There is something dangerous and powerful about FW Murnau's Nosferatu. But what if its leading man really was a vampire? Playing with that dirty light between the star and the image he throws into the night, this account of the making of Murnau's classic reveals a nightmare pact behind its filming.
Murnau's "Nosferatu" has always been a favorite movie of horror aficionados, mainly because it's one of few that really seems to take itself seriously. It spends ever... more >
Murnau's "Nosferatu" has always been a favorite movie of horror aficionados, mainly because it's one of few that really seems to take itself seriously. It spends every moment of its duration juddering along with the audience in fright and disgust at its beastly vampire and the havoc he wreaks upon the innocent residents of Bremen.
Merhige's intensely imaginative "Shadow of the Vampire" posits an intriguing explanation of the film's creepy hold. Murnau (Malkovich), obsessed with creating truly authentic films, transports his crew to a castle in Czechoslovakia for the location filming of his epic. Only then do the surprised crew meet Max Schreck (Dafoe), the actor playing the vampire, who seems to have taken method-acting to a new extreme. Murnau grows obsessed with feeding his muse while Schreck settles for feeding himself, on what or whoevers available.
Steven Katz' script would probably have got by on its premise alone, but fortunately, he turned what could have "just" been a classic black comedy into a meditation on the power of movies and the sacrifices one is willing to make, of oneself and others, in order to create art. Schreck is the utter embodiment of an actor past his sell-by date clinging to past glory, who, in a remarkable scene, talks about the sadness of reading "Dracula" and seeing how thoroughly his life has been misinterpreted. Of course, all the crew can say to this is, "What an actor." To them, Schreck is just a ham who can no longer distinguish fantasy from reality.
Murnau, steadily emerges as the film's true monster, willing to do whatever it takes, sacrificing his crew, his cast, and his own humanity in the name of achieving celluloid immortality. Directors are frequently compared to God, and "Shadow of the Vampire" is a highly effective variation on the theme.
The film, for its low budget, has the feel of a true epic. The supporting cast does a fine job, particularly Eddie Izzard & Ronan Vibert. It's really though a showcase for Malkovich and Dafoe who deliver two splendid performances. Malkovich is the perfect control-freak director. Dafoe, buried under a ton of makeup, projects a real character, making Schreck pitiable and frightening at the same time. Dafoe received a well deserved Oscar nomination, and if Malkovich had been nominated as well, you would not have been surprised. < less
