Rating: 
Summary: Job Well Done
Review: Who was better cast, Willem Dafoe or John Malkovich? That's a tough question, but I'll have to pick Dafoe by a hair. He makes for a very scary vampire, even in this semi-serious tribute to the horror classic of the silent era, Nosferatu.
Rating: 
Summary: "MURGLIE's METHOD[ical] MADNESS , or a little Stanislavski
Review: Performances: WILLEM DAFOE completely disappeares in this role -the true test of an actor. He is this character, a FICTIONAL interpretation of MAX SCHRECK. His entrance alone surpasses Crawford's entrance in "Rain" or for that matter Tim Curry's in "Rocky Horror"! Not quite camp, close though. JOHN MALKOVICH - critics have condemned this interpretation of F.W. Murnau as being too shrill, NOT like the late and exceptionally talented artist. Again - this is an interpretation - Faustian in concept "don't ask for it - you might get it and not know how to handle it". Malkovich is a rare talent, presently still unrecognized. EDDIE IZZARD as Gustav von Wagenheim bears another uncanny resemblance to this actor - noteworthy! Nice to see UDO KIER being used - perhaps the most "period perfect" performance. Underrated!!! Technical: The title sequence alone encapsulates Coppola's "Dracula" - a beautiful realization. Costumes, music, scenic design are all superlative. I especially liked the innovative use of title cards. Directorial debut: An interesting debut for director E. Elias Merhige [see his "Begotten" for something slightly different] - covering the artistic as well as commercial aspects of this product. He is not quite at full throttle here, hopefully won't be spoiled by commercial temptations. Do do something different now! Trivia: "Shadow of the Vampire" is inspired by F.W. Murnau's "Nosferatu" - this is purely a fictional account of what happend behind the scenes. A tongue in cheek look at "the method" approach - Lon Chaney, Paul Muni, even Jack Nicholson in "The Shining" demonstating a few excercises with Duvall [I don't think she had a clue, but it worked!]. The Werner Herzog work "Nosferatu the Vampyre" [1979] starring Klaus Kinski and Isabelle Adjani - is more of a fitting tribute to F.W. Murnau. Max Schreck, the emaciated, well-known character actor of stage and screen died in 1936 of a heart attack [there's no such thing as a vampire!] F.W. Murnau - died under slightly more controversial circumstances in a car crash with chauffeur [Santa Barbara - 1931]. A WW I aerial veteran, he was an art and literature student at the University of Heidelberg. He preferred to be in the company of men. Born as Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe, he took the name 'Murnau' and was also known as MURGLIE.
Rating: 
Summary: A triffle overrated, but worthy of a viewing
Review: Although I enjoyed "Shadow of the Vampire", I found myself slightly disappointed towards it's conclusion. The reason was that there was little to none character development among the main players. Not once is Murnau's background discussed. Also skimmed over is any information about Max Shrek. Now I understand that this was part of the mystique of the film, but surely some shred of information could have been provided by Murnau. The film maintains a sluggish pace until the end which builds up to a shocking climax. Malkovich and Dafoe turn in stellar performances, but Dafoe's role is limited and should have been given more screen time. John Malkovich continues to be one of the world's best actors and I'm convinced that any film he is a part of is well worth watching. Recommended
Rating:
Summary: Wow, was this weird...
