Rating: 
Summary: Good actors, and a good premise, but...
Review: Really not much of story. William Defoe had a few funny lines as the vampire on the movie set/buffet. The only one he bit was the, I think, the film editor. Kind of disappointed in the story, but good idea. Could have been better though.
Rating: 
Summary: A suprisingly good horror movie with smart, great acting....
Review: I am glad that I finally had a chance to see this movie. Ever since Willem Defoe was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar I was curious to see this film. I was not dissapointed in the least. As being a horror movie fan, it is nice to see a new yet old twist on the vampire legend. John Malkovich plays the German Movie Director F.W. Murnau, who has a dream of making this movie stand out above all others and nothing will get in his way, he definitely "sold his soul to the devil" for that.Willem Defoe portrays Max Schreck, the Vampire. It is not hard to see why Defoe was nominated for being best actor when this came out. It is hard to see any resemblence of Defoe in this character. In this movie, Schreck is a real vampire. The original Schreck in "Nosferatu" was quite scary enough, but Defoe adds more to this character. The supporting cast is also excellent, the locations are beautiful, the soundtrack enhances the film. The plot is intelligent, and maybe has a tongue in cheek shots at the Hollywood establishment as well. I just wonder how many movie directors would be like Murnau in this movie and sacrifice and sell their morals for the "sake" of making a great movie? Maybe that is a question that we would not want to know.... Overall an excellent movie that I highly recommend!
Rating: 
Summary: A commentary on movie making.
Review: At one point in "The Shadow of the Vampire" the 'actor' Max Schreck/"Count Orlock" tells director F.W. Murnau that Murnau is just like him. Of course, Schreck is a real vampire -- he is immortal and he thrives on the blood of mortals. Murnu seeks immortality through the movies and he too is prepared to allow innocent blood to be shed for the sake of his art. "Shadow of the Vampire", which is about the making of the silent German classic "Nosferatu", is genuinely creepy thanks to great performances by Wilem Dafoe as Count Orlock and John Malkovich as Murnau. Funny in parts, tragic in others, this was one of the better movies of 2000.
Rating:
Summary: Horror Humour
Review: I grew up on Dracula and vampire movies. Unfortunatly I yet have had the chance to see the original 'Nosferatu'. Partly because I can't find it, but mostly due to the fact that I am scared. I have only seen clips, but that was enough to intrigue me when this movie came out. I found it an original story idea, rounded out by excellent acting by Malkovich and especially Dafoe. The subtle humour was effective to lighten the mood. This was not a movie I thought I would chuckle with, but it was surprising.If not for the story, acting and makeup, watch this film for the bat scene. My favourite!
Rating:
Summary: The Shadow of The Holocaust
Review: Would it be so unacceptable to consider that the deeper meanings of this film may allude to the Germany of Hitler,and the aesthetics of Nazism? Specifically, that all manner of evil and death is acceptable in the mass delusion of "beauty" and "art"?The fact that the"crew" stays on....is this not a metaphor for the German masses and thier complicity in the deaths of millions for the sake of their "director", Adolph? Isn't Dafoe-"the actor"-symbolic of a mishapen and monstrous "fame" that resulted from such twisted dreams of glory and immortality?
Rating: 
Summary: not good
Review: If not for Willem Dafoe, I would have given this film one star. It was basically boring, pointless, disjointed, uninteresting, unrealistic, illogical, and oh yeah, did I say boring? John Malkovich and Cary Elwes could have really used some extra time with an accent coach, too. Too bad. With that lineup of actors and the idea they had to work with, it could have been great.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent!
Review: Shadow was a truly compelling story acted out with extreme craft and cunning. Defoe's portrayal of the Count was most captivating with Malkovitch's role coming in as close second. The music score lent an enchantingly emotional adjunct to the brilliant sweep of skill in content, acting, and story line. This would surely be a "would purchase" for my DVD collection about which I'm very discriminating.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the Time!
Review: Although this movie is not without its flaws, there is definately enough good stuff in it to make sure it is an experience you will long remember. The initial premise is that the director of the classic vampire movie Nosferatu (Played by John Malkovich) was so obsessed with his art that he decided to cast an actual vampire in the title role of his film rather than even attempt to look for an actor. This rather clever idea is utilized brilliantly, as the specific details of the director and vampire's arrangement are hinted at but never directly revealed. You can pretty clearly infer that Malkovich's character has promised his beautiful leading lady to the deranged Nosferatu (played by Willem Defoe) but the question of whether the director intends to honor his agreement with Nosferatu from the beginning or whether Nosferatu is stupid enough to be fooled by him in the first place is never entirely explored. One of the main strengths of the film is how much is left unsaid, especially with the bizzare Nosferatu. Willem Defoe is sublime in a performance that perfectly mimics the previous screen appearance of the legendary vampire. He does not really bring anything new to the character (which is obviously a director's decision) so it is more appropriately labeled imitation than acting, but the performance, within the limited boundaries that have been set, is spectacular. Even with only a cursory knowledge of the original Nosferatu, there is plenty to enjoy, but with a good understanding of the original, the intended satire and comedy comes across quite effectively. The only problems I had worked hand in hand with the strengths. It would have been nice to see more of Nosferatu, but too much information steals the audiences ability to engage their own imagination. One glaring flaw came with the editing, there were quite a few disruptive cuts that left me confused and you can almost get the sugestion of a few sub-plots that have been essentially cut out (Malkovich's character's ... addiction for example). All in all, however, this is an extremely entertaining movie, especially for film buffs who like the original Nosferatu. It pays homage to the classic rather than drifts along on its coattails, and there is definately a lot of love involved with the production and the script.
Rating:
Summary: Shadow of the Vampire
Review: "Shadow of the Vampire" is a cute, fictionalized story about the making of F. W. Murnau's silent classic "Nosferatu - A Symphony of Horror" (German, 1922). The premiss of "Shadow..." is that Murnau, in his quest for ultimate realism, hires a real vampire to play the part of an actor (named Max Schreck) playing the part of the vampire. The fact that the real Max Schreck, who played the vampire in the original silent film, was always in character and makup during the entire 1922 production makes the premiss of "Shadow..." that much more plausible (if you consider a real vampire to be plausible). On the whole, "Shadow..." works very nicely. The period cars, trains, costumes and scenery are right on, and the actors certainly do a commendable job, especially Willem Dafoe, who plays Max Schreck. The down side is that in order to fully understand and appreciate this movie, you really should see the original silent "Nosferatu" first. Therein lies the rub. In my book, the original is a five star classic (and my favorite silent movie), and it's difficult not to compare the two. However, it is still very enjoyable and certainly worth seeing.
Rating: 
Summary: not funny, not scary, not good
Review: It took me three days to complete this movie. I could not get into it. The Vampire looked good and the props were nice. I didn't laugh once. I don't like to watch movies with nudity so I checked out the rating and it didn't say anything about nudity however it does contain nudity. I'm an Ed Wood fan and seen a lot of ref. to his movies in the review. Not Ed wood type.
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