Nosferatu (1922) Dir: F.W. Murnau
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When one conjures up the typical image of a vampire, it will almost certainly resemble one of two men; Bella Lugosi's Dracula or Max Schrenk's Count Orlock. In fact, few vampire films, or indeed stories, are as well recognised as F.W. Murnau's 1922 silent horror, even if the majority, I dare say, will not have seen it.
The film is, or course, based upon Bram Stoker's legendary novel; Dracula - a fact which becomes clear very quickly. The narrative is very similar to Stoker's, but with some streamlining along the way. Although I do prefer the original story - I adore Stoker's book - I still enjoyed this cinematic adaptation a good deal.
I found the film very atmospheric, and a lot of this was thanks to how aesthetically enjoyable it was. The settings used all felt in-keeping with the style and themes of the story, and the make-up and costume design for Count Orlock (Nosferatu) was perfect and utterly chilling, particularly due to the stark contrasts given by the black and white footage.
Max Schreck's depiction of the film's iconic villain is among the scariest of any vampiric character on-screen. His intimidating presence and skulking mannerisms are so creepy, and his stalking movements and bulging eyes remain so iconic to-date.
Gustav von Wangenheim's protagonist is pretty endearing, but comes across perhaps a little goofy occasionally. I do enjoy his performance for the most part though. His facial expressions were particularly good - they added a little comedic relief in some of the less serious scenes.
Both Greta Schröder and Georg H. Schnell provided enjoyable supporting characters, especially Schröder, whose dramatics were eccentric and entertaining. I was expecting Schnell to have a more significant role, but the film wasn't worse for his relative absence, on fairness.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this classic silent film in full. Its importance cannot be understated, and its influence on generations of horror is undeniable. It was so thrilling to see some of the film's iconic shots come together, so that I could appreciate the film in its entirety.
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