Review of Nosferatu (1922) by Ivan D — 05 May 2010

I was quite disappointed in this silent picture about the lack of technical filmmaking that F.W. Murnau was seemingly relentless in applying to his later film "Sunrise". But disappointed as I may be, "Nosferatu" still delivered potent chills, a quality always present in the film but was also enhanced by its age.

Bela Lugosi is the Dracula we all knew in pop culture, Gary Oldman added uncommon depth to the role, but Max Schreck's characterization does not bother on personalities nor appearance(though Orlok's look is still recognizable to this day).

He portrayed the Count as a spectral entity, bent on feeding on human blood to keep him alive. He is selfish, he is evil, no gothic romance needed. Part of it can be that F.W. Murnau preferred the one-dimensional evil to preserve the terror, but also can be that the vampire shown on screen was people's perception of the mythical creature at the time: fiendish and vile.

Unlike today, where cinematic vampires are treated with lots of ideas that they sometimes come out as too idiotic, "Nosferatu" preferred the simpler portrayal, the one that you would not want to come across while walking in the night.