Director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau has been having a difficult time trying to get the rights to a theatrical adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic novel "Dracula." After the author's estate denies him the rights to do so, he makes the decision to work on and complete "Nosferatu," an unauthorized reworking of the book that he intends will be a new landmark in motion pictures. In order to make everything seem that much more authentic, he hires an unknown method actor named Max Schreck to play the beast in question. While certainly looking and performing better than anyone would have expected, the cast and crew begin to have their suspicions about Schreck's actions and participation, wondering whether he may or may not be "playing" this demon as just that, or as something far more sinister and based in reality.
Almost every year, I come across a pick that doesn't necessarily warrant any real type of review. Mind you, it isn't because this film in question is bad. If anything, it may be due to it being considered a classic amongst fans of not just horror, but of cinema as a whole. Much like some little ditty from 1968 that I've previously watched and posted my thoughts on, my commentary on Edmund Elisa Merhige's Shadow Of The Vampire can't really highlight any real strengths that haven't already been pointed out by groups of critics and cinephiles everywhere. Hell, even the friggin' Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave the titular character an oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
"Twenty minutes into Netflix and chill and he gives you this look"
Nosferatu is a movie that is synonymous with frightening. Nearly one hundred years old, it was the birth of the vampire in media and entertainment, and arguably the birth of the genre as a whole. So with that, an exaggerated take and alternate tale based around its filming was already intriguing to me. In terms of casting, I think that every single player knocks it out of the park. Yes, John Malkovich's (Burn After Reading, Con Air) F.W. Murnau is a tiny bit more on the bombastic side than he probably should have been, but when is Malkovich himself not guilty of being this? Plus, when you're as morbidly obsessed with wrapping up a project that you're convinced will change the face of movies, wouldn't you be slightly loopy yourself? Okay, I would hope that most of you reading this would not sacrifice your own cinematographer or script girl in order to keep your main lead on board, but there are a lot of you that I don't know in real life. The real star of the show is, you guessed it, Willem Dafoe's (Platoon, The Last Temptation Of Christ) Max Schreck, also known as Count Orlok. I'll get to more on him below, but needless to say, he is god damn great. I also grinned pretty wide when Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride, Saw) and Udo Kier (Blade, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) got a good amount of screen time, especially since it felt like an eternity since I had witnessed the latter artist appear in anything noteworthy.
While boasting some lovely, old school cinematography and lighting that sets up a rather unique and unusual mood, Shadow Of The Vampire isn't just a movie for those who love the history of cinema. Writer Steven Katz's script also boasts a much better sense of humor than people give it credit for. One could argue that it almost borders on being classified as a black comedy, especially from Dafoe's aforementioned portrayal of Count Orlok. He is so into the character, you may end forgetting that this is the same actor who turned in a fairly ridiculous performance as The Green Goblin in Spider-Man. Dafoe ends up making him far more fleshed out than your standard weird, ancient creature. The moment after he makes you chuckle with the occasional act of savagery or natural arrogance, he can go right back to giving you chills and making you feel a tad bit uncomfortable. Thank god he can pull off a German accent with ease too, since his "director" seemed to slip in and out of his every once in a while.
Save for perhaps Day Of The Dead or Bram Stoker's Dracula (which also features Elwes in a supporting role), Shadow Of The Vampire is very likely going to end up as the "biggest" movie that I'll be reviewing this season. Though they always say that bigger doesn't always mean better, this is a fine treat for fans of the undead bloodsuckers who are searching for something a bit different. It's also a nice feast for fans of the somewhat minuscule "movies about movies" subgenre that can infrequently churn out more misses than hits. You can buy this gem on DVD, though seeing as how it has been out of print for a number of years, I'd advise searching for a used copy at your local Moviestop or independent video store. There's also a Blu-Ray version floating around there on the internet, but unless you have a region-free player, I suggest that you ignore that particular release. If you're the type who prefers to stream products that you show an interest in, then you may be out of luck. Whatever your method, go out of your way to find and finish it (it runs for only ninety minutes, so you have no excuse if you complain about length). If you aren't satisfied with it, let me know. I'll buy your copy of off you.
Tomorrow, we catch up with an 80s sex and horror icon in her second leap into cinema. Will it yield strong results? Will it make me wish that she would stay on the small screen? Well, I won't know until I watch it, will I?
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