I always thought Willem Dafoe was a vampire. That whip-thin figure, that rictus grin, those bloodless lips stretched tight over big ol’ teeth. Everything about him just screams “Creature of the Night,” and E. Elias Merhige’s Shadow of the Vampire proves it: he was born to be a vampire.
He plays Max Schreck, star of F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens. The conceit of the Shadow is that Schreck really was a vampire, and as conceits go, it’s a pretty good one: Murnau (John Malkovich) finds him and casts him in a monomaniacal quest for filmic verismilitude. As in a sit-com, all the complications of the plot spin off from that situation: Schreck does his own “makeup,” he feeds on the cameraman, and his scenes can only be shot at night.
Malkovich as Murnau
Everybody’s addicted to something: the actors and crew to morphine, Schreck to blood, Murnau to power. It’s a theme that runs throughout the film: is Schreck’s blood-lust — which as a vampire he can’t help — any more destructive than the director’s obsessions? Murnau is, after all, willing to overlook anything, to sacrifice anybody to achieve his cinematic vision.
The film is remarkably funny at times, largely due to Steven Katz’s smart script. Although Schreck’s ostensible reward is co-star Greta Schroeder (Catherine McCormack), whom he’s been promised as a prize, he nevertheless wants to be a star. When Murnau shoos away the make-up artist, Schreck says “I would like some make up,” and the director shouts back “Well, you don’t get any.” When he doesn’t get what he wants fast enough, he gets temperamental, refusing to take a boat across to Helgoland, where the final scenes are shot.
I can’t imagine seeing Shadow of the Vampire without a familiarity with Nosferatu. Famous scenes are recreated with remarkable fidelity, using techniques from the days of silent movies. We see Hutter’s first encounter with Orkok imagined as that of actor Gustav von Wangenheim (Eddie Izzard) as well. As he disappears into the bowels of Orlok’s castle, we fear for the actor, because we know what Schreck really is. We’re aware that von Wangenheim’s look of terror is absolutely authentic, even as we know that it’s Izzard and Dafoe. There is a double vision to these scenes, a marvelously meta quality, that is common to any good movie about the
movies.
The entire cast is great, especially Malkovich’s scenery-chewing Murnau and Cary Elwes’ F.A. Wagner, but it is Dafoe who sells the picture. And though it’s a cliché to say it, he manages a real performance through all the heavy makeup. We are amused, horrified and ultimately — a lá Karloff in Frankenstein — touched by a creature so lonely and out of place. A fine achievement indeed.
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What a great film, and a memorable performance from Dafoe. (He certainly lives up to his last name)
I love, love, love this film and am so glad to see you recognize it here during your month of vampire obsession.
I may watch it tonight.
Joseph, all right, I’ll bite. What does his last name signify?
Phillip,
Well, we all have to be obsessed by something. Tonight, I’m watching “Interview With the Vampire.” It’s got two of my favorite vampire scenes in it, ever. and I really think Tom Cruise ain’t so bad.
What about the redneck vampire of Dafoe in Wild At Heart? Now that dude was freakin’ creepy! Especially when he has those panties on his head that smoosh his nose.
Hi! Rick,
I am “treading” pretty close on your “territory”…because I have linked a clip from Youtube in which fans of the film “Shadow of the Vampire” have reached a consensus that the video that I have linked (below) is one of the “best” scene from the film….I second that motion!
dcd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzhCA3gQWyQ
Rick said, Joseph, all right, I’ll bite. What does his last name signify?
Oh! now I think I get it!…
…He is not “Da” Friend?!?”…ha! ha!
dcd
I really wanted to see this when it came out, didn’t, and then completely forgot about it until now. Tuscaloosa, thanks for putting it back on my radar.
Fox, I haven’t seen “Wild at Heart.” I evidently need to, although Lynch isn’t always my cup of tea.
dcd, I that’s a great clip … “Oh, the script girl … I’ll eat her later.”
And I suspect you’re right … the-foe. Haha.
Jonathan, if I were ever to make a top five vampire list, I’d include this one. I think it’s that good. It was a modest hit when it came out, which is an achievement for a movie that’s as consciously meta as this one. To get the most out of it, you really have to have seen “Nosferatu.”
This is the little movie that could. I remember seeing it at the CIFF. A very large theatre was sold out, and the director was there to take questions. I found it hard to believe at the time, but this film was made in 30 days!
Jonathan Rosenbaum hated it because it showed disrespect for Murnau. Killjoy.
To get the most out of it, you really have to have seen “Nosferatu.”
Which I have, many times, so no worries there.
Yes, it’s a highly entertaining film. And my favorite part is the ending, which is a nice thing to say about any movie. I really think the strength of this films comes from the script and performances, though, because Merhige’s follow up, Suspect Zero, is utterly forgettable, and his commentary on the Shadow DVD is really blank and humorless.
Marilyn said: “Jonathan Rosenbaum hated it because it showed disrespect for Murnau. Killjoy.”
Yeah, Rosenbaum can be a real jerk. Doesn’t he get the difference between a hatchet job and an imaginative retelling? Come to think of it, is there any difference?
Jonathan, I think you’ll love it. Come to think about it, it’s right up there on my list of movies about movies as well as vampire flicks.
Bill, I’ve never seen anything else of Merhige’s, but you’re hardly alone in your opinion. The ending of this one, as you opine, is perfect.
Some folks who like their horror straight might be a little put off, however … it’s pretty meta. But in a good way.
Rick -
I haven’t been commenting much here lately, since I’m not a big watcher of vampire flicks – or horror films in general, for that matter. But I’ve been enjoying your posts, and this one really piqued my interest. I think I need to add both “Nosferatu” and “Shadow of the Vampire” to my Netflix queue; I’ve become particularly interested in Murnau since seeing “Sunrise” earlier this year.
“Nosferatu” is great, although I like Herzog’s remake better. “Shadow” isn’t very complimentary to Murnau, though …
My favorite vampire film — and perhaps in my all-time top 20 or so — is Dreyer’s “Vampyr.”