DVD Review | Nosferatu
Written by: Kage Alan
Film Rating: A-
DVD Special Features: A
While it's probably not fair to review two vampire films back to back (the
first one I wrote was for "Near Dark"), these are very different movies in a
number of ways. I believe "Nosferatu" is still played these days, but mostly
in art houses and rightly so. Director Werner Herzog has fashioned a very
gothic picture that relies heavily on mood, atmosphere and his actors instead
of solely on special effects. While thought to be both brilliant an insane,
perhaps even at the same time, actor Klaus Kinski was given the role of a
lifetime in his portrayal of the vampire.
The story is quite simple and nothing we haven't seen before in a hundred "B"
movies. Jonathon Harker (Bruno Ganz, "Wings of Desire") is sent to
Transylvania to have a certain Count Dracula sign some papers so the man can
own a house in London. Jonathon goes, is warned by the gypsies that there is
a terrible evil lurking in the Count's crib and he should turn around and go
back. He doesn't heed their warnings and continues on, finally meeting the
very odd client who parades around with long nails, sharp fangs, sleeps all
day and looks like death himself. Do ya think the locals might have a clue
after all? Well, it isn't long before Dracula (Kinski, "Creature") is
feeding on Jon and falling for the man's wife, Lucy (Isabelle Adjani,
"Diabolique").
Fearing the worst, Jonathon rushes to beat Dracula back to London, but comes down with an illness that impedes him at every turn. Back in the British
harbor, a boat with only one dead crew member tied to the wheel appears and
lets a hoard of rats carrying the plague off as well as the Count. With his
sites set on Lucy, a number of other folks in the area start falling victim
to his thirst for blood. Ironically, good ol' Van Helsing (Walter Ladengast)
is a far cry from the doctor out to stop the vampire who we've seen in films
both before and after this one. It turns out to be Lucy who has balls of
steel and sets out to kill the beast in order to save the city, her husband
and herself.
According to many, this film is the most definitive version of "Dracula" ever
committed to celluloid. Herzog definitely had a vision for this film and it
features sensational cinematography, brilliant camerawork, a major sense of
unease and dread, incredible locations and some major acting talent. Whereas
"Near Dark" was furthest away as could be from a sense of gothic, "Nosferatu" is the epitome of it. What also helps this film along is the very disturbing musical score by Popol Vuh that sent shivers up and down my spine. This is a film that shows the cold, harsh side of civilization, but in a way that is utterly captivating. It's also fair to say that the movie crawls along at a
very slow pace, but one that feels very natural and isn't sensationalized.
"Nosferatu" was originally filmed in both German and English at the same time
and Anchor Bay has included the two versions in their 2-disc set. Both are
presented in Widescreen and look very good considering they're over 20 years
old. The English audio is in mono while the German disc is in Dolby Digital
5.1. My preference is the German version since the majority of the actors
speak German more comfortably than English. As for extras, there is a
13-minute featurette titled "The Making of Nosferatu" filmed during
production and is filled with a number of behind-the-scenes footage and
interviews with the director and bits with the cast. There's also an audio
commentary with Herzog and moderator Norman Hill. Norman helps keep the conversation moving, but the director has a great deal of information he
shares and it's difficult not to get caught up in his memories and thoughts
as he voices them. This was a solid commentary. Aside from all that, there
are a couple of theatrical trailers.
Those who prefer the kind of vampire movie featuring lots of fast action,
gruesome deaths and the depth of a National Lampoon movie, then "Nosferatu" is definitely not for them. This is a film where one must surrender to the pacing, the settings and the characters to fully appreciate the ugliness and
beauty that unfolds before us. Whatever I was expecting, it turned out to be
something very, very different and I finished the film thinking "Wow, I get
it!" I enjoyed this one.
