Nosferatu

            The film Nosferatu was made in 1921 by director F. Murnau in an era before recorded sound. With its simple and sparse language, and exaggerated characters, you could see the movie as being unwatchable, or even ridiculous. It seems as though its hundreds of years old, made by our ancient ancestors. But in fact, Nosferatu may have been ahead of its time.
             For example, the character Nina seemed deeper than most would interpret. On the surface she appears very melancholy and melodramatic, but perhaps she is just very wise. She finds pleasure in the simplest things: sewing, playing with a cat, but when she's given a bouquet of flowers, she seems saddened by the fact that they will soon die. She wears black from the day her husband leaves, as if she is mourning a death she knows will come. Also, Nina walks on her toes, which would be an odd thing to see in a movie today. But in a film with very little dialogue, it may have been the director's way of portraying her as an ungrounded person.
             When most directors might have settled for a typical film, Murnau managed to use what technology he could find. Nosferatu has wonderful examples of directorial genius. For example, the makeup itself on the characters is stunning. Lord Orlock's eyes seem to penetrate you and chill you to the bone. With very little resources, Murnau was able to make Orlock float, carry a heavy coffin with ease, and fade in and out. At the time, these effects were very advanced, and must have been chilling to the modern audience.
             Also, the film was surprisingly erotic for the time in which it was made. In a period of time when Prohibition cam e to play and the citizens of America were as innocent as kittens, it was quite appalling to show a man without a shirt, which is exactly what Nosferatu did. Jonathan Harker wakes up one morning, rolls, down his long johns and washes up. In addition, the idea of being bitten on the neck was also erotic.