Around the World in 24 Frames 03.19.10: Nosferatu
Posted by Len Archibald on 03.19.2010
"Around the World..." goes OLD SCHOOL with a little silent film about a guy who looks like a rat and likes to sleep in boxes. Keep John Malkovich away!
Good Friday! Let's get this show on the road!
THE REBUTTAL
Sponsored by...
BEATING TRAFFIC Trailer:
Some comments regarding Ponyo last week:
Another good article on a great movie. I'm a little saddened that you haven't covered Laputa yet, my favorite Ghilbi film, and the one that I believe has the most appeal to western audiences since it has a lot of action to go with the usual Miyazaki themes of child innocence and so forth.
It seems hard to believe that even after all these years, western audiences are still intolerant of everything that isn't originally English, or animated abroad. The stigma that animation is for kids, and that CGI is the gold standard, is one that is still prevalent.
I had no idea that Ponyo wasn't nominated for an Oscar, which is a disgrace, and quite surprising since other Ghibli movies have been winners in the past. Miyazaki has a great quality of making movies where not much happens, but what does happen is very compelling. How many filmakers can aspire to that. It's something that Pixar is trying really hard to emulate at the moment (like with Wall-E and Up). It's just a shame that so many won't recognize where those ideas originally came from.
Posted By: Weng (Guest) on March 12, 2010 at 08:17 AM
Thanks for reading, Weng! Yes, I haven't covered Laupta as of yet, because I wanted to get the "main" Ghibli names out there – since the films I previously highlighted are the more…famous ones, I felt they would be a good foundation for those who are new to Studio Ghibli. I also wanted to try to showcase different styles of storytelling with the films I chose. As mentioned last week – this will not be the last time Around the World… stops by The House That Totoro Built.
Don't get me started on Ponyo and how it was treated on this side of the Pacific. Shawn S. Lealos already got a…keyboard-full of hate directed towards him simply because he hypothetically asked if those who like popcorn films could appreciate Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless (which will be seeing a nationwide re-release soon.) He has now been labeled a "film snob"; forgetting – or unknowing of the fact that he was one of the more favorable critics towards Transformers 2 of all movies. They have not read this column because I am probably – and perhaps proudly, 1000x more the snob than he is. Let's just stop right there before I get any Hateorade my way.
I made sure to go out and see Ponyo a few times, each time taking different people. Each time I did so, they all enjoyed it. I spread the love!
Posted By: Torvald (Guest) on March 12, 2010 at 01:42 PM
Torvald, it is truly appreciated the effort you went to get your friends/family to see this film in the theater. I'm not talking directly about your situation, but I always find it astounding how some people can just dismiss a film, and then once they see it, they find themselves enjoying it.
I've been getting the same response in regards to Beating Traffic - "it's a lot better than I thought it would be…" which is a strange back-handed compliment, since it gives the impression that they were expecting trash or some amateurish attempt to make a film. Yes, people – filmmakers and storytellers can come from sources other than Hollywood. Even rural Ohio, as much as some may be shocked to hear.
JUST received this from Netflix. Can't wait to watch and I hope my little girl digs it as much as I'm pretty sure I will. Miyazaki has never let me down. Thanks for the write-up!
Posted By: JMAC (Guest) on March 12, 2010 at 01:44 PM
Thank you, JMAC, for the kind words. I think that's the thing about those who follow Miyazaki's filmography. He's nearly as close to perfect in his craft as they get. There isn't a film of his that I haven't enjoyed as of yet. There are very, VERY few filmmakers or studios that can accomplish that. I hope you and your daughter enjoyed it! Let me know how it went!
THE RANT
Beating Traffic is still going strong before we hit the festival circuit. Another great article was released in The Photo Star, based out of Wilshire OH, and I will be conducting a radio interview promoting the film and the free screening we are holding on April 10 on WCSM in Celina OH. We sent out over twenty press kits in all to different media outlets around the state to drum up as much publicity as possible (because what is the point of making a movie if you don't do everything in your power to make sure everyone can see it?) The more press the film gets, the better chance it has to make a dent when the movie hits the road. I've gotten positive feedback from media outlets around the area who will be putting up a story on the film and our April 10th public screening.
We also have a facebook page now where you can follow the progress of the film, as well as take a look at exclusive extras and pictures from the cast, crew and marketing side of things. I'm getting into plug mode: Check out the page, become a member, then tell all your friends about it. The larger we can build this monster, the easier it will be to eat the competition! That was a terrible analogy.
