Shadow of the Vampire Review
by Jeremiah Kipp (cnull AT mindspring DOT com)January 8th, 2001
SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE
A film review by Jeremiah Kipp
Copyright 2001 filmcritic.com
filmcritic.com
In this age of digital filmmaking, Shadow of the Vampire is a love
letter to the beautiful mechanism of a motion picture camera. There's
something both tactile and mysterious about images created on a thin
sliver of film guided through a series of loops and pins. The final
product is run through another instrument with wheels and sprockets, the
projector. As the movie flickers across a silver screen, it's not too
much of a stretch imagining the director whispering, "I gave you life."
That's the implied joke throughout Shadow of the Vampire, the strange
and fanciful projection of what might have occurred during production of
that classic 1922 German horror film, Nosferatu - A Symphony of Terror.
This silent film was plagued with financial troubles, crew member
disappearances and deaths, and the constant threat of being sued by Bram
Stoker's widow for ripping off Dracula after failing to secure the
rights. Given the scant amount of reliable historical information,
screenwriter Steven Katz takes some enormous liberties, playfully
delving into the surreal and supernatural.
At a brisk 93 minutes, Shadow of the Vampire is light on its feet. Have
patience through the incredibly long and pretentious opening credits,
complete with music that can best be described as "eerie and
foreboding."
Obsessed with realism, director F.W. Murnau (John Malkovich) drags his
small production unit to the outskirts of rural Germany to shoot
Nosferatu in an authentic location. His real coup is casting the
elusive Max Schreck, a method actor who will appear on set only at
night, and only in full costume and makeup.
Having had no real experience before Murnau started shooting Nosferatu,
Shadow of a Vampire plays with the notion that Schreck's creature-actor
suddenly popped into existence: Art creates life, or a monster. In a
role this Wooster Group-trained actor has been preparing for all his
life, Willem Dafoe plays the vampire with a mixture of childlike tics
and grand gestures. Academy voters take note, his Schreck is both diva
and curious child. Almost every scene he's in would make a fine Oscar
clip.
The cast and crew raise a collective eyebrow at Schreck's bizarre
technique but are undeniably impressed when he makes his first memorable
appearance from the shadows. In the nights that follow, members of the
crew begin to fall into a deep sickness. While Murnau frets over his
financial troubles, Schreck begins to take bites out of his fellow
actors. Murnau, caring only for the completion of his picture, offers
petty threats to Schreck such as, "You shall have no close-ups! None!"
In response, Schreck only waves his talons and sneers through his two
fanged front teeth. Feh.
Shadow's director, E. Elias Merhige, uses Murnau's visual approach as
inspiration. The train montage, set against a blood red sunset, is a
particularly brilliant juxtaposition of canted low angles and mystical
landscapes. There is frequent use of stock footage (from the Murnau
film), but more often Merhige recreates the black-and-white silent film
instead. As Murnau's actors carry on with their sweeping gestures, the
director rambles on with elaborate and colorful directions. ("You have
had a very nice sleep, Gustav! How about a nice stretch? That's good
-- now read your letter. Laugh at the silly superstitions of the
locals!")
Not surprisingly, the monster Schreck is more sympathetic than its
creator Murnau. The director is so callous he mutters, "We have
achieved pathos," after filming a functionary scene involving the
heroine petting her cat. John Malkovich, who recently discovered the
joy of acting again after several years of bored stock mannerisms, is
appropriately glib and nasty throughout.
How about a round of applause for casting director Carl Proctor, who has
filled out the supporting cast with terrific character actors? Strong
impressions are made by Udo Kier as the harried producer, Cary Elwes as
the square jawed cameraman, and scene stealing Eddie Izzard as
Nosferatu's foppish romantic lead. The art direction by Chris Bradley
also deserves special mention for capturing the German expressionist
"look" of Murnau's films without going over-the-top into caricature.
The final scene may divide audiences, but the movie really doesn't have
much of a point without it, a sudden and unexpected delve into the
fantastic, followed by an abrupt cut to black which nails the coffin
shut. Playful and anachronistic, it's an appropriate fate for the
characters of Murnau and Schreck. Without blowing the surprise, it's
safe to say that Shadow of the Vampire references the old mantra: "It's
only a movie."
RATING: ****
|------------------------------|
\ ***** Perfection \
\ **** Good, memorable film \
\ *** Average, hits and misses \
\ ** Sub-par on many levels \
\ * Unquestionably awful \
|------------------------------|
MPAA Rating: R
Director: E. Elias Merhige
Producers: Nicolas Cage, Jeff Levine
Writer: Steven Katz
Starring: John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Udo Kier, Cary Elwes, Eddie
Izzard, Catherine McCormack, Ronan Vibert
http://www.shadowofthevampire.com/
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