The October Project 2: Day 30

 

"Blood! Your precious blood! "

 

 

"Death is not the worst. There are things more horrible than death."

 

 

Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens   (1922)
Directed by F. W. Murnau


Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht   (1979)
Directed by Werner Herzog

Two films by master German filmmakers, made almost 60 years apart, ostensibly telling the same story, sharing many of the same plot points, themes and images and yet very distinct and individual works of art.
Way back in 1922 Murnau set the standard for gothic horror with his loose, and unauthorized, adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Instead of Stoker's corrupted and debauched nobleman, Murnau and actor Max Schreck create a Count who's pure monster. His bald head, bat ears and rat-like fangs, combined with his strange jerky walk and unnaturally stiff posture create a figure to instill chills to this day.
So why would Werner Herzog, one of the leaders of the German "new-wave" of the sixties and seventies bother with a remake of an established masterwork? Well obviously he wanted to pay tribute to the great pre-war German film culture destroyed by the Nazis, but in interviews he's stated:
"I never thought of my film Nosferatu as being a remake. It stands on its own feet as an entirely new version... My Nosferatu has a different context, different figures and a somewhat different story."
This may sound like a rationalization, but he's absolutely right. His vampire, as personified by the great mad genius Klaus Kinski, is a far more nuanced and tragic character, brimming over with angst and existential pain. It's one of Kinski's best roles.
 By all means see these films, one at a time, or as a double feature, but see them. They're important

PS- Also, you might want to check out Shadow of the Vampire E. Elias Merhige, a tounge-in-cheek fictionalized portrayl of the filming of Murnau's Nosferatu. John Malkovich is terrific as Murnau, but the film belongs to Willem Dafoe, who gives one of his best best performances as Max Schreck, portrayed here as an actual vampire (with really loathsome manners).