Review: Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)

So, a few short days ago I watched the 'classic' The Shining and knew pretty quickly that I was going to be ripping into a movie that many consider amongst the best horror movies ever made.  Today's review is another classic, also from a greatly respected filmmaker - director Werner Herzog - and with bated breath we wonder: will the same thing happen?  Will Poli hate this movie as much as the other?  The answer is no, because this is a much better movie from a much better director.

Now, this is a more artsy version of the Dracula story (the movie does away with the pretense of giving the vampire a different name, unlike the 1922 Nosferatu) and I think whether or not any enjoyment comes from this movie depends on how well the viewer can vibe with what Herzog is going for.  I could, though I will admit the opening parts of the movie somewhat dragged for me.

This movie lives and dies by a twin pair of performances: Klaus Kinski as Count Dracula and Isabelle Adjani as Lucy Harker.  Though they have little screentime together, but it is very much a duo of performances, both reacting to events happening across the world from each other.  If either of them hadn't sold their half, the movie would start to fall apart.  Which isn't to say the other performers are bad, just that Kinski and Adjani are on a completely different level.

Herzog fills the frames with stunning visuals, paying homage to the German expressionism of the original.  He might linger on a few shots longer than necessary, but with such rich visuals for the eyes to feast on, it is mostly forgiveable.

The movie is slow though, and those who prefer more blood and guts will be greatly disappointed with this moodier, cerebral version of the story.  For as many people that die in this film - and rest assured, it does have a high body count - most of the death is prevented in an almost offhand way.  The story cares more about the character drama, and any deaths that do occur are more to push the characters onward than something to be lingered on.

This is also a movie with Themes, meditating on the loneliness of eternity: this Dracula doesn't view his immortality as any sort of gift, and approaches day-to-day life with a weariness that Kinski sells almost entirely with his eyes.  It's a thoughtful approach to the material, though one that has been explored and mimicked in the many adaptations of the novel, but perhaps not as well as in this one.

Would I recommend this movie to others?  Yes, though not everyone.  I think quite a few people would lose interest in the first 30 minutes as the movie isn't in any rush to get the action started, and while there is an English dub available, the original German lends itself to a better experience, which would put off some.  Still, those that can get themselves invested in the movies atmosphere and tone will have a good time.

7.5 out of 10