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.
Cinematics of Nosferatu In Nosferatu, the first thing I noticed was that the camera doesn't move. ... An example of this is when the horse and buggy come down the long and winding road from the castle of Nosferatu. ... Jonathan, Nina, and Renfield, whose actions are each, affected by those of Nosferatu. ... Nosferatu. ... When Nosferatu came to bite Nina. ...
Murnau's illegal version of Stoker's Dracula, "Nosferatu" is a renowned classic of its time, and will forever leave its mark in history. ... Though a magical adaptation of the novel and a marvel of filmmaking, Murnau's "Nosferatu" has more important historical implications and can explain much about the time and place it was created in. Like many films that spawned in the Weimar Era, "Nosferatu" makes statements about the fear and paranoia of the time. ... In conclusion, though a magical adaptation of the novel and a marvel of filmmaking, Murnau's "Nosferatu" has more im...
Interview with the Nosferatu 1922 was met with the release of what is one of the greatest Vampire films of all time, F. ... Murnau's Nosferatu (Germany, 1922). ... In Nosferatu the plague is portrayed as a side effect of the Counts arrival, or that maybe he was the plague. ... Both movies show vampires as parasitic creatures, although it is much more prominent an observation in Nosferatu. ... Nosferatu on the other hand shows them as rat-like beings monsters. ...
The idea of this can be seen in the film, Nosferatu by F. ... In the film, Nosferatu, Nosferatu shows a relationship of normality with the character Ellen. ... In the film Nosferatu, this is seen when the girl in the film begins to react oddly towards Nosferatu himself. ... The same idea can be possible for Nosferatu. ... Dreams meaning the nigh side when Nosferatu harms Ellen. ...
When you watch these scenes your mind drifts back to the original movie "Nosferatu", and you begin to wonder if this is how it really was. In "Nosferatu" method acting was employed by the vampire to achieve the desired effect. ... Here Wilam DeFoe method acts to become the original actor playing "Nosferatu" (who is also method acting). ...
Although the film Nosferatu is based off Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, many differences are present that significantly change several aspects of the way viewers perceive the film when compared to the novel. Nosferatu expands on the theme of invasion and predator versus prey in order to create fear from the typical viewer's perspective. During the time when both Dracula and Nosferatu were created, Europeans, namely the British, were terrified of the prospect of having their home country invaded by a foreign, mysterious country. ... In Dracula, the main characters rarely interact with L...
Such is the case with the films Nosferatu, Vampyr, and Dracula. ... In Nosferatu, we learn that "evil spirits become all powerful after dark," and that the name Nosferatu conjures up images of " the very midnight call of death". We also learn that "Nosferatu- " [lives] and [feeds] on the blood of mankind, and [abides], unredeemed in the land of darkness". ... This text creates the same association between vampires and their relationship to shadows, and night, as Nosferatu- that they are supernaturally evil. ... In Nosferatu, Hutter too, seems to be affected by the darkness, for during the da...
Think of the monstrous ego of the vampire. He thinks himself so important that he is willing to live forever, even under the dreary conditions imposed by his vampirism. Avoiding the sun, sleeping in coffins, feared by all, he nurses his resentments. In "Bram Stoker's Dracula,"" the film by Francis F...
