Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

The original, the best, Nosferatu; produced in 1922 by F.W. Murnau. This film will both delight you in its fairy tale like story but also scare you with vampyric horrors. Anyone remotely interested in vampyric stories should see this one. All those tales comparing this film to Bram Stoker’s Dracula are true.

Nosferatu is set in the quaint town of Bremen, a happy go-lucky city in the Romantic Age. Here we meet Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim) a young happy-go-lucky clerk employed to Knock (Alexander Granach) a real estate agent. One day, Hutter is asked by his boss to travel to Transylvania to meet with a Count Orlok. He is to assist him buy a house in town. Knock suggestively hints at the empty house near Hutter’s home as an ideal piece of property.

Hutter goes and journeys by coach to the Carpathian Mountains. His journey is not without trouble, however, at one point, a local coaches refuse to take him any further. But he does not mind, discounting such thoughts as superstitious. Hutter nonetheless arrives at Orlok’s castle where he meets Nosferatu (Max Schreck), a hideous, bald figure with spindly arms, fingers, sunken eyes, and a piercing gaze who lures Hutter to stay, only to place him in danger later when Hutter learns of Nosferatu’s true nature.

Ellen (Greta Schröder), who is Hutter's faithful wife, somehow senses Hutter's danger; her soul metaphysically sent to protect him in his hour of need. Hutter eventually recuperates, but not before the departure of Nosferatu by ship. Hutter, mindful of beautiful Ellen, rushes home overland in a race matched by Nosferatu’s travel by sea. The chase scene is punctuated with vignettes of the Professor (John Gottowwt) lecturing about natural vampires and oddities of the vegetable and insect world, scenes picturing the slow demise of the ship’s crew, and of Ellen, the object of desire by both Nosferatu and Hutter.

Eventually, the ship arrives in Bremen, full of rats, and its crew dead; Nosferatu quickly disembarks and settles into his new home. Townsfolk are worried, they come to investigate the ship. Officials announce the arrival of the Black Plague, and panic ensues. Knock, in cahoots with Nosferatu, is picked up and arrested.

While all this is happening, Nosferatu is lusting after Ellen, his advances placing her in danger. Eventually she hatches a plan and prevails against the vampire, a pure uncorrupt soul versus evil.

Nosferatu is terrific silent film. There is a lot of humor scattered throughout as well as the usual horror elements. But the film is just one half of the movie. Because this is a silent film, the true beauty of the movie is the music accompanying it. You are not just watching something on screen, but also influenced by what you hear.

I had the pleasure of seeing this film on screen with music accompaniment by the Boston-based Alloy Orchestra several years ago at the Celebrate Brooklyn Festival, and just recently (Jan 2001) with musical accompaniment by the San Francisco-based Clubfoot Orchestra, at the Winter Garden at WFC downtown, both free performances.

The Alloy orchestra, using their "junky" percussion instruments and loud noises gave the film a powerful feeling of terror. The vampyre truly became something to be feared. On the otherhand, The Clubfoot Orchestra, a modern ten piece woodwind and electric guitar ensemble, gave the film a slightly more rosier feel to the film; the vampyre's lust for blood made both sexy and risqué. Both orchestras specialize in scoring silent films.

I have not seen the version on video where the scoring is done by Type-O Negative; however way you see it, don't forget the music. Best if seen on screen with live musical accompaniment. This movie has many elements that I will not explain here, but best reserved for film aficionados and art appreciation students.


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older