Reviewed 30/01/01
In the 1920's, the German film director F W Murnau, wanted to make a film of Dracula. Unfortunately, Bram Stoker's estate would not let him use the book, so he just changed all the characters names, and made the film anyway.
His film was called Nosferatu.
This movie asks how Murnau got such a realistic portrayal of the Vampire. And suggests a radical idea.
There are good performances from John Malkovich as Murnau, and Cary Elwes as a replacement director of cinematography. Special mention must go to Willem Defoe who is unrecognisable as Max Schreck. He seems to be having a whale of a time as he is allowed to both ham it up and be cold and threatening. There is even a good performance from Eddie Izzard.
The only real problem is that this was made in conjunction with BBC Films, and its small screen roots are clear. For a film about cinema, it is not overly cinematic. That being said there are some nice moments where it moves from the historical action, in colour, to the original film, in black and white.
Even though its about vampires, this is not really a horror movie. It could best be described as a comedy drama, with most of the comedy at the beginning and most of the drama coming at the end.
If you are a fan of the classic horror films then you should check this out.
8/10
"How can you hurt me, when I don't even know how to hurt myself."
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