Germany, 1922Cast: Max Shreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Shcroder, Alexander Granach
Director: F.W Murnau
My Rating: Unrated.
It's time for "Movie History 101". I've got two questions ready. One, what was the very first movie about vampire ever made? thus, established popular beliefs that vampire dies in sunlight and two, who was considered by many movie-buffs as one of the most disturbing villain ever present in the cinema?. This movie, shot between August - October 1921, had the correct answers to the questions.
Nosferatu was loosely based on the popular novel "Dracula" by Bram Stoker. Alas, there were some disputes with the legality issues that all known prints and negatives of this movie were destroyed as the result from the lawsuit filed by Bram Stoker's widow. But, you can't stop the power of the mass. Ever since i decided to stroll my way through the road of cinema, i've heard about this movie. Apparently everybody who loves horror would include this film among their bests. More often, it wasn't the movie who had the praise but Max Shreck whom impersonations of the Count Dracula himself has yet been surpassed by later actors whom we all knew well. Thus, the answer to the questions i mentioned earlier. And just yesterday, by a mere chance, i've got the copy of this movie and watch it immediately. And by far, this is the oldest movie i ever saw. Hey, it's even older than my grandpa.
Okay, i'm not giving any rating to this movie. To praise it above average, to give the title of "masterpiece", would violate my conscience and my sense of taste. Yet, this movie in some way deserves the praise and the title of "masterpiece". And so, i decided for the first time to let the movie goes unrated.
I'm not sure when does the cinema invented the colors and voice. As far as i know, Casablanca (1942) was still black-and-white (though decent) but had voice. This movie however, hasn't yet incorporated voice. And so the story reveals itself through title-cards that appears between the scene or to denotes dialogue between characters which obviously, rarely occured. The music then does all the talking. I loved the music, it's weird, haunting, and chilling.. had it had better quality, i'm surely going to had nightmares. But, even with the poor quality, the music was delivered effectively. It hooked me up.
Aside from the music and one other thing (which i'm going to reveal later), i've got little love to this movie (thus violating my agreement to the "masterpiece" stuff). While the music, as i said before, had a sense of weirdness and haunting and chilling, the movie hardly frightening if you look at it. The acting was comical with exaggerated gestures, and though this movie contains great shots (such as Bremen's corridors), i'm barely able to keep my eyes open at times.
But of course, Nosferatu, as all movie-buffs should've known, was famous because this wicked man, Max Shreck who played the Count Orlock, the night-stalker, the blood-sucker, the phantom, the .. (ah, quit it).
This mother-fucker only seen on screen for a bit less than nine minutes in total throughout the whole film which is 80-something minutes. But, oh, who could forget those never blinking eyes (seriously, he, or at least his character, never blinked), those crooked back, those long fingers, and oh, here comes the best part, the way he rises from his coffin.. gosh, i can't believe myself when i read the trivia at IMDb about this movie and found out that his character was only seen on screen for a bit less than nine minutes! It seem was far more longer, it seem that the whole time, i've been haunted by those eyes, those crooked back, and those long fingers.. and that's the proof of how effective an horror this movie turns out to be. I can now say, and positively agree that never again Count Dracula, or Blood-Hungry Vampire portrayed in screen more menacing than what Max Schreck had done. Mark my word, never!
That been said, i, again, contradicted myself by saying that this movie deserves the classic-title, the masterpiece, and quite possibly, the best horror movie of all time. Well, i've already put Mr.Schreck as the #1 wickedest villain of all time. Ultimately, this movie was made important because of the history it bears. I would never again saw the horror movie without remembering Max Schreck or comparing it to Nosferatu. And it would be one of the most precious gem in my collection which someday i would introduce to my children. Maybe, in a short-course "Movie History 101".
Thank God that Florence Stoker did not manage to completely wipe this film of the face of existence.