Rating: 
Summary: Magnificent Remake
Review: This review refers to the Anchor Bay DVD of "Nosferatu...The Vampyre" (1979 version/1999 DVD release).....I Love It!..I say this very enthusiastically, as normally I am slow to warm to remakes. Especially when the original is such a masterpiece itself. This German remake is magnificent. Written, produced and directed by Werner Herzog, and starring Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, and Bruno Ganz, it's an intoxicating,and edge of your seat horror film, that you won't want to miss a minute of.The images are beautifully photographed,the score is inticing,the story is brillantly acted and Herzog is artful in his direction. The story takes place in the mid 19th century. Johnathan Harker, is about to leave his most beautiful and pure hearted wife Lucy to complete a big real estate deal. He must travel far to Transylvania, and not many are willing to lead him there. There are stories of wolves and spirits, and beautiful Lucy has a bad premonition of things to come. Johnathon does not heed any of the warnings. He arrives, after a long journey, at the castle of "Count Dracula". Dracula(Kinski) is horrifying to look at and mysterious as well. Harker, closes the deal, and, the vampire Dracula is off to spread the Plague and danger to Harker's town and mostly his pure hearted wife! It's as thrilling as any Dracula movie ever and even "Renfield" adds his charms! Anchor Bay has made a nice transfer to DVD. The wonderful cinematography is done justice as it is presented in widescreen(1.85:1), with a nice picture and colors(although at times it seemed a bit grainey). It may be viewed in either the original German Language(Dolby surround) with or without English subtitles, or the English Language version(Mono),also widescreen. There are no subtitiles on the English side, but was helpful to view all the credits in English after I watched the German version. There is director commentary, behind the scene featurettes and U.S. and Spanish Theatrical trailers. It also came in one of the better DVD cases I've seen. This masterful remake of an already classic German masterpiece, is a wonderful homage to F.W. Murnau. If you haven't seen it yet, go for it, it's well worth it. Have dinner with "The Count"....enjoy...Laurie
Rating:
Summary: Cerebral, dream-like horror
Review: Nosferatu unfolds like a languorous, disturbing dream. The images have an hallucinogenic, archetypal quality: mummified human remains in an ancient tomb; the figure of a woman sitting on a beach studded with tombstones; a dead sea-captain lashed to the wheel of a deserted sailing ship. Like Kubrick's The Shining, Nosferatu is less a standard genre film than a singular expression of a filmmaker's vision. Writer-director Werner Herzog began with F.W. Murnau's expressionist classic, mixed in elements from Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, then set about creating a meditation on the vampire myth. What would it really mean to live forever, and be compelled to feed on the blood of others? What of the unspeakable boredom? The longing for companionship? For normalcy? For death? As played by Klaus Kinski, Herzog's Dracula has spent hundreds, if not thousands of years alone with these thoughts. He is the ultimate poster boy for German angst. If not for the skill of his performance and Herzog's direction, he might have lapsed into self-parody. There are shots that all but reproduce moments from the silent classic - right down to the overwrought body language. But Herzog, Kinski, and the rest of the cast (including Bruno Ganz as Jonathon Harker and Isabelle Adjani as his wife Lucy) keep it in check and keep it beautifully stylized, so it all works. Probably due to the involvement of American studio 20th-Century Fox, Nosferatu was shot in both English and German versions. Both are on this double-sided DVD; comparing them is instructive, since there are non-trivial differences in the visual construction of both films. Most critics agree (and I concur) that the German one is superior. Finally, to get an idea of whether you will like this - or any - Werner Herzog film, take the Armageddon-Matrix test: if you hated Armageddon because it was empty and overblown, but kind of liked The Matrix because of its ideas, then you may like Nosferatu. If, on the other hand, you thought Armageddon rocked, but only kind of liked The Matrix because it was slow in places, then don't even think about it.
Rating: 
Summary: "Dracula" Dead & Loving It?