To be perfectly honest, I'm a little apprehensive over all the local attention that Beating Traffic has been receiving as of late. I still haven't heard, read or seen a bad review nor have I "heard through the grapevine" of anyone who didn't like the film that was viewed during our private screening. I feel the film is pretty much close to as perfect as it can get with the technology and talent at my current disposal (it would have to be…I'm not so bold to arrogantly put out a turd in my young career and think that will land me a distribution option because I have "potential".) I'm waiting for the first bad review or negative press I get of the picture. I *hope* I don't get any – but I think this is too good to be true so far.
I love movies. They represent escapism, art, intellect and spirituality. Some are nothing more than popcorn flicks, designed to ease the burden of "real-life" for a couple of hours. Some bring important issues to the forefront that challenges how we perceive our surroundings. The most important thing for me – if one is a serious filmgoer – is to constantly expand and discover new movies. This includes experiencing stories told outside of North America.
Yes, I know: "I don't like to read while I watch movies". Well, neither do I, but I won't use that to prevent me from finding a great story within the screen. It is important, as human beings to discover other cultures and expand our perceptions of those different from us and how they see the world. There are reasons that Bergman, Kurosawa, Fellini, Ozu and Truffaut are important in the movie world – They are just great at what they do.
I intend to highlight a new film every week that is considered "foreign-language"; now that definition is simple, yet broad and complex. For example, if you need subtitles to understand the events of the plot, I will discuss it. If it is a film from a primarily English-speaking nation, but is *NOT* in English (i.e. Leolo or Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner from Canada), I will discuss. If it is a film from outside the U.S. and it *is* in English, I will not discuss (sorry, Brits & Aussies) – for now. My goal is to shed light on some of these gems, and help quell the insatiable appetites for those who can't live without seeing a new movie. Enjoy!
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens: Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror
Country: Germany
Release Date: March 4th, 1922
Distributed by: Film Arts Guild
Directed by F. W. Murnau
Runtime: 94 minutes
Cast:
Max Schreck
Gustav von Wangenheim
Greta Schröder
Alexander Granach
Ruth Landshoff
There is a distinct reason why there has been near-unanimous praise for particular sequences in Pixar's WALL-E and Up in which a mini-story is told in a wordless manner: the art of the silent film has been all but extinguished. It is the most endangered of endangered species in film. When Warner Bros. released The Jazz Singer in 1927 and Al Jolson blurted out, "You ain't heard nothin' yet!", it basically KILLED the silent picture. Films like The Crowd, Sunrise, Man With a Movie Camera and Birth of a Nation were left for dead. How can a studio compete a sound picture with a silent? Sean Connery would shake his head. "…always bringing a knife to a gunfight."
Luckily, with home video and DVD, as well as historians, film curators and conservationists like Martin Scorsese, the gems of the silent era can never be lost. Silent film is the missing link when it comes to cinema, really. As much as filmmakers and historians praise linear editing and the iris shot as the prime technical achievements in film's infancy, sound was the first truly great technological innovation that made people pay money to go to the movies. Imagine the hype that Avatar received for its 3-D technology experience and multiply that by a billion. Actually – TRY to imagine a time where the only thing you heard while watching a movie was the music from the orchestra pit. It's actually next to impossible if you were born after 1927.
Now, take a next step with me: Try to imagine a cinematic world without vampires. Before Twighlight. Before 30 Days of Night. Before Let the Right One In. Before From Dusk Till Dawn. Before The Lost Boys, Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Monster Squad and Fright Night. Before Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Before Bela Lugosi's gleeful speech about the "children of the niiiiiight". It's hard, isn't it? Next to impossible, right?
Enter F.W. Murnau and Nosferatu.
There are no cliches in this film. No self-referential nods to "past interpretations". No grand theatrical gestures or "euro-trash" attire and attitude. No romanticism. No Van Helsing. This is a film that takes its source material VERY seriously. So seriously, in fact – I think it's what prevents a younger audience from appreciating it. I am only 31 years old. I have seen thousands of interpretations of Vlad the Impaler, from Halloween masks to Count Chocula. When I think of Dracula (even think about the connotation of the name), I think of slicked-back jet-black hair, a grand cape (black on the outside, red on the inside), seductive eyes, a German accent, fangs on the upper outside teeth that barely protrude from the upper lip. Bats, garlic, holy water, crucifixes and stakes to the heart. I think of blood trickling down the side of a virgin's neck – probably some nudity. Most likely tons of gore. Nosferatu has none of that. All it is, is the vampire story at its ultimate core. It is akin to the recording of the primitives discovering fire. This is ground zero. Roger Ebert rightly states that the film is "in awe of its material." One would be if they were the first to discover it.
