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Nosferatu the Vampyre

Nosferatu the Vampyre

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Remake rivals the original
Review: Nosferatu the Vampyre is an excellent remake of the classic 1920's silent film Nosferatu. While this movie may not appeal to those that are looking for big hollywood special effects or the predictible vampire story, it will appeal to all classic horror film fans out there.

The mood is consistently creepy and dark. The performance by Kinski is outstandng. He plays the bizarre and pathetic vampire perfectly. My only complaint was that the film to DVD transfer was not as good as I had hoped, but this was probably due to the quality of the original film.

This is a classic that I will watch again and again and never tire of.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Nosferatu, The Vampyre 1979
Review: I just love the way directors and script writers feel the need to rewrite Bram Stroker's "Dracula." Don't you? Well...they've done it again. This movie is not as good as the book. It is not even as good as the original movie (I've seen "Nosferatu" and you are not it).

However, I can recommend this movie for the following reasons: 1) the scenery, beautiful and at times alien to many of us in the U.S. 2) Klaus' make-up (as good as the original) 3) the acting (a little broad at times but, hey) 4) the music

Klaus Kinski is a good actor and always plays interesting characters (and he helps make beautiful and talented children). Trust me, there are worse ways to spend some time. A bad rendition of "The Messiah" comes to mind. 8{

