Shadow of the Vampire
John Malkovich and Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe star in a riveting suspense thriller about an obsessive director who's so consumed by making the most realistic vampire movie ever, he's willing to sacrifice everything - and everyone - to achieve his vision! In his quest to create a vampire film to die for, F.W. Murnau (Malkovich) hires the mysterious Max Schreck (Dafoe) to play count orlock in his masterpiece Nosferatu. Murnau introduces Schreck as the "ultimate method actor" - one who will appear only in character, in make up, at night. But as the cast and crew begin to disappear, it appears that Murnau has made a devil's bargain with Schreck, whose dead-on performance is, perhaps, too authentic! With luminous performances and biting humour, Shadow of the Vampire holds you in its icy grip from start to finish
Member Reviews
Masterful - Doom
A supremely clever film that takes a brilliant high concept and uses it to explore the world of the earliest films. And in so doing, covers themes such as: creative genius, art versus life, and obsession.
Orlok's monologue about reading Dracula is pitch perfect, and both Malkovitch and Defoe entirely embody their roles. Spellbinding.“Nosferatu” Re-imagined - MovieProf
In one of the more original films I’ve seen in quite some time, director E. Elias Merhige takes us on a what-if tour of one of the most famous silent films of all time. The questions are asked simply enough: what if “Nosferatu” had more to it than people realise, then and now? What if legendary method actor Max Schreck was really a vampire? And what if director F.W. Murnau knew everything?
What is really interesting about this film is how many of the most famous scenes of that 1922 classic are shown here, being filmed live. We can tell when we are witnessing a scene from “Nosferatu” because the colour suddenly drains from the film, and everything slips into black and white, just as it was back then. The famous final scene, in which Count Orlok meets his demise is recreated in explicit detail—though with a few clever alterations.
Willem Dafoe was nominated for his role as Schreck, and eventually lost to Benecio del Toro for his work on “Traffic.” Dafoe is fantastic here regardless, as is John Malkovich as Murnau.Frightening, Hilarious and Brilliant - Artimus_Zeln
WARNING: This is not a horror movie. It is a film about the making of one of the greatest horror movies ever.
This is, however, a fantastic movie. Steeped in cinematic, horror and vampire lore it's a treat to any lover of cinema, especially Murnau's or horror in general. Katz's screenplay is wonderful, full of wit and charm and, I think, true ugliness. I mean that as a compliment. Schreck and Murnau are so well developed, so fascinating, that I could've watched them for twice as long. This is, of course, due largely to the performances. Dafoe's critical accalim was well deserved, he's totally transformed here, unrecognizable. But Malkovich is equally wonderfully. He somehow manages to keep Murnau likeable, despite his obvious insanities. A top notch job. It does make me annoyed that all Mirhige has done since was Suspect Zero, though. The movie is at times very frightening, at hilarious at others. He's a talented guy!
Definitely a worthwhile film.
Member Reviews
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Masterful - Doom
A supremely clever film that takes a brilliant high concept and uses it to explore the world of the earliest films. And in so doing, covers themes such as: creative genius, art versus life, and obsession.
Orlok's monologue about reading Dracula is pitch ...“Nosferatu” Re-imagined - MovieProf
In one of the more original films I’ve seen in quite some time, director E. Elias Merhige takes us on a what-if tour of one of the most famous silent films of all time. The questions are asked simply enough: what if “Nosferatu” had more to it than people ...Frightening, Hilarious and Brilliant - Artimus_Zeln
WARNING: This is not a horror movie. It is a film about the making of one of the greatest horror movies ever.
This is, however, a fantastic movie. Steeped in cinematic, horror and vampire lore it's a treat to any lover of cinema, especially Murnau's ...