Product Details

• Actors: Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz, Werner Herzog, Roland Topor
• Directors: Werner Herzog
• Writers: Werner Herzog, Bram Stoker
• Producers: Werner Herzog, Daniel Toscan du Plantier, Michael Gruskoff, Walter Saxer
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: German (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
• DVD Release Date: July 9, 2002
• Run Time: 107 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (133 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005YJMX
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,238 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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• For more information about "Nosferatu: The Vampyre/Phantom Der Nacht (2 Disc Set)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Werner Herzog's remake of F.W. Murnau's original vampire classic is at once a generous tribute to the great German director and a distinctly unique vision by one of cinema's most idiosyncratic filmmakers. Though Murnau's Nosferatu was actually an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, Herzog based his film largely on Murnau's conceptions--at times directly quoting Murnau's images--but manages to slip in a few references to Tod Browning's famous version (at one point the vampire comments on the howling wolves: "Listen, the children of the night make their music."). Longtime Herzog star Klaus Kinski is both hideous and melancholy as Nosferatu (renamed Count Dracula in the English language version). As in Murnau's film, he's a veritable gargoyle with his bald pate and sunken eyes, and his talon-like fingernails and two snaggly fangs give him a distinctly feral quality. But Kinski's haunting eyes also communicate a gloomy loneliness--the curse of his undead immortality--and his yearning for Lucy (Isabelle Adjani) becomes a melancholy desire for love. Bruno Ganz's sincere but foolish Jonathan is doomed to the vampire's will and his wife, Lucy, a holy innocent whose deathly pallor and nocturnal visions link her with the ghoulish Nosferatu, becomes the only hope against the monster's plague-like curse. Herzog's dreamy, delicate images and languid pacing create a stunningly beautiful film of otherworldly mood, a faithful reinterpretation that by the conclusion has been shaped into a quintessentially Herzog vision. --Sean Axmaker

Stills from Nosferatu: The Vampyre/Phantom Der Nacht (Click for larger image)

Product Description

THE ENGLISH AND GERMAN VERSIONS OF THE MODERN HORROR MASTERPIECE In 1979, award-winning director Werner Herzog and his volatile star Klaus Kinski embarked on a milestone in international cinema: a dual-language remake of F.W. Murnau’s legendary 1922 horror classic NOSFERATU. The film starred Kinski in the performance of a lifetime as the predatory vampire Dracula, with Isabelle Adjani (THE TENANT) as his beloved Lucy and Bruno Ganz (WINGS OF DESIRE) as the doomed Jonathan Harker. Filmed on breathtaking locations throughout Europe and simultaneously shot in both German and English-speaking versions that create fascinating differences in tone and texture, Werner Herzog’s NOSFERATU has since become recognized worldwide as the definitive version of the Dracula legend as well as one of the most extraordinarily haunting horror films ever made. Includes a 4-Page Collector's Booklet.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent Remake, July 11, 2003

By	L. Shirley "Laurie's Boomer Views" (fountain valley, ca United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Nosferatu the Vampyre (DVD)

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

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stylistically Faithful Remake of Murnau's Masterpiece., December 9, 2004

By	mirasreviews (McLean, VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

"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.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Werner Herzog's Epic Masterpiece, March 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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.