Amazon.com: Vampyr: Sybille Schmitz, Henriette Gerard, Julian West, Jan Hieronimko: Amazon Instant Video

Product Details

Synopsis: Freely adapted from classic Victorian supernatural tales by author Sheridan Le Fanu, "Vampyr" tells the story of a young man who becomes involved with two sisters, one of whom, wasting away with a strange sickness, turns out to be the victim of a vampire. Director Carl Theodor Dreyer transformed Le Fanu's horror tales into a mystic quest, a meditation on the theme of death, and neatly fashioned it as an abstract experimental film. The camera is like a sleepwalker, leading us, trancelike, into a labyrinth from which cause and effect have disappeared. The hauntingly sinister atmosphere created is disquieting and unforgettable.

Starring: Sybille Schmitz, Henriette Gerard

Supporting actors: Julian West, Jan Hieronimko

Directed by: Carl Theodor Dreyer

Genre: Fantasy, Horror

Runtime: 1 hour 13 minutes

Studio: Egami Media

ASIN: B000W3YLH8 (Rental) and B000W41LZW (Purchase)

Rights & Requirements

Rental rights: 7 day viewing period Details

Purchase rights: Stream instantly and download to 2 locations. Details

Compatible with: Mac and Windows PC online viewing, compatible instant streaming devices, TiVo DVRs. System requirements

Format: Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)

Also available on DVD

Vampyr (The Criterion Collection) DVD ~ N. Babanini

4.3 out of 5 stars (53) $23.71

Theatrical Release Information

Production Company: Tobis Filmkunst
Also Known As: Castle of Doom / Not Against the Flesh / The Vampire
Filming Locations: Abbaye de Braye, Braye, Aisne, France | Courtempierre, Loiret, France | Montargis, Loiret, France | Presbytère, Villeneuve-sur-Verberie, Oise, France | Senlis, Oise, France

Video Format Details

Online Viewing	PC Download	TiVo box	Portable device
View instantly from any PC or Mac with a broadband connection	Ready to watch in about 30 minutes*	Ready to watch in about 35 minutes*	Ready to transfer in about 35 minutes*

* Your download times may vary--estimates shown are for a typical DSL connection (1.5 Mbits/sec). Rental videos cannot be transferred to a portable device.

Customer Reviews

36 Reviews

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

Average Customer Review

3.6 out of 5 stars (36 customer reviews)

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60 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Be Careful Before Deploring the Print Quality Here, July 20, 2000

By

Jack Rice (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Vampyr (DVD)

I can't improve on the fine reviews of the movie itself, but there are two major factors connected with the making of the film that may have been overlooked.

If by "poor quality," the reference is to the washed out, somewhat spotty look of the print, please be aware that this was deliberate. Cinematographer Matté had accidently opened a can of exposed film, and when Dreyer saw the result, he was delighted. It was just the effect he had been looking for.

This film was originally shot as a silent. It was only later half-dubbed with voice-overs. Again, however, like the fortuitous "damage" to the print, the sparse and somewhat vague, even incoherent, dialogue contributes to the sense of dislocation which, I believe, is one of the great virtues of this genre masterpiece.

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98 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Poor transfer to DVD, January 6, 2000

By

Dennis N. Raymond "Chillin' in the NW" (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Vampyr (DVD)

This is a great film, one of the most spectral and haunting of all vampire movies. Admittedly, the available prints have been spotty at best. There was a restoration back in the late '60 that took the best footage from a German print and an English language dub print. Truly that effort did justice to Rudolph Matte's imaginative photography. Sadly, this is not that print. By far it's the worst transfer to DVD I've seen yet. The subtitles take up the lower half of the image, and they are gothic German letters on a black masked background! Who's guilty for that? It's become clear that old classics like this are getting rushed into release with little regard for quality, so buyer beware. With a hack job like this out in the market it'll be a long time (if ever) till we see a beautifully restored version of Carl Dreyer's masterpiece on DVD. If you're looking for quality check out Criterion's release of Dreyer's "Passion of Joan of Arc". It's a model of what can be accomplished on the restoration of an old film. With Richard Einhorn's score "The Passion of Joan of Arc" is as fresh and alive as any movie currently in theaters.

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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Transfer - Annoying Subtitles, March 26, 2001

By

kip garth (Central Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vampyr (DVD)

Another release from the same folks who produced "Nosferatu" (Film Preservation Assosiates/Blackhawk Films). Excellent print transfer to DVD (and VHS)! I have seen several versions of VAMPYR and this DVD (and VHS version) are by far the best available. Much of VAMPYRS' "poor production" IS intentional, so consider this fact when reading other comments regarding print quality. This is about as good as it's gonna get! BUT I'd like to know who in the F.P.A. is responsible for allowing the atrocious subtitles (same is true for NOSFERATU)????!!! They should be taken out and covered in flour or fully exposed to the sun on a hot summer day! The gothic fonts are not easy to read and Dryer is Danish NOT German! The original (and very cool) opening titles have been replaced with a psuedo aged effect that is not necessary and in some scenes, the subtitles are really huge and also not necessary. What were they thinking??? Obviously, not much! Hey guys, leave the cutesy stuff for another day and just give up the facts! So for you, dear reader: if you can forgive them for annoying subtitles, then this version is well worth the investment!

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