Nosferatu: An Appreciation
Oct 2nd, 2008 | By Rick | Category: Classic Cinema, Reviews
Count Graf Orlok. Note the shape of the window.
What can I say about F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror that hasn’t already been said? Not much, I think … it’s an archetype of German Expressionism, and contains one of the single most famous Expressionist scenes in the movies (see below). The the acting is classic silent-film, sometimes seeming laughably over-the-top to us moderns raised on more naturalistic styles. The first act is kind of tedious, except for the wonderfully over-the-top Alexander Granach as real-estate agent — and Renfro stand-in — Knock. But after Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) arrives at the vampire’s castle, things get real creepy, real fast.
Alexander Granach (left) as Knock
This is largely due to the performance of Max Schreck as Count Orlok, one of the weirdest in movie history. He is anything but glamorous, with rodent fangs and hairless, bat-shaped ears. Rats accompany him wherever he goes; they carry the plague, making his visitations all the more deadly. Orlok moves glacially slow, holding his hands stiffly in front, and his features are frozen into a startled mask that appears perpetually saddened by his fate. It suggests an animalistic lack of compassion, a certain deficit of soul. It’s nothing personal — he does what he does because it is his nature, no more, and no less.
March of the coffins.
One thing that struck me this time around is how funny Nosferatu can be, particularly in the person of Hutter, a first-class doofus. He refuses to believe the evidence of Orlok’s true nature — it’s an idiotic innocence that costs him dearly in the end. My favorite Hutter-ism: “The mosquitos are a real pest. I’ve got two bites on the neck, very close together, one on each side.”
It’s widely-known that this is a Dracula knock-off, that director Murnau and his production company changed the names of the characters to avoid copyright infringement. Thus, Count Dracula is Count Orlock, Harker is Hutter, Lucy is Ellen, and the whole thing is transferred from 1890s England to 1830s Germany. The evasion didn’t work — the estate of Bram Stoker sued and won, and the judge ordered all the prints destroyed. Fortunately, some survived and we have the film to admire today.
Here are a few clips. The first is Hutter’s arrival at Orlok’s castle. Orlok emerges out of the darkness to await his arrival. The stark, elaborate setting, with multiple doorways framing Hutter and Orlok suggests a portal to a new phase of Hutter’s life. At the end, the count and he fade back into the castle together.
Orlok enters Hutter’s bedroom and begins to feed. His shadow precedes him in Hutter’s waking nightmares. I love that Hutter gets a premonition of Orlok’s presence, and as he fumbles open the door, sure enough, what he dreads is there, waiting on the other side.
On the boat en route to Germany and Hutter’s hometown. The mate has gone into the hold to see what’s down there. We know . . .
After his arrival in Germany, he chows down on Hutter’s wife Ellen while Hutter, ever the idiot, buys her ruse sending him out. Orlok’s shadow slithering up the wall and his claws reaching for the door make this one of the most famous of all expressionist scenes.
Finally, Orlok gets his. This one scene created a major feature of the vampire mythos: that they cannot stand sunlight. Earlier vampires — such as Bram Stoker’s original Dracula and Sheridan LeFanu’s Carmilla — had no such weakness.
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Great post. Lots of history here.
Also, the clips are fantastic. Really makes me want to track down a copy of this and watch it beginning to end.
Thanks, Scott … it’s worthwhile finding it and watching. The film’s in the public domain, so there are a lot of poor, scratchy DVDs out there. Kino came out just last year with a “definitive transfer” that’s been cleaned up considerably and augmented with some “lost” footage. I hear that it’s pretty good.
All I can is Wow!…Thanks, for the most excellant! review of the film Nosferatu: An Appreciation and the 5 films clips.
I must pick up a copy of this film either the Kino or Image versions.
Because any other studio release (is probably a very poor public domain print/copy) of this “classic” film.
Rick said, “Count Graf Orlok. Note the shape of the window.”
Rick, Why note the shape of the window?
Tks, dcd
“The the acting is classic silent-film, sometimes seeming laughably over-the-top to us moderns raised on more naturalistic styles.”
Rick, I agree with you, but I think the “silent” and the film being very “dated” is what make the film all the more “mysterious” “scary” and “very interesting” for me at least.
Btw, the scene of Orlok’s shadow slithering up the wall is one of the most popular avatar(s) on some message boards.
dcd
dcd –
I’d go with the Kino, it’s supposed to be a lot better. The clips are from the Image version, btw.
The window is in the shape of a cross, which vampires are supposedly afraid of. Thus, Orlok is imprisoned by the cross. In the film, when Ellen opens her window, across the way, thus inviting him in, does the invite of a good woman invalidate the power of the cross?
And I didn’t know that about the image as avatar.
I’ve never seen this. Should I even be admitting that? I’ve almost bought the new Kino double-disc release a couple of times, but haven’t yet. I probably will sooner rather than later.
I have seen Shadow of the Vampire, though. That’s good enough, right?
I never admit anything … movie bloggers smell blood in the water, they’ll eat you alive.
And yes, Shadow of the Vampire is exactly the same.