Review: Being a silent-film fan, I was pleased when it was announced that a sort of "spoof" on the making of the classic "Nosveratu" was being released. I loved the original and consider it a masterpiece, but after watching this film, I have to admit that I'm stumped for words in describing "Shadow of the Vampire," but will try. For those of you who've lived under a rock and never heard of "Nosveratu" it was basically a German film that lifted the storyline literally and illegally from Dracula because the widow of Stoker wouldn't release it to them. So, if you basically know the story of Dracula, you have "Nosveratu." This movie is based on the making of the movie, complete with more profiling on the actors, workers and the infamous director himself, Murnau. Murnau wants so badly to make his film realistic, that he manages to lure a real vampire, known as Max Schrek, into playing his lead and the problems begin. (In order not to reveal any spoilers, I'm leaving the details here.) Otherwise, I have to say that Willem Dafoe as Max is just stunning. He is completely unrecognizable and absolutely brilliant, right down to the mannerisms and details of his "eating habits" (okay, I gave you one,) as well as taking the original Max Schrek and giving him a personality. Why he was passed up for an Oscar is beyond me because he blew Crowe out of the water. He most definitely should have gotten best actor for in this role you completely forget that it's Willem Dafoe unless you have a DVD and watch the interviews -- it's shocking. The movie tries very, very hard to stick to details and the time period in order to seem authentic. This includes the grainy film. In fact, I read that real snippets of the film were kind of pasted in here and there and honestly I could not tell the difference. Artistically, it was beautifully done. Now the story in a whole: weird. The trailer does a disservice by insinuating that it is a comedy by really focusing on one particular scene where Murnau is yelling at the vampire for satisfying his appetite on his cameraman and asks why not the script girl, to which Max thinks about it for a second and takes it as a suggestion and happily replies: "Oh, the script girl. She's next." One funny scene in one movie does not make a comedy, to which the trailer ruined this for me. I guess I went into this expecting Malkovich's "Being John Malkovich" type of sense of humor. It isn't like that at all. Of course, there are other mildly funny scenes, but most of the time it's a bit of everything. It's more dramatic, a touch of horror, a moment of gore and a bit of tragedy with a few comedic moments dabbed here and there. Beautifully mixed -- but that's all of it without the ending. The ending is what really threw me. Whereas the whole movie could have actually been believable (and leaned towards it), the ending is so outrageous, so bizarre that I found myself stunned at what I thought was a magnificent masterpiece only to turn around and somewhat become a horror-movie ending. The brilliant part would be it ties into the ending of the actual movie, but it just was so weird I couldn't swallow it. It kind of made me feel the same way I did after "Mary Reilly" (Yeah, I know I'm quoting Malkovich movies, but he kind of sticks to a specific oddball genre and the comparison works... sort of.) So what on earth is my recommendation? Alright here goes: If you're a Nosveratu fan in general, I think you'll like it. As oddball a picture as this is, it is brilliantly played, designed and acted that it is somewhat believable. You should enjoy it. If you're not familiar with Nosveratu, I recommend you see the movie before this one. Mostly because you'll have a good understanding of the work that went into this film and not only will you have an appreciation for silent films, but you'll truly love the tremendous effort made to branch the two of these films together. If you're just looking for a "fun movie" for a Saturday night, this is a pretty highbrow flick for just kicking back with some beer; it's pretty deep, but, you might get a kick out of it. You'll probably be pretty quiet towards the end like we were. If you're a vampire fan looking for more to add to your vampire movie collection, you'll like this tremendously. They truly play up the Nosveratu image, gore and all. Four stars for drama, period and acting. Left out one for script. I still feel that it could have been done better than it was, but don't let me dissuade you from renting this. If you want to expand your horizons in genre of movies, I recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: "The script girl...I'll EAT her later!"
Review: Of course, there are some similarities between "Shadow of the Vampire" and "Ed Wood." Both movies deal with unorthodox film directors, both feature a film about the making of a film, both have starring actors (John Malkovich and Johnny Depp, respectively) whose eclectic role choices are legendary, and both have actors who received Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor. However, wherein Martin Landau won for his role as Bela Lugosi in "Wood," Willem Defoe did not. And there lies the injustice. For Defoe is superb as Max Schreck/Nosferatu, the "actor" who is more than adequate for his role. Not only does Dafoe submerge himself into character but he makes the viewer feel that he indeed is one of the undead. His mannerisms, slithers, and vocal delivery are stunning. In the words of one of the featured performers in the film after Schreck has "devoured" a passing bat, "Henrick, what an actor!" No truer words have been spoken.
Rating: 
Summary: Fart-worthy
Review: No, no, no... Don't venture near this movie if you see it at a video store. Not unless you're tired and want something safer than sleeping pills. This is one of most pointless films I've ever seen. A fictionalized account of the making of "Nosferatu". Who really cares? Willem Dafoe was nominated for Oscar for this. His make-up is good, but his performance gave me gas.
