Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror (F.W. Murnau, 1922): Germany

Reviewed by William Conlin. Viewed on DVD.

The silent era saw many famous stories translated onto film. When talkies came along, a lot of those films were remade. As the years progressed and films were remade again and again due to advances in special effects, color film or other new technology. The original silent films seemed to fade into history, but F.W. Murnau’s unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula re-titled Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror became the standard bearer for most vampire films made after it.

The film follows Stoker’s novel to the point that it was nearly destroyed during a copyright infringement case. When rising real estate broker Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) is sent to Transylvania to meet the mysterious Count Orlok (Max Schreck), he begins to suspect the Count is not human. After nights of terror and days of investigation, Hutter comes to the conclusion that the Count is a Vampire and begins the journey back to Germany to warn his wife Ellen (Greta Schröder). Unbeknownst to him, the Count is already in his hometown of Wismar and living across the street from Ellen. As it becomes clear that the only way to stop Orlok is to sacrifice a young woman, Ellen must choose whether to save her town or allow the murders to continue.

Murnau pulls no punches in this film. He uses every trick in his arsenal and breaks a lot of barriers in filmmaking. With Cinematographer Fritz Arno Wagner, Murnau’s symphony of terror is complete. From the upshots in the sequence at sea to the smoke and mirrors at the end of the film, one feels as thought this film is 20 years ahead of its time.

Though most of the acting is over the top melodrama, Schreck’s portrayal of Count Orlok is still unsettling to this day. When Orlock approaches Hutter’s room during his first night in his castle, it’s hard not to get goosebumps. The simplicity of his performance though, lies in his lack of movement. Most silent actors dart across the screen, throwing their hands up in the air as if to say: “Look at me! The picture is moving!” Schreck barely moves throughout the film, creating an eerie sense of lifelessness.

Though countless “Dracula” films have been made since Nosferatu, few have reached the same level as Murnau’s adaption. In the past it has been very hard to find a decent transfer of Nosferatu, but in 2007, Kino International released a DVD titled Nosferatu: The Ultimate Edition. This version was transferred in high definition and features new intertitles in both German and English. If you’ve already seen Nosferatu, I’d recommend you try this new version, it may change the way you understand this classic. If you’ve never seen it before, go out of your way to see this version, it is truly the best one available.