Review: The first thing I need to point out before I write one word about this film is apparently there are two versions of this film. One in German another in English. I have seen the English version. There seems to be a difference in the pacing of both films. So for those who have seen the German film, don't get mad at me if I say this movie is not paced poorly. I have only seen a few movies by Werner Herzog they include "Aguirre: The Wrath of God", "Fitzcarraldo", and "Invincible". I personlly do not watch much German cinema and do not include Herzog among my favorite filmmakers. In fact of the little I've seen from Rainer Werner Fassbinder, I prefer him. But "Nosferatu" is a wonderful film and perhaps the one movie that impressed me most from Herzog. I have not seen the 1922 version of "Nosferatu", although if it's any constellation I have seen "Shadow of the Vampire". "Nosferatu" has such a vivid colorful and yet stark look to it. Herzog has created so many memorable images here. I've always thought of Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopolous as the master of imagery but here Herzog seems to be a close runner-up. There's a scene dealing with rats on a ship and instantly I started thinking of "Aguirre" and the final scene with the monkeys. Herzog and his cinematographer Jorg Schmidt-Reitwein have truly captured something special. In fact it's the camerawork that leads me to have such strong admiration for the movie. "Nosferatu" for those who have seen the countless (no pun intended) versions of Dracula films this one, and perhaps the 1922 version is the same, is quite a different take on the story. For instance Van Helsing does not think Dracula is "undead". he makes no effort to stop him. Renfeld is not sent to the count's castle and turned into his slave, instead Harker is. Harker works for Renfeld. And speaking of Renfeld, did anyone else think Roland Topor was doing a Peter Lorre imitation? And as one reviewer pointed out this is Lucy's story, which is quite true. This is not to say these things hurt the movie, just anyone who is a die-hard fan will notice these differences and who knows how someone would react. If your starting to became familiar with Herzog films, like I am, I don't think this is really the place to start. I'm not convinced this is one of his "typical" films. When I think of Herzog the first movie that comes to mind is "Aguirre", but, if your a Dracula fan or if you've seen the original you'll probably want to see this. Also it would be fun to compare the two. Bottom-line: Impressive take on the "Dracula" story with slight differences. Herzog and cinematographer create many memorable moments. And Klaus Kinski is quite good in the lead as is Isabelle Adjani (hello nurse!) as Lucy.
Rating:
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:
Summary: ENTHRALLING
Review: This production is my ABSOLUTE favorite film rendition of the Dracula story.. Who can portray Dracula better than Klaus Kinski? In certain scenes you can see Werner Herzog obviously mirroring Murnau's direction from the silent film "Nosferatu" Like Lucy's vigil at the seashore, waiting for Jonathan's return, remind me so much of the Murnau film. And although it contains aspects of the Murnau film, this IS NOT a DIRECT remake. If you have ever seen the silent film with Max Schreck in the title role, you'll see this is different. With a different ending... Klaus Kinski is MESMERIZING and absolutely delectible! With shaven head, ghostly pale skin, long white fingers & defined even more against his long black suit. And his usual great self-direction. In most scenes he moves almost insect like.
He so keenly delivers such a fantastic performance, that's forever etched in my mind. Creating a disturbing and creepy aura, yet also very poignant and moving...
"As for me, the absence of love, is the most abject pain"..he mournfully says. Lucy and the Count's interaction together, their expressions to each other, it's so profound (oddly & intensely romantic). It really affects me. Bruno Ganz is also great as Jonathan, the hapless real estate agent, sent to Dracula's lonely castle in the desolate outreaches. His stay with the Count, the way they react to each other. Are sometimes humorous. The way he watches Jonathan eat... He asks him "Listen, The children of the night make their music." Jonathan gives a mystified look.. The Count looks at him sadly "Ah, young man... You're like the villagers, who cannot place themselves in the soul of the hunter." The Count expresses his loneliness throughout.."Can you imagine enduring centuries, experiencing the same futility each day?"... Some may find it slow in parts, particularly Johnathan and The Counts race to Wismar.
Jonathan's journey is hampered by his urgent escape from the Count's castle, in which he falls from the window. He is taken in by an old couple. And by the time he gets home, he doesn't even recognize Lucy. And he's absolutely forgotten the reason he came home. The doctor attributes it to "brain fever". He's been bitten, and Lucy sorrowfully watches him slowly deteriorate. Isabelle Adjani is wonderful as Lucy, she seems genuinely affected and her tear-stained eyes are real. She has the power to move you. Lucy knows that it's completely up to her, to save Jonathan And also free Wismar from the mysterious "plague" that has gripped the city. Also worthy of note is Roland Topor who plays Renfield. Jonathan's employer who is in league with the Count, he calls him "master". And when Jonathan leaves, Renfield is comitted to a jail cell. He gets more and more excited as he senses the Count's getting closer. He's obnoxious, but thankfully NOT in a way that grates on the nerves or annoys. :-) It's exceptional..a masterpiece= 5+ stars :-) It's visually beautiful and wonderfully well acted. With an exquisite artistic style that permeates throughout. I prefer the German language version as a opposed to the "dubbed" one, which really isn't dubbed. You can tell the actors are actually speaking English, by reading their lips and the scenes are just slightly different, in the dubbed one.