Now, for those who may have heard of this film but are curious: if this is a vampire film – the first one in fact, why isn't it called Dracula? Didn't Bram Stoker's novel exist before 1922 (it was written in 1897)? Well, the title and character names were altered because Stoker's widow realized that her husband's estate was being infringed upon. Henrik Galeen was given the task to write a screenplay inspired from Stoker's novel even though Prana Film – the production company in charge of the film – did not have the film rights. Galeen was a specialist in "Dark Romanticism", previously working on Der Student von Prag (The Student of Prague) in 1913, and the screenplay for Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam (The Golem: How He Came into the World) in 1920. Galeen set the story in a fictional north German harbor town named Wisborg and changed the character names. He added the idea of the vampire bringing the plague to Wisborg via rats on the ship. He left out Van Helsing, the infamous vampire hunter completely.
Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim), based on the Jonathan Harker character in Stoker's novel, lives in Wisborg. His employer, Knock (Alexander Granach), sends Hutter to Transylvania to visit a new client named Count Orlok (Max Schreck) about some real estate. Orlock wishes to purchase real estate in a "deserted" town. Hutter entrusts his loving wife Ellen (Greta Schroeder) to his good friend Harding and Harding's sister Ruth, before embarking on his long journey.
Murnau's film then spirals downward into an abyss of doom and despair. In the early days of film, the crew took their work extremely seriously and at that time, when you created a particular genre – you stuck to it. There is no Jamie Kennedy like comic-relief in this film. Nearing his destination, Hutter stays at an inn, where the locals become frightened by his mere mention of Orlok's name and discourage him from traveling to his castle at night. Outside, horses bolt and run, and a hyena snarls before slinking away. In his room, Hutter finds a book, "The Book of the Vampires", which he peruses before falling asleep. Hutter doesn't think too much of it.
It gets worse: Hutter's hired coach refuses to take him onto Orlok's estate. The count then sends his own coach; and in one of the great treats of the film, we see the coach travel in fast-motion – Murnau sped up the frame-rate for this moment, as well as when we are introduced to Count Orlock's servant, who scurries like a rat. Late the next day, Hutter is welcomed at the castle by Count Orlok himself. While Hutter has a late dinner, Orlok reads a letter. When Hutter cuts his thumb with a bread knife, he understands the extremity of his plight as Orlok tries to suck the blood out of the wound.
As much as people give credit to Lon Chaney for his use of makeup in the early stages of film as a pioneer, I think it goes without saying that Max Schreck, F.W. Murnau and his collaborator/production designer Albin Grau should get equal billing. Orlok is a hideous looking creature with rat-like features, bulging eyes, a buzzard nose and bat-like ears. His cone shaped head and slumped over posture completes a look that is now iconic. Even if people aren't fascinated by the movie itself, it's pretty much undisputed that the presentation of Count Orlok is flawless.
Schreck does not play the vampire in the same way we are used to on camera. There is no romance or "hipness" in his portrayal. What people often forget when watching vampire films is that these are cursed creatures. I don't care how cool one can depict vampirism – I would not want to live in complete isolation from the rest of the world at night and sleep in a coffin at daytime. I would not enjoy having the need to feast on the blood of others to survive. I definitely would not like to be linked to plagues and death – and I sure as hell don't want fangs. I've already had enough trouble with my own teeth. I don't need any more complications. Schreck plays what I feel is the correct note of a man suffering from a dreaded plague. The count is definitely more animal than human being, with clawlike nails and fangs that are in the middle of his mouth like a rodent's.
Murnau may be considered the father of the modern horror film, but he was also a pioneer of film language: he helped introduce the montage – and does so effectively in two key moments - Orlok advances on Hutter while Ellen in Bremen, sleepwalks and cries out a warning that causes the vampire to turn away. Orlok retreats through an archway shaped to frame his batlike head. Later, after Hutter realizes his danger, he escapes from the castle and races back to Bremen by coach, while Orlok travels by sea, and Murnau intercuts the coach with shipboard events and Ellen restlessly waiting.
The moment that Hutter understands face-to-face what he is up against is one of the most iconic moments in film – copied and spoofed so many times that a six year old may know the sequence by osmosis – and without even seeing the film.
