Murnau’s classic (1923), which had already had a remake by Werner Herzog in 1979, is reborn in this exquisite version by Eggers that, however, suffers from inaccurate dialogue and unnecessary effects.
First it was “Nosferatu, a symphony of horror”back in 1922, an expressionist film of the exquisite Wilhelm Murnau inspired by the novel Bram Stoker “Dracula”. Plagiarism, denounced the writer’s widow. There were many similarities, but also big differences. The main one, instead of the vampire hunter professor with a stake in his hand, there was a woman willing to sacrifice herself by holding back the monster until the sunlight could do its thing. The moment when the shadow of the evil being reaches the young woman’s chest is still shocking. Only the shadow of the hand with its long nails on the white nightgown of the young married woman, sweetly in love with her husband. That’s all, and that’s enough.
In 1979 Werner Herzog He told almost the same story. His work, melancholic and hypnotic, “Nosferatu, ghost of the night”had a bitter ending. The evil one had died, but the evil was still alive, transferred to another person. This year, after so long, two new versions emerged: “Nosferatu. “A Symphony of Horror”of David Lee Fishera faithful remake of the original film, released in October on Apple TV, and the “Nosferatu” of Robert Eggers which has just been released among us, with great expectations from horror film lovers.
Eggersauthor of “The Witch” and “The lighthouse”is another exquisite. His film is visually remarkable, each image looks like a painting (and some refer to paintings of Vermeer and of Friedrich) and the detailed, meticulous staging is admirable. That refinement surrounds horror, and that horror becomes visible, more than ever. There is blood here and also sex. The attraction between the young woman and the monster is evident. Curiously, that guy is not that ugly, he doesn’t show his fangs easily. There is another look at all this. It’s a shame that certain performances, certain dialogues, the irregular tone, some gimmicky moments and some remanded effects affect the quality of what could have been a masterpiece.
Bill Skarsgardthe clown “Item”embodies this new Nosferatu. They did it before Max Schreck, with scary makeup and strangely sad eyes, and Klaus Kinskiwith his lost guy face ready to do the worst thing imaginable. In 1988 he played the same character again in an Italian sex film, “Nosferatu a Venezia”with Christopher Plummer like a priest trying to stop his adventures. A curiosity to which they add “The Shadow of the Vampire”playing with the fame of Schreck like a real vampire, the documentary “The language of shadows”of Luciano Berriatúaenormously knowledgeable, exercises by North American students such as “Nosferatu Mimesis” and “Nosferatu. “The Friendly Vampire”and even a few chapters of spongebob. Although it may seem like a lie, the new generations knew about the existence of Nosferatu thanks to spongebob.
Separate paragraph, the video clip of “Vampire Tango”of Luis Alposta and Daniel Melingowith images from the film Murnau and participation of Fabiana Cantilo like the Lucy of “Dracula” (“but damn, who brought the garlic, so right now that, without necklaces, Lucy shows me her jugulars”).
“Nosferatu” (USA, 2024); Dir.: Robert Eggers; Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, William Dafoe.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
