is certain, though. Both 'Nosferatu' versions blow the Universal, Hammer and all others (including the 1992 super-hyped F.F.C. version) right out of the water. This vampire is the one Stoker must surely have seen. No slick hair with a v-shape hairline, velvet cape or parody-deserving suaveness. Kinski reanimates the demonology Schreck first tapped while creating a perverse sexuality that is so implicit it is more erotic than anything overt. The vampyre is a satanic Dorian Gray, except it's painting is the earth in its coffin. I'd recommend watching this late at night. That sounds cliched but is necessary because the camera-work is so soporific that it will play tricks on your subconscious in your slumber hours. While you watch late at night, you will feel sleepy. Herzog works his magic by lulling his viewers with mesmerism, almost prepping us for Kinski to stick his head through the screen and bite our necks once we're suitably catatonic. Heroin for the soul as well as the eyes. This film deserves a far, far better fate than that which it has suffered lying in its cannisters for close to 15 years. Never seen on legal video before and with only a few prints made for television through the 1980's, I think what adds to the film's 'homecoming' is the fact that it is a true fetish member of that clique, I shall leave you with two words of advice. Number German versions as well as the original 1922 silent. Number two is watch one of them every Saturday and Wednesday night and just see how enriched your spirit will become.

...the most effective and powerful film based on the Dracula legend. Herzog fills the screen and ultimately, the viewer's senses with a dreamy landscape that though not terrifying, is almost unbearably creepy and penetrating. Klaus Kinski gives an understated and moving performance as the lamentable Nosferatu, a creature seemingly at serious odds with his vampiric nature yet unable to change it, forever trapped in his isolation and doom. What can be said about the flawless Isabelle Adjani, except that she is absolute perfection as Lucy. Fragile and almost unbearably beautiful, she is to all appearances frail yet determined to bring an end to Dracula's pestilence. The surrealistic scenes are very memorable with Popol Vuh's score adding immeasurably to the atmosphere of corrosion and misery. Nosferatu, Phantom of the Night is not unlike a wicked dream, irresistible and hypnotic, it distracts the viewer with incredible images while it burrows deep into the mind and the bone. My one and only complain concerns Renfield's incessant and incredibly annoying cackling. Fortunately, he is not on screen too often so my quibble is very minor, indeed. Forget Coppola' beautiful, yet everything-but-the-kitchen-sink version or even Tod Browning's original masterpiece with Lugosi as the unforgettable bloodsucker. Herzog's approach is far more subtle and intelligent than anything done before or since. The pacing is dead on, the performance's are uniformly excellent, the cinematography beautiful, though bleak and the direction beyond reproach.

This beautiful movie moves at a leisurely pace ... be patient. Lushly filmed on location in Holland and the Carpathian Mountains, this particular Nosferatu is worth watching for the amazing scenery alone. Settle in, allow the story to capture you on a purely emotional level. And emotional this film is. Kinski portrays a sympathetic Count Dracula, complete with remnant touches of humanity which adds a depth and complexity to the all-too-frequently cliched character of the vampire doomed to a "life" of eternity. This particular vampire is alone, he is unwell, he wants to die. In fact he is convincingly undead, with his bald, bluish visage, deep sunk eyes, claw-like hands, and rattling breath. Reminiscent is Kinski's Nosferatu to the one played by Max Schreck in 1922, the creepiest vampire ever to be put on film. In fact, the acting in Herzog's Nosferatu might well be suited to a silent film; it is broad, theatrical, expansive. The overall plot remains quite faithful to the Stoker novel, but what shines most in this adaptation is the love story between Jonathan, sent to Transylvania to settle the Count into a new home, and his wife Lucy who awaits her husband's return consumed by a dreadful unnamed fear which proves to be well founded--the Count arrives in town bringing with him the plague. Splendidly portrayed is the confused feelings the Count displays toward Lucy, both touching and repulsive in turns ... his final attack upon Lucy is nothing if not touched with unabashed eroticism. Faithful Lucy, loving Jonathan to the end, sacrifices herself to the Count, until the break of dawn destroys him. Thus it ends, but with a satisfying twist: Jonathon rides off from his once beautiful, plague-ravaged town to continue the legacy of the undead.

The main reason I am writing this review is that this English version is not, in fact dubbed! The every scene in the movie was shot twice, first in German, and then in English. Those are the actual voices of Kinski and Adjani, et al. However, when the two versions were tested on audiences, English speakers found the English version a little too odd. So this is actually, in a sense, another movie. I agree with many other reviewers appreciation of the beauty and creepiness of the movie. It took me a couple of viewings to adjust to the oddities of the English version, but I still like it. The German version is a little better.