Hutter explores the castle and discovers a crypt, where he finds the coffin in which Orlok is resting dormant. Horrified, he dashes back to his room. From the window, he sees Orlok piling up coffins on a coach and climbing into the last one before the coach departs. Hutter escapes the castle through the window, but falls unconscious when he reaches the ground. He is taken to a hospital. When he is sufficiently recovered, Hutter hurries home.
Meanwhile, the coffins are shipped down river on a raft. They are transferred to a schooner, but not before one is opened by the crew. Inside, they find soil and rats. The sailors on the ship get sick one by one; soon all but the captain and first mate are dead. Suspecting the truth, the first mate goes below to destroy the coffins. However, Orlok awakens and the horrified sailor jumps into the sea. Unaware of his danger, the captain becomes Orlok's latest victim. The jump-scare of Orlok arising – like someone from the dead is one of those perfect sequences that can't be created again. I wonder what it was like during the premiere event in The Marmorsaal (marble hall) in the Berlin Zoological Garden, when that moment occurred. Did women faint?
Murnau and cinematographers Fritz Arno Wagner and Günther Krampf were extremely radical with the visual style of Nosferatu. Even though Murnau was known to oppose the widespread use of visual effects in his films, there was no denying the artistic craft that was at work, here. Superimposed images, negative images, and odd angles were prevalent in Nosferatu, which was common for German Expressionist films. He also used his influences from Romanticism and the Impressionists - a shot of the sun cracking at dawn pops from the screen. A schooner that sails in a rippling stream gives the illusion of color by the way it is strangely photographed. Empty and crumbled buildings are used as a form of symbolism to portray the desolation brought on by the vampire. It's amazing to think that Nosferatu was shot only on one available camera (done to scale back production costs.)
Nosferatu is a direct descendant of the artistic wave of German cinema – much like The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari and Metropolis, where painting, architecture, literature, psychology, and politics are combined to reach several dimensions of effect. The film makes a statement of Romantic-Expressionism (the use of mirrors, extreme shadows and other gothic imagery), homosexuality (Orlok's servant), globalization (Orlok, the predator – clearly invests in real estate) and the advent of Nazism (the vampire represents Hitler and the rats that come with him symbolizes his propaganda.) It's obvious from my point of view that Nosferatu is about more than just biting people on the neck.
Nosferatu is also credited with establishing one of the two main depictions of film vampires. The "Nosferatu-type" is a living corpse with rodent features (especially elongated fingernails and incisors), associated with rats and plague, and neither charming nor erotic but rather totally repugnant. The victims usually die and are not turned into vampires themselves. The more common archetype is the "Dracula-type" (established by Bela Lugosi's version of Dracula and perpetuated by Christopher Lee), a charming aristocrat adept at seduction and whose bite turns his victims into new vampires. A more universal effect of the film is less obvious: the ending of Nosferatu single-handedly created the concept that vampires can be physically harmed by sunlight. Pre-Nosferatu vampires disliked but could endure daylight (for instance, a part in the original Dracula novel shows its count in a London street by day). Since Nosferatu's release, the vampire legends have quickly incorporated the idea of fearing, or being destroyed by, the sun.
Nosferatu was the first and last Prana Film; the company declared bankruptcy after Bram Stoker's estate, acting for his widow, Florence Stoker, sued for copyright infringement and won. The court ordered all existing prints of Nosferatu destroyed, but copies of the film had already been distributed around the world. These prints were then copied over the years, helping Nosferatu gain its current reputation. The film is in public domain in the United States but not in Germany, however, pristine restored editions of the film have also been made available on DVD. It is considered my most film critics as the best of all adaptations of Dracula.
Friederich Wilhelm Murnau was born Friederich Wilhelm Plumpe in Bielefeld, Germany. It is said that Murnau was well read as a child, already familiar with Shakespeare, Nietzche, and Ibsen before he was 12. He also fond of putting on plays to entertain his neighbors. He saw active duty in World War I including acting as company commander on the Eastern front and a stint in the German Air Force. Murnau kept himself creatively occupied with small productions. The wartime also allowed him to flex his film making muscle with propaganda films. When the war was over Murnau turned his attention back to dramatic works. His first few films included Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) and The Haunted Castle (1921). Nosferatu and his next film, The Last Laugh (1924), was a radical experiment - a silent film with no title-cards. To this day it is considered one of the landmarks and foundations of cinematic language, camerawork, visual effects and editing.