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Few Vampyre films have what this has.
Review: This movie is a must see if you love creatures of the night, I have never seen such a great presentation of the Vampyre, everything from the music to the lighting affects the way you feel about the characters, the ending was a little bit disappointing, but leaves you wondering what happens, if you loved the original, you will love this.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The Worst Vampire Film I Have Ever Seen!
Review: When I watched the film, it made no sense at all. It was boring and way too weird to watch again. The music of the film is compeletely unbarable and I could barely understand the plot. Max Schreck back in 1922 did much better than Mr. Klinski. I critisize the film for being a bad representative of the Vampire myth.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Specter artistry which goes off the scale.
Review: I first saw this in the summer of 1987 on Channel 4 here in England. I was 13 years old and the movie's dark lasciviousness left such a deep impression upon me that I followed the tape for years like a bounty hunter. I finally got the opportunity to buy both the English and the German version from Amazon this year and awaited their arrival with extreme anticipation. Herzog's reworking of the FW Murnau silent is like heroin for the eyes. This film transcends definition in that it is a movie made of a movie and not made for actors per se. You can tell this by the suppressed use of dialogue (hence giving rise to the ease Herzog had in making 2 entirely different language versions using separate film sessions). The chills are entirely implicit. What does come out is the delicious photography which Herzog fuses well with an ethereal soundtrack from Popol Vuh, Wagner and some Messe opera at the end. Ganz is the perfect victim because he is so soft-spoken and wide-eyed. Adjani is a luscious foil for Kinski, whose erotic appeal comes out in tragic spurts near the end. We through, accentuated by Herzog's anachronistic camera lens and the terror mushrooms in the subconscious which gives rise to a longer term type of disquiet. The mummies in the intro. add intensity to the story. We're taken from that crypt to the happy breakfast table of the Harkers in the space of a minute, like a tooth being jerked back and forth before it is wrenched out of the gum. The best part of the film has to be the journey to Castle Dracula. There is so much expectation loaded in there. The imagery conjured by the Gypsy warnings at the campfire creates an apprehension the size of a planet while the mountain lines and jagged caves of Harker's final leg of the journey give rise to something even larger. You can feel the warmth of civilization in the campfire flames. When you juxtapose that with the howling wolves and the oppressive night both inside and outside Castle Dracula, your sense of safety becomes highly polarised. Herzog used a blue filter for the Castle shots and this adds a heaviness in feel which has to be seen to be appreciated. His technique overall with the camera is pure wizardry. For him, 'Nosferatu' was a homage piece but, ironically, it exudes a beautifully cold type of anti-energy which he failed to capture with any of his other works, including 'Aguirre' and 'The Glass Blower', both being in the specter vein. For some reason, the remake has been murdered by professional reviewers for years. It's been termed 'mediocre' and the like but I believe those early reviewers lacked something. Perhaps it was the dichotomy between the reign of slasher films and 'Nosferatu' which gave them a hard time. I'll wager many of them wrongly had the film mentally pigeon-holed as purely being horror before the cinema curtain fell aside and were disappointed. Prejudice is an evil thing in this case as you need to let the movie soften you. After all, you can't give scope to something which goes beyond all scope. Better than the 1922 original? No; not better, but definitely a makeover of it which would have brought a tear to Murnau's eye for sure. One thing is certain, though. Both 'Nosferatu' versions blow the Universal, Hammer and all others (including the 1992 super-hyped F.F.C. version) right out of the water. This vampire is the one Stoker must surely have seen. No slick hair with a v-shape hairline, velvet cape or parody-deserving suaveness. Kinski reanimates the demonology Schreck first tapped while creating a perverse sexuality that is so implicit it is more erotic than anything overt. The vampyre is a satanic Dorian Gray, except it's painting is the earth in its coffin. I'd recommend watching this late at night. That sounds cliched but is necessary because the camera-work is so soporific that it will play tricks on your subconscious in your slumber hours. While you watch late at night, you will feel sleepy. Herzog works his magic by lulling his viewers with mesmerism, almost prepping us for Kinski to stick his head through the screen and bite our necks once we're suitably catatonic. Heroin for the soul as well as the eyes. This film deserves a far, far better fate than that which it has suffered lying in its cannisters for close to 15 years. Never seen on legal video before and with only a few prints made for television through the 1980's, I think what adds to the film's 'homecoming' is the fact that it is a true fetish member of that clique, I shall leave you with two words of advice. Number German versions as well as the original 1922 silent. Number two is watch one of them every Saturday and Wednesday night and just see how enriched your spirit will become.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Dark, Gothic And Thrilling Masterpiece.
Review: Werner Herzog's "Nosferatu" is a thrilling remake of F.W. Murnau's 1922 classic. But Herzog goes beyond it and presents a gothic work of art that remains one of the greatest of all vampire films, if not THE greatest. The film is lush, rich in performances and settings. The screenplay is intelligent and spooky. The cinematography is rich and breathtaking in it's usage of darkness, shadow and color. This film presents the true elements of dark cinema. Herzog doesn't go for gory scares like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" or "Bram Stoker's Dracula." Instead, he takes his time with the art. The film's atmosphere, look, and dramatic intensity make it chilling. Single images stay in your mind. "Nosferatu" is for those who truly love great art.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very Spooky
Review: All I have to say is this: Nasfuratu puts Hollywood flicks to shame. I was very dissapointed with Bram Stokers "Dracula" This is much much better! Sometimes the story seems to move a little slow but that only adds to the build up of the story. The camera work is excellent and I love the end!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Honestly I was disappointed
Review: I was disappointed in this movie because, it was so long and drawn out. There were a few good parts like the way the villagers acted when Jonathan said Count Dracula. Other than that I thought the movie was a waste and, I didn't like the way Count Dracula acted when he had Lucy. It was a gross out. Then again you don't have to take my word for it. Your opinion may be totally oppisite from mine.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Werner Herzog's Epic Masterpiece
Review: Werner Herzog's remake of the 1922 classic is an epic masterpiece in movie making. Beautifully filmed with glorious music, knock-out performance by Klaus Kinski as the flambouyant Count Dracula. Only one other film in history has impressed me this much with unforgettable scenes of the true nature and feeling of vampires. This isn't an ordinary vampire movie, it doesn't have any scares, it doesn't have any bloody scenes either, it's not made to scare or gross the audience, it's made to give the audience remarkable visions of vampires, so masterfully done that they are impossible to forget. Nosferatu The Vampyre remains poignant to this day and stands as one of the greatest films in history.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Haunting and Horrific
Review: Nosferatu is powerful, haunting and above all horrific. I cannot think of a more gut-wrenching version of the Vampyre story than Herzog's version of the original 1922 silent pix. The images are beautifully crafted and wonderfully edited and I was tempted to turn down the volume at a number of the scenes to re-capture my first experience with the silent. But I have to say that the soundtrack is masterful and perfect for this movie. Kinski is almost as convincing as Bela and the two togther are an important contribution to the horror genre on film. A wonderful movie that left me with surrealistic images that will not go away. Isn't that truly horrifying and a masterful tribute to Herzog.


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