Rating:
Summary: Clever, thrilling and funny
Review: F.W. Murnau's 1922 vampire classic Nosferatu stands as one of the greatest horror movies ever made, so I had to see this one. It's not a pure horror movie, it's rather a mixature of genres, featuring even humoristic elements. Although the movie is great entertainment in every sence, Willem Dafoe's performance as the vampire Max Schreck is a real standout. Recommended for every classic horror and Nosferatu - fans especially, but anyone can enjoy it, really. Have a go with it!
Rating:
Summary: Dafoe's Vampire looks Goofy, Not scary
Review: This movie to me suffers from the physical appearance of Dafoe. He looks like a geeky goofball not scary at all. I just want to slap his face everytime he's on screen! Max Shreck in Nosferatu had a bizarre, creepy, rat-like appearance.Dafoe just has the wrong face for the part. I don't know what it is. Also the script is not very interesting. Even Malkovich, one of the greatest actors of our time, seems to phone his performance in. And Eddie Izzard seems miscast as a very dull character. In Salems Lot the vampire is modeled after Nosferatu and it is scary as hell! Should have looked like that!!
Rating:
Summary: A Dark, Dark Allegory...
Review: Basic wisdom for film watching should be: DO NOT trust your first impression...go back...give the film a second viewing. I did. And I came away with a different response. This time the film seemed to become a very dark allegory...in which the true vampire is not the Max Schreck character, but rather Murnau, the director... for he is willing to sacrifice anyone to get the film which he wants and in the way in which he wants it. He is willing to watch his lead actress have the very life drained from her in front of his eyes, and rather than feeling pity for her, he doses her with a drug injection so she becomes more passive...it is horrifying to watch her sink into helpless passivity with a drugged smile on her face...and no one to give her help. And the heartless Murnau continues to crank his relentless camera...to achieve his art. From this point of view, the supposed vampire of the film, Shreck, becomes only the shadow of the REAL vampire of the film, which is Murnau. The second aspect of this dark, dark allegory relates to a scene in "eXistenZ" in which Willem Dafoe is playing a garage mechanic who has received a liberating vision of insight...after having plugged into a particular virtual reality game which promotes the illusion of God as Artist...or Mechanic (either God as Prometheus...or as Hephaestus). If this same allegory is applied to this film, then "Murnau" becomes the surrogate for God or the Creator... and the film he is making is Life...people are the actors who are being shuffled and manipulated around...and Death becomes the Shreck vampire who has cut a deal with God to help him make his film while feeding on the actors who are blindly taking part in the "feature" thinking it is only a film and not Reality itself. And the supposed weaknesses of the film we are watching are actually the harrassing inconsistencies of Life itself...in which one moment seems caught up in profound thoughtfulness only to be followed a moment later by being diffused into ridiculous comedy. It is "Murnau"'s "God-talk" that you need to pay close attention to...when he watches as the sunlight closes in on the Shreck vampire... dissolution...dissolving into nothingness... the fate of the vampire...the fate of the film in the camera...the fate of Life...unless there is more beyond...or other lives beyond. So maybe there IS more here than meets the eye...especially just on the first viewing.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece.
Review: "Shadow Of The Vampire" is a weird, elegant and gothic masterpiece that also serves as an homage to those who strive to make great art. It is a tribute to people who really put their heart and soul into their craft. The movie is also brilliantly wicked in its satire about the process of filmmaking. It is also brilliantly original in the way it takes a real event and turns into something supernatural in a stylish way. "Shadow Of The Vampire" is more fun for those who really know about silent cinema and German expressionist films. The performances are also great. John Malkovich is passionate and filled with fiery genius as legendary German director F.W. Murnau and Willem Dafoe is totally unrecognizable and devilishly fun as Max Schreck, who the film claims, was indeed a real vampire. The cinematography and art direction give a hypnotic effect and there is a weird authenticity to everything, especially in the re-creations of some of the scenes from the silent classic "Nosferatu." This is a movie for people passionate about art and about making art. Seeing it once is not enough and I especially recommend it for people who aspire to be film directors. "Shadow Of The Vampire" is also a great comedy, it does not lose itself in excess, it is a comedy with taste. It is also a wonderfully elegant movie. "Shadow Of The Vampire" is a masterpiece.
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