Murnau was offered a four year contract with 20th Century Fox which saw the release of Sunrise in 1927, winning several Academy Awards including Cinematography, Best Actress (Janet Gaynor), and "Unique and Artistic Picture." Murnau grew frustrated by the Hollywood system, though, and the lack of control he had over his artistry. He broke his contract with Fox to begin a ten year contract with Paramount. His next film, Tabu (1931) turned out to be his last as he was killed in a car accident before the film premiered.
F.W. Murnau
Murnau would have been around when the silent era ended, and with Fritz Lang, probably would have been a force in regards to the use of sound in movies. It was already apparent, though – he may have wound up as a pioneer in the use of sound much like he was able to eliminate the use of titles in a film. Nosferatu, I feel – is more effective without sound. It is not a film that "cues" the audience in on what to feel. The themes in Nosferatu are universal: madness, disease, war and illness. The film broke the traditional rules of composition by using the corner of the frame a lot and having characters and images lurk there in the shadows.
Now, the big question to those who may want to know; is Nosferatu "scary"? No. I don't think so. This isn't a film that was made to give jump scares and a quick-fix thrill. This is a film that was made to get under your skin with images and ideas that seem out of place: white trees against a black sky, the quickness of Orlok's servant, the manifestation of the count out of thin air, the disappearance of the phantom coach, and Ellen's scream to warn her husband of a danger another country away. It haunts, not scares. It is more nightmarish in its quality to evoke those images we may form in our subconsciousness when we sleep. It is within that darkness that we are most vulnerable, and susceptible to waking up knowing we have been touched by a curse.
Roger Ebert may have said it best: "Those things that live only at night do not need to talk, for their victims are asleep, waiting."
NOTE:"Nosferatu" was remade in 1979 by Werner Herzog, starring Klaus Kinski. "Shadow of the Vampire" stars John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe in a fictitious re-imagining of the making of "Nosferatu" – both are excellent films.
"Nosferatu" is available on DVD.
Trailer for Nosferatu
{Film Passport Stamped]
Coming Attractions: The Battleship Potemkin. No teaser needed. Walk the steps of Odessa with me.
Questions or comments? Completely disagreed with any of my picks? Are you in love with me? Leave comments below or email me at aa24frames@aol.com!!!
What's the matter, Len? Due to your teaser tag, I can only assume that you don't particularly care for 'Shadow of the Vampire'. Bah! For my money, I believe it's a nice little bit of 'fantasy' history that ties into the once (maybe still) popular allegation that Shreck really was a vampire.
Also, I appreciate 'The Untouchables' quote, but you forgot the 'Just like a wop...' part. Thought I'd point that out to you.
And no mention of 'Blood for Dracula', the Andy Warhol interpretation of the Prince of Darkness? For shame, Archibald. Not that it should be vaunted with the likes of the Shreck, Lugosi, Lee, Langela, or Oldman films...but it has a decent amount of titties in it. I loved it when I was ten.
Posted By: YepYep (Guest) on March 19, 2010 at 12:35 AM
Nine Queens!! Nine Queens!!! Review Nine Queens from Argentina
Posted By: rubenberendo (Guest) on March 19, 2010 at 01:36 PM
Of note to potential viewers: There are several different versions of this movie floating around. The longest, I believe, runs around 70 mins. Other versions cut some of the subplots out or shorten the ending. Also the soundtracks are a bit odd. Netflix has an industrial goth mix version which is a bit odd. There are a couple others with random classical music (I believe Tchaikovsky appears on one) that just loops over and over again and does not go with the tone of the film at all ("oh look, he is being attacked, but cheery music is playing the background..."). I have to say I am a bit surprised that with some of the editions available with this film that no one has recorded an appropriate orchestra soundtrack for it. Your best bet is, as Len said, watch it with the sound and lights off.
I think Murnau (no love for Faust, the best rendition of that tale as well?) proved he would have been a force to reckon with with sound (although he apparently was not a big fan of it), though we will never know--Sunrise uses a bit of interesting "sound bites".
Posted By: Dave C (Guest) on March 19, 2010 at 05:14 PM
Nosferatu is the seminal work in horror films. It is the Birth of a Nation for its genre, and I mean that as a total compliment, extending to all the positive, innovative aspects Griffith gave us, and not the, ya know, horribly racist part. Excellent write-up and interesting read dude.
Posted By: DMC (Guest) on March 20, 2010 at 03:20 AM
film snob...
Posted By: Shawn S Lealos (Registered) on March 25, 2010 at 05:39 PM
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