Virginia Film Festival - Nosferatu/Shadow of the Vampire

First, a little background: In 1921 Berlin, F.W. Murnau sought to create the most realistic and nightmarish vision of vampirism yet, in his film Nosferatu. He cast an unknown actor calling himself Max Schreck - which literally means fear. Legend has it that the set was plagued by deaths and mysterious disappearances. (most good movies are) Many believe that Max Schreck himself was in fact a real vampire. This is the basis for Shadow of the Vampire.

Shadow of the Vampire does not open until December 29th, but Shea and I were lucky enough to take in a screening last night at the opening of the 13th annual Virginia Film Festival. It was actually a double feature, with Nosferatu leading in.

Shadow is directed by E. Elias Merhige, a man who I'd never actually heard of. His only other directorial effort was 1991's Begotten, which is apparently a cult classic of sorts. While the direction and writing (Steven Katz) are competent, the real stars here are John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe. Malkovich is never less than amazing, and his take on crazed director Murnua is great. Great doesn't even begin to describe, however, Dafoe's performance as the undead Count Orlock, which will garner him a Best Actor nomination.

The movie jumps right into the making of Nosferatu. The cast and crew are about to relocate to Transylvania to shoot the scenes with Schreck, who is already there, 'taking in the environment.' Murnau proceeds to tell everybody that Schreck will only be seen in character, and at night. After all, you have to respect a true artist, no matter how unorthodox his methods... Soon enough, the set is plagued by problems. Orlock feeds a little too much on the photographer, so they need to fly in a new one. (Cary Elwes) An interesting revelation is that Murnau knows Schreck is a vampire. His motivation as it turns out, is to capture the proof on film, for posterity and science. The scenes between Murnau and Schreck are the best, as more often than not, they turn comical.

Murnau: "You cannot feed on my crew! I need them all!"
Schreck: "I do not think the writer is necessary...."
Murnau: "You may not be able to understand this, and it loathes me to say it...but the writer is necessary!"

Shadow of the Vampire is simply one of the more original movies you will ever see. It's a brilliant concept, and the fact people once thought it was true makes it even better. It's a beautifully shot film, with oscar caliber performances, and while Nosferatu was a "symphony of horror", Shadow is actually very funny. Dafoe's facial expressions never failed to amuse. I'm not sure if this movie will connect with mainstream audiences, but if you're looking for something a little different -- this one's a winner.

As for Nosferatu itself, it's harder to review. From a historical point of view, it's fascinating to watch. I seriously doubt I've seen any movie older than 1922, so that's something. You can tell, though, that for it's time, it was an excellently crafted film. The acting is a little over the top, but hey, that's just how they were back then. The movie is most famous because never in the history of cinema has any creature been as genuinely creepy as Schreck's Nosferatu. It's not hard to see why he scared the bejesus out of people. It's a silent movie, obviously, so Shea and I had the pleasure of seeing it accompanied by the Silent Orchestra of Washington, D.C. I would strongly recommend seeing this movie before you watch Shadow. Otherwise, you'll be missing out on a lot of references and backstory. But it's certainly not something everyone will love. I got the sense that most people were anxious for it to end by about the hour mark. In any case, you should give it a chance and keep an open mind. I give Nosferatu, simply because it's butt-old and still cool, 5 stars.

your undead reviewer, Ultra Magnus

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