Review of Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) by Martin M — 14 Nov 2007
Herzog's remake of Murnau's silent classic is a lyrical and haunting film that is more about images than action. The power and grace of the music combines perfectly with the eerie otherworldliness of the visuals.
The movie boasts a truly inhuman vampire in Kinski, and probably the scariest "castle sequence" in the history of Dracula movies. Herzog also recognises the vampire's role as an emblem of disease, but relates it even more directly than Murnau to the medieval plague of the Black Death.
As Wismar languishes under Dracula's oppression, people begin to have "plague parties" that might have been taken directly from Boccaccio, and rats are everywhere. Finally the fim ends with an amusing twist that Stoker hinted at in his novel, but which has only rarely been explored on film.
However, if the movie has one flaw it is that it is too long. The whole plague-town sequence, while containing some valuable images, is dragged out for too long, upsetting the pacing of the movie. Even so, this remains a must-see for any Dracula fan.
This review of Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) was written by Martin M on 14 Nov 2007.
Nosferatu the Vampyre has generally received very positive reviews.
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