Monday, July 4, 2011

Nosferatu (1979) aka Nosferatu The Vampyre aka Nosferatu: Phantom Der Nacht

 4.5 / 5 Jul '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Werner Herzog
Written by: Werner Herzog
Actors include: Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz
Genre: Horror, Fantasy
Length: 107 minutes
Banned: Nope




Review:
Most certainly one of the best remakes I've ever encountered, every detail is meticulously attended to. This was actually my first Werner Herzog film (and definitely not my last) and what really struck me was that at any given moment I could hit "pause" and the screen would look like a painting. The mood created with the shadows and contrast is impressively eerie and the sets are brilliant. It even manages to create a wonderful tension and the feeling of doom haunts the film. Oddly two versions of this film were shot simultaniously, one in German and one in English and it's said that the two are a bit different. The version I saw was the English one, but I'm mighty curious what differences lie between the two. The acting is superb, particularly Klaus Kinski's fascinatingly creepy portrayal of Nosferatu. I was also amused at Roland Topor's take on the Renfield character, he sure played it like a gigglier Peter Lorre. The story is one you will definitely know, it's the story of Dracula and actually it's one of the most complete and well defined versions available. It is a bit slower in pacing but only so the viewer can take the time to ingest the beauty of the film or nature or what have you. It's all very lovingly intentional and I thought it added that extra depth to make this as brilliant as it was. All I can say is that this is a must see on many levels, and that Herzog is brilliant so yes absolutely recommended.

Availability:  On DVD

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