Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (Nosferatu the Vampyre) (1...

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  January 9, 2011

  WrenchLT

  A remake of the silent classic courtesy of director Werner Herzog. It is very slow and some may find it boring, but the dark creepy atmosphere is constant and Klaus Kinski is great in the lead role as the Vampire. It's not a blood drenched film, but if you're in the mood for some... read morething a little slow paced and atmospheric then check it out!

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  January 7, 2011

  ajv2688

  A remake of the classic 20s film. It's pretty good, but I'd rather watch the original.

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  April 26, 2010

  ceWEBrity

  Hypnotic in a way that I haven't experienced from a film in a long time...not since There Will Be Blood, I'd be so bold as to say. It's so beautiful, but in an utterly simple and unshowy way, without lighting tricks or long lingering shots, well-represented as the work of a man w... read moreho KNOWS he is an artist and does not have to prove it to anyone. Also like There Will Be Blood, there's an odd little feint at black humor that keeps the movie from feeling totally self-serious, though it works better at some junctures than others, such as that dick playing Renfield. So annoying, and definitely not in a good way...more like a "shrill, affected, embarrassing" way. He really interferes with the mood of the piece, but even setting him aside, I don't think the movie is perfect. The thin, unfocused plot is sort of a distraction, and though I understand that the style is the main draw here, why not go full-blown surrealist? There's obviously a commercial hook to consider here, and as bizarre as it is to think about, this was probably an event of some magnitude back in the late 70s. Ah, remember when auteurs not named Quentin Tarantino could actually draw a crowd?
  
  Klaus Kinski is an odd, tragic Dracula, possessed of both silence and carnality. His pain is apparent but it makes him no less of a monster. Isabelle Adjani is ravishing, a presence so luminous that her purpose as a Dracula beacon seems only too clear. There's an interesting protagonist structure going on in Dracula where Lucy, Jonathan and Dracula all seem to take turns being the movie's center of attention. Though it does contribute to the movie's odd focus problem, it gives the movie the chance to re-lens itself through the perspectives of each of its characters. Jonathan is an explorer in the savage wilds of Transylvania, Dracula a shadow lurking in the night to sow the seeds of plague, Lucy a frightened but resolute heroine. The movie's tone is so diverse and captivating. A definite horror classic.

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  March 9, 2010

  ythelastman89

  Not only does this completely surpass the original Nosferatu, it surpasses every other Dracula film ever made. Werner Herzog's dark vision of this classic story is perfect in every way. The lighting is glossy, bizarre and unique. The shots are composed in a way that is frightenin... read moreg to the viewer, but beautiful none the less. The acting is wonderful, Klaus Kinski is too perfect for the the Count. He physically and mentally embodies the character in a way that no actor ever could. Isabelle Adjani is also great as Lucy, I could honestly not think of someone who fits better than her either. This is Bram Stoker's Dracula the way it was meant to be seen, both accurate in content and tone.

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  November 27, 2009

  arashxak

  Nearly as great as Murnau's Nosferatu,A bleak & creepy tone, A few memorable surrealistic sequences like the boy who plays violin or the dancing sequence, A few touches of dark humour and a good twist in the end, All in all Herzog's Nosferatu is a memorable & unique experience wi... read moreth a fine main cast, Kinski, Ganz & Adjani

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  September 30, 2009

  SirPant

  Another great collaboration between Kinski & Herzog and a loving remake/retelling of a story loved by both men. Hard to watch if you don't like rats though!

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  February 1, 2009

  newvogueravyn

  A brief warning to Stoker purists: this takes even more liberties with the original story that the first Nosferatu, and it doesn't even bother to pretend it's a different story by changing the names of characters, though it does switch their relationships and roles around.
  
  As ... read morea stand alone, it's not a bad film. It's a work of art, with beautiful scenery and set pieces, a haunting score and atmosphere coming off in waves. Isabelle Adjani is so beautiful you could cry. The film also offers the female character a larger role in the dispatching of the vampire, rather than simply being prey.
  