It may be too "artsy" for SOME.
But I think it's a treasure.
Rating:
Summary: Belief and Science Clash
Review: Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979) Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht directed by Werner Herzog, is really a color remake of the 1922 film Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens directed by F.W. Murnau. There are a couple of name changes: Count Orlok became Count Dracula; Jonathan's fiancée Nina became Jonathan's wife Lucy. The original film was silent and in black and white, where the 1979 version is in color and is in German with English subtitles. However the plot is close to Bram Stoker's book on Count Dracula which has a very similar plot line and story. F.W. Murnau bought the movie rights to the film; however these rights were owned by Bram's widow Florence and she refused to allow the use of the name and storyline. Even though Murnau had changed the major names of the main characters (Count Dracula, Thomas and his wife Ellen) and location enough similarity remained that Florence took the case to court and in July of 1925 the German court ordered all the copies of the movie destroyed. However a few copies did manage to survive. While the film starts off slow it shows spectacular scenes of an ocean voyage, and waterfalls experienced during Jonathan (Bruno Ganz) Harker's journey to Count (Klaus Kinski) Dracula's castle. The contrast with his return trip is startling, since he was healthy when he started, but on the return is very sickly and barely alive. The Count's journey is very stark, his companions' death and rats board another ship, which glides into port with no one left alive on board except the rats. As the rats depart the ship one reminded of the story of Ben, where the rats were everywhere and out of control.
An interesting dilemma in this film is the direct confrontation of belief in the existence of the supernatural and sacramental with belief in the rationale of science. Science was believed to able to explain away rationally anything that happened out of the ordinary. Yet here it could not produce an answer for Lucy (Isabelle Adjani) Harker. The way that this was shown was that after consulting with the town physician, Lucy broke and crumbed the Eucharist around Jonathan to keep him locked into a chair in a corner all night, while she became the sacrificed lamb to save him from the Count and death. While she did this out of her love for Jonathan, her sacrifice resulted in the final demise of Count Dracula and her own death. Yet Jonathan in essence lives on to carry the legacy of the living dead, alive yet not fully. The last that is seen of Jonathan is when he is released from his imposed prison, by the removal of the broken host around him, he declares that he has much work to accomplish he mounts a horse and rides off.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent Remake
Review: This review refers to the Anchor Bay DVD of "Nosferatu...The Vampyre" (1979 version/1999 DVD release)..... I Love It!..I say this very enthusiastically, as normally I am slow to warm to remakes. Especially when the original is such a masterpiece itself. This German remake is magnificent. Written, produced and directed by Werner Herzog, and starring Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, and Bruno Ganz, it's an intoxicating,and edge of your seat horror film, that you won't want to miss a minute of.The images are beautifully photographed,the score is inticing,the story is brillantly acted and Herzog is artful in his direction. The story takes place in the mid 19th century. Johnathan Harker, is about to leave his most beautiful and pure hearted wife Lucy to complete a big real estate deal. He must travel far to Transylvania, and not many are willing to lead him there. There are stories of wolves and spirits, and beautiful Lucy has a bad premonition of things to come. Johnathon does not heed any of the warnings. He arrives, after a long journey, at the castle of "Count Dracula". Dracula(Kinski) is horrifying to look at and mysterious as well. Harker, closes the deal, and, the vampire Dracula is off to spread the Plague and danger to Harker's town and mostly his pure hearted wife! It's as thrilling as any Dracula movie ever and even "Renfield" adds his charms! Anchor Bay has made a nice transfer to DVD. The wonderful cinematography is done justice as it is presented in widescreen(1.85:1), with a nice picture and colors(although at times it seemed a bit grainey). It may be viewed in either the original German Language(Dolby surround) with or without English subtitles, or the English Language version(Mono),also widescreen. There are no subtitiles on the English side, but was helpful to view all the credits in English after I watched the German version. There is director commentary, behind the scene featurettes and U.S. and Spanish Theatrical trailers. It also came in one of the better DVD cases I've seen. This masterful remake of an already classic German masterpiece, is a wonderful homage to F.W. Murnau. If you haven't seen it yet, go for it, it's well worth it. Have dinner with "The Count"....enjoy...Laurie
Rating:
Summary: The Classic Art-House Version of Dracula
