A Filmmaker's Guide: Nosferatu (1922)

Did you know that "Nosferatu" (1922) was a massive copyright infringement and it was ordered that all remaining copies of the film be destroyed? Well, that didn't work, did it...

'Nosferatu' (1922) is possibly one of the most well-known films of the German Expressionist era and one of the most popular ways in which boys in their 20s who study art and live in their mom's basement show you that they are real film buffs. It is also one of those films in which an orchestral piece is used in the background to denote mood, atmosphere, tension, character etc. The hollow sound of those pipes for example is just one of the methods by which that is done to denote the vampiric character himself.

Part 1:

Anyways, here are some other things I find interesting about the film "Nosferatu" (1922) -

- The man who portrays Nosferatu also portrays another character in the film at which Hutter is given the assignment to go and see the Count in his castle. He looks up from the desk and I kept pausing the film to see if it was really him and it was

- Director FW Murnau called Max Schrek (Nosferatu/the Count) 'strikingly ugly' and stated he wouldn't need much make-up to portray the character

- It took about 3 months to film in 1921

- Even though the film is called "Nosferatu", as in Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove", the titular character is only seen for less than ten minutes on screen in total

- Sunlight being lethal to vampires is based on the death scene of Nosferatu in this film

- This film was banned in Sweden until 1972 due to the fact that it was far too frightening to watch

- Murnau purposefully killed the Nosferatu character using sunlight so he wouldn't be sued by Stoker's family for borrowing so much from "Dracula" (1897). But, he would be sued anyway and his excuse was that this film and Dracula were not the same because the ending was different. Though, it was clear that they were the same and he was ordered to destroy every last copy of the film

- The werewolf in the film is actually a hyena

- It was selected by the Vatican it its 45 Greatest Films

- "Shadow of the Vampire" (2000) is a great Nosferatu-related film basing itself on the fact that Schrek himself may have been the vampire. It stars Willem Dafoe

- Don't bother with Herzog's "Nosferatu the Vampire" (1979) - it is god awful in my humble opinion. I just really didn't like it, I don't know why

- Even though it's filmed in 1921, it is set in 1838

Part 2:

I hope you enjoyed that, now let us take a good look at the legacy this film has left upon the cinematic world.

The legacy of "Nosferatu" (1922) is very expansive, if not always positive it is definitely very good in most aspects. The way in which it became an overnight sensation seems to hit pretty hard when it comes to movies made in the early 20th century. Reporters giving extensive coverage to the premiere of Nosferatu (1922) and critics generally calling it truly terrifying. The film seemed to be going on the up for director FW Murnau who would have yet another film come out only a few days later. Be that as it may, it would be the only film the company Prana would make seeing as the suing by the Stoker Estate to Murnau and the distribution company over the rights to the film seeing as how close it was to Dracula (1897) would bankrupt the studio.

It is often ranked as one of the greatest films ever made with Empire Magazine ranking it at number 21 on their greatest films' list. And if you still don't believe that all the critics loved it then just check out what the grand critic, Roger Ebert, had to say about it in 1997:

Here is the story of Dracula before it was buried alive in clichés, jokes, TV skits, cartoons and more than 30 other films. The film is in awe of its material. It seems to really believe in vampires. ... Is Murnau's Nosferatu scary in the modern sense? Not for me. I admire it more for its artistry and ideas, its atmosphere and images, than for its ability to manipulate my emotions like a skilful modern horror film. It knows none of the later tricks of the trade, like sudden threats that pop in from the side of the screen. But Nosferatu remains effective: It doesn’t scare us, but it haunts us.

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Often praised for its incredible use of visual style, the film has become so popular amongst the cult film world that it is actually difficult to call it a cult film anymore without having to justify how in our own day and age this remains as a cult film. Also praised for being technically brilliant, there is something not only endearing about the film but also something that puts it way ahead of its time in terms of how its filmed, the atmosphere it sets and the way in which it has been delivered to us.

I feel like many people like the sense that once it was a forbidden film because of the copyright infringement, but now that it's all over and done with - we can all watch the film in peace. I'm not saying the rights have been sorted out, I believe that the rights to the film may have actually run out though since you can watch the entire thing on YouTube.

All in all, the film is a sensational classic and an example of cinema presenting itself as a medium of greatness. Something that you rarely ever see.