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In 1922, F.W. Murnau produced one of the greatest, if not the greatest horror movie of all time. Taking the story from the relatively recent "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, Murnau constructed a silent, black-and-white movie to rival the big-budget horror movies of the present. Legal action brought against Murnau by the family of the then deceased Stoker forced Murnau to change the names of some of the characters, most importantly, Dracula, who became the mysterious Count Orlock. The title became "Nosferatu", and the changes were sufficient to allow the movie to be released. The basic plot of the movie follows Stoker's work closely. Harker, the young clerk, is sent to Transylvania by his employer, causing him to delay his impending marriage to the innocent and beautiful Mina. Upon arriving in the country, Harker is bemused and curious about the strange apprehension the local townsfolk seem to have for him, regarding his trip to Orlock's castle. When he arrives, a series of mysterious sights result in Harker attempting to escape the virtual imprisonment of Count Orlock. Harker succeeds in escaping, but the Count finds a photo of Mina that Harker dropped during his stay. The Count gives chase on a boat, destined for the home of Harker. Upon arriving, Renfield, Harker's employer, becomes mad and terrorises the residents of the city. Finally, Orlock arrives in the city, and tense scenes ensue. The reknowned vampire expert, Van Helsing, attempts to kill Orlock, but fails. Mina, knowing that the only way to kill the lech is to expose him to sunlight, deliberately allows the Count to enter her bedroom at night, and entreats him to remain with her. The Count does this, only to feel the first rays of dawn strike him. Mina's sacrifice is revealed, and the Count is destroyed.
What follows are some (rather poor quality) pictures of the film.
If you wish to know more about Nosferatu, you should look at the Internet Movie Database, which is one of the most interesting sites ANYWHERE on the web. For the IMDB's information about Nosferatu, try here. If my short intro has whetted your appetite, or you desire to see "Nosferatu" again, there is a way! Do not despair, I too found out the difficulty in finding a copy of this, only to discover that the Internet was the place to look. Have a look at spvi.com/~lsvideo/FWMurnau.html for more details. Ah! I hear you wondering, "How did you see it, then?". I actually saw Nosferatu as part of a production by a fusion/classical/jazz/rock (?) quartet called Art Zoyd. They performed at the Adelaide (Australia) Festival of Arts in the Thebarton Theatre. Again, I know you are wondering, "What does a four-piece band have to do with Nosferatu?" Actually, Art Zoyd performances involve performing a soundtrack (of sorts) to a very old black-and-white, silent movie. Starting to get the picture? While I was a little disappointed with the music, seeing this movie on a huge screen was a great experience. Unfortunately, I missed Art Zoyd's performance of Murnau's "Faust" (Uni commitments). Ah well! |
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