Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

The filming of Nosferatu is hampered by the fact that the star is taking his role far more seriously than what seems humanly possible.

Director:

E. Elias Merhige

Writer:

Steven Katz

Stars:

John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Udo Kier

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Malkovich	...	Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau
Willem Dafoe	...	Max Schreck
Udo Kier	...	Albin Grau
Cary Elwes	...	Fritz Arno Wagner
Catherine McCormack	...	Greta Schröder
Eddie Izzard	...	Gustav von Wangenhein
Aden Gillett	...	Henrik Galeen
Nicholas Elliott	...	Paul (as Nicholas Elliot)
Ronan Vibert	...	Wolfgang Müller
Sophie Langevin	...	Elke
Myriam Muller	...	Maria
Milos Hlavac	...	Innkeeper (as Milos Hlavak)
Marja-Leena Junker	...	Innkeeper's Wife