Review: For our second outing between Kinski and Herzog we find that the director has chosen to remake, or rather retell, his favorite film of all time - 'Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens' by F.W. Murnau (1922), while at the same time adapting more of the original Stoker novel into the remake, using the original name of Count Dracula (Kinski) instead of Orlok and injecting his own take on the story of Dracula (in German), which for all intensive purposes is a story about 'tragedy' and Herzog has correctly identified this main theme that would help levitate this entry to one of the all time great art-house horror films with images of Kinski's vampire often filling many film magazine pages and posters. In fact, it is Herzog's most commercial and accessible film to date. It was this telling of the Dracula story that influenced Coppola to remake the Stoker novel entirely into a film. It was not the first time Coppola had been influenced by Herzog. Coppola learned from Kinski and Herzog in "Aguirre: Wraith of God" that guerilla film making while going up a jungle river would be just what he needed for his version of Conrad's "Hearts of Darkness" (Apocalypse Now). The usual Kinski/Herzog display of frustration is more subtle in this film than all the others probably because the beautiful Isabelle Adjani keeps Kinski distracted long enough for him not get angry with Herzog's cruel daily shoots to 'get it right' and deliberately making the actors and actresses angry for their performances. Here everyone just looks deathly sick and move extremely slowly. Even Adjani looks paler than Kinski at times. For some reason this has given Herzog a more controlled approach to this film with certainly less improvisation and 'on the spot' acting than any of his other collaborations with Kinski. Here we see a mix of Herzog's favorite - Tarkovsky's slow shooting style while cutting in shots of water (Herzog uses a bat in slow motion) and some sort of strange cinematic art house presence that we would see in many of Andy Warhol's productions. Herzog also gets the lighting just right and the cinematography is sublime - watching Kinski materialize from the darkness is again some of the most memorable images in art house cinema ever. Herzog also brings coffins en masse for display. Black coffins play a major role in the design throughout the film. Later on during a plague thousands of rats covering a city become central to Herzog's eye for capturing horror (a formal dinner takes place among hundreds of rats because the diners have the plague and wish to make the best of it before they die) - again extremely visionary and talented. Adjani puts on an amazing performance while remaining stunning under all the white. In one classic scene where she is confronted by Kinski she looks and acts more scary than Kinski almost performing him off the screen. The ending is an erotic take on the original film with Kinski touching Adjani all over, but the acting is excellent. The final twist comes as a shocker and is a bit funny. The end scene is like something out of a great Western and looks spectacular. Also the strange atmosphere of holiness is found throughout this film more than in any other Herzog/Kinski collaboration. The use of Orchestral sounds makes it all the more eerie while at the same time retaining that spirited electric connection to the presentation of madness that Herzog and Kinski are so well noted for. 'Nosferatu the Vampyre' is probably one of the most original art house horror films ever made even though the subject matter has been beaten to death, however it still ranks up there as one of the best versions of Dracula you can see. The DVD transfer is good and crisp. The aspect ratio is 1.85:1 and there are a lot of extras including director's commentary. By the way you can get the Kinski/Herzog box set of 6 films for a few quid extra than this stand alone DVD. Go look for it.
Rating: 
Summary: Vamps that don't suck
Review: "Nosferatu the Vampyre" is the 1979 remake of the 1929 silent film classic. I have read a lot of reviews comparing the two, but I can't; I never saw the original. It is basicly Bram Stoker's book "Dracula" with a few twists. Dracula (who's face looks like a rat without hair) comes to western Europe (he goes to Amsterdam instead of London) and spreads a new Bubonic Plauge with rats around town. The only person who knows what's going on is Lucy. As you can see, there are a few changes to the book. Mina and Lucy trade positions. Professor Van Helsing is more or less useless, and dosn't even show up until the end. Renfield is Harkers boss and sends him to Dracula. And while we're on the subject, how did Renfield become entrances to the Count if the two never met before? The montage scenes with Harker going across the Carpathian Mountains are beautifully shot, the waterfalls and grassy pastures are magnificent, makes me wish I could go there. The movie is in German with English subtitles. But if you get this DVD, there is also a second disk that is dubbed in English, which isn't bad, as far as dubbing goes. I think both versions are equal. And then there is the suprise at the end, I thought that was a actually a stroke of inspiration. The movie is rated PG, so it isn't very bloody at all. Suitable for most anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Quite possibly the most overated film ever
Review: This is a critics' darling. Don't get me wrong, I love great films and count Godfather Part I, Citizen Kane, La Strada, and Schindler's List among my favorites. However, this film has a serious problem with pacing, which is essential to make a film great. The pacing is undeniably tedious. Yes, the film is beautiful to look at, but it is difficult to connect with or feel for the characters. For a vampire film, there is no action and zero suspense. Herzog may have been going for a dream-like state. However, that doesn't render his decision a good one. The film is a bit self-conscious and pretentious. Not very good at all.
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