Review of Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) by Kylie B — 01 Feb 2009

A brief warning to Stoker purists: this takes even more liberties with the original story that the first Nosferatu, and it doesn't even bother to pretend it's a different story by changing the names of characters, though it does switch their relationships and roles around.

As a stand alone, it's not a bad film. It's a work of art, with beautiful scenery and set pieces, a haunting score and atmosphere coming off in waves. Isabelle Adjani is so beautiful you could cry. The film also offers the female character a larger role in the dispatching of the vampire, rather than simply being prey.

So, you ask, why have you only given it three stars if it's so good? I wanted to love it, I really did. The truth is that I was bored. For all its slow, haunting atmosphere there's no tension (at least, I didn't discern any), and scenes last at least twice as long as they really should. In some ways it's refreshing compared with the recent MTV influenced film editing where they cut too quickly for you to gather what's happening. But in terms of entertainment value, which is what I tend to look for most when I rate films, I found this film too slow - and by the time we finally got to the more interesting last 45/30 min, where it really divulges from the original source, I was too far gone to really give it the attention it deserved.

Verdict: watch as art, not entertainment. Or else, ogle Adjani in her voluminous nightdress.