  So, you ask, why have you only given it three stars if it's so good? I wanted to love it, I really did. The truth is that I was bored. For all its slow, haunting atmosphere there's no tension (at least, I didn't discern any), and scenes last at least twice as long as they really should. In some ways it's refreshing compared with the recent MTV influenced film editing where they cut too quickly for you to gather what's happening. But in terms of entertainment value, which is what I tend to look for most when I rate films, I found this film too slow - and by the time we finally got to the more interesting last 45/30 min, where it really divulges from the original source, I was too far gone to really give it the attention it deserved.
  
  Verdict: watch as art, not entertainment. Or else, ogle Adjani in her voluminous nightdress.

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  July 14, 2007

  ebs90

  Klaus Kinski = frightening!! This is a beautiful, haunting gothic horror story by Werner Herzog. Bruno Ganz, Klaus Kinski and Isabelle Adjani are beyond outstanding in their performances. Kinski is especially heartbreaking and most certainly creepy as the languid Count Dracula. T... read morehe Rembrandt/ Caravaggio- inspired photography is one of the most awe-inspiring I have ever seen in a movie, as is the almost psychedelic symphonic score. The composition of each and every shot is aesthetically perfect, and not without the ability to stir up all sorts of emotions with only the strategic placing of the shadowy characters. In short, Nosferatu is a masterpiece of cinema and has really impulsed me to seek out more Herzog movies with urgency. It's a visual and emotional experience not to be missed.

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  November 16, 2006

  guttersnipe28

  A largely pointless endeavour, Herzog crafted Nosferatu, his second picture with Kinski, as an homage to orginal silent great, and allegedly to parallel Nazism. Though the subject is obviously close to Herzog's heart, he seems to direct with indifference, making the whole affair ... read morerather slow and uninvolving. Conversely, this does actually work on some level in making the film more of a tragic romance than a horror. The triumph of the show (and the main reason for watching) is that Kinski is more or less incredible as the cursed ghoul, offering us painful insight into his private world without ever resorting to pandering. He is especially chilling in the scene where he comes for Lucy, his reflection missing in her bedroom mirror, filling the scene with cold, dripping dread. Nosferatu is an adequate work, probably the least of the Herzog-Kinski pictures, but well worth a look for the madman's full-on acting work.

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  February 14, 2012

  ryguy4738

  **** out of ****
  
  You know a classic film is close to somebody's heart when, to the Americans, it is foreign; but to the person describing the film, it is native - and yet the person goes on to describe it as the best motion picture ever to come out of their home country. In th... read moree case of Werner Herzog - that daring ground-breaker of a filmmaker - F.W. Murnau's "Nosferatu" is the best German production ever to grace the silver screen. Nobody just says something like this for the hell of it; Herzog especially must have his good reason for loving the classic, spectacularly spooky (and loose) adaptation of Bram Stoker's "Dracula"; just as we all do. Given his admiration for the original film, you know where he's going with "Nosferatu the Vampyre", which serves as a very close, faithful, and highly successful remake of the Murnau film rather than another old adaptation of the age-old story.
  
  Since the original, 1922 "Nosferatu" was celluloid terror written in Gothic black-and-white visuals and architecture, make-up effects that were decidedly way ahead of its time, and a unique take on a classic tale of vampirism; there were indeed things that were in need of updating, as well as things that probably should have been left alone. Luckily, Herzog sees everything; from the world to the movies that he watches, and he knew what had to be done. What he offers up is a visual update of the story, filled with his own stylistic touches. He also provides a more emotionally resonant vampire than that of the original "Nosferatu". I cannot say whether it improves on the Murnau film or not; all I know is that it certainly doesn't dishonor it, and that's all that matters.
  
  Sure enough, not much has changed plot-wise; although this time, Herzog is able to avoid the copyright issues that Murnau faced when making the original; thus, he's able to use the character names brought up in Bram Stoker's classic novel. Most of the time, the story is familiar (given that some stuff differentiates; but not too much), but Herzog laces it with enough spectacle and atmosphere to make up for any form of déjà vu.
  
