Review of Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) by Joe B — 16 Nov 2006
A largely pointless endeavour, Herzog crafted Nosferatu, his second picture with Kinski, as an homage to orginal silent great, and allegedly to parallel Nazism. Though the subject is obviously close to Herzog's heart, he seems to direct with indifference, making the whole affair rather slow and uninvolving.
Conversely, this does actually work on some level in making the film more of a tragic romance than a horror. The triumph of the show (and the main reason for watching) is that Kinski is more or less incredible as the cursed ghoul, offering us painful insight into his private world without ever resorting to pandering.
He is especially chilling in the scene where he comes for Lucy, his reflection missing in her bedroom mirror, filling the scene with cold, dripping dread. Nosferatu is an adequate work, probably the least of the Herzog-Kinski pictures, but well worth a look for the madman's full-on acting work.
This review of Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) was written by Joe B on 16 Nov 2006.
Nosferatu the Vampyre has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