  A real-estate agent, Jonathan Harker (Bruno Ganz), is sent from his native land of Wismar, Germany to the obscure and mountainous regions of Transylvania. It is there that he shall meet a client interested in purchasing a new home in Wismar; Count Dracula is his name. The journey is long and complicated; but Jonathan is able to make it to the Count's large-but-creepy castle in one piece. He arrives at night; which is, as we learn, a good time for the Count (Klaus Kinski), as he seems to resent the daytime hours. He allows Jonathan to stay in his home for a few days and a few nights so that the proper paperwork can get dealt with; and also so that the two can get more properly acquainted.
  
  As we've been brought up to expect from this legendary story; the Count is a vampire. But Jonathan does not believe in such creatures; regardless of the various warnings given to him by a few gypsy-types on his way to the estate. His beliefs will be put to the test when the classic clichés and tropes of vampirism will come alive when he observes the Count's behavior and actions from a distance. Think of it: nobody knows where he sleeps; he never shows during the day; his skin is pale, his head bald; his teeth resemble that of a rat, and his ears a bat; and his fingernails are long and slender. If that isn't enough to convince Jonathan that his newest customer is a bloodsucking devil, then I haven't a single idea what is.
  
  Here is what happens from then on: the Count samples the blood of Jonathan, becomes entranced by a photograph of his beautiful wife (who is at home) whose name is Lucy (Isabelle Adjani), locks him in the house the next morning, and stows away onto a ship headed for Wismar via coffin, his favorite method of transportation next to the boat the delivers him. And when the boat enters the harbor of Wismar; Herzog is at his prime. The image of the ship containing Count Dracula yet again coming into contact with land and bringing death-by-plague - not to mention an entire rat infestation - to wherever it may anchor. Above all, I think that Herzog displays his affection for storytelling through the imagery of his films; which often takes the place of narrative conventions and plot. If anything, I think the film is visual storytelling at its finest.
  
  Aside from the suitably intoxicating scenes taking place inside the remarkably Gothic castle of Count Dracula; what gives the film its beauty is the humanity in the Dracula character himself. I think it's rather surprising how, when looking at horror movie history, the most humanity comes not from actual human beings; but rather the creatures - however humanoid they may be - which are labeled by society as monsters. Kinski portrays the Count as lonely, loveless, and unable to die; a horrible combination of the three. He cannot ease his pain as the mortals of the world can; he sees his vampirism as a curse, and one that he cannot uplift. I didn't see such depth in the original film; although perhaps I saw something more all-together and therein lays the magic of Herzog's "Nosferatu" remake. It isn't Murnau's "Nosferatu"; it is purely Herzog's movie, and he makes that known through scenes that depict a sort of spiritual connection with nature, architecture, and location. Then again, maybe that's just Herzog's own relationship with his style of filmmaking. I recognize that this is an impossible bond to break; the sign of a true artist, more or less.

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• Klaus Kinski as Count Dracula
• Isabelle Adjani as Lucy Harker
• Bruno Ganz as Jonathan Harker
• Jacques Dufilho as Captain
• Roland Topor as Renfield
• Walter Ladengast as Dr. Van Helsing
• Carsten Bodinus as Schrader
• Rijk de Gooyer as Town Official
• Martje Grohmann as Mina

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  Perfect Creature (0%)
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  Bram Stoker's Dracula (75%)
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• • Jonathan Harker: Ready my horse, I have much to do.
• This film was shot simultaneously in both German & English.
• The coach that picks up Harker at the Borgo Pass was actually a real hearse & still in use in Bulgaria at the time of filming.
• Thousands of grey rats were needed for the scene of Nosferatu's arrival in the town.
  None were available, so white rats were obtained & painted grey!!
  (& this is true!)
• In the final shot of the town, the rooftops are seen to be covered in TV antennae!
• When Lucy finds Mina's body inside, there is a white electric light switch clearly visible on the left side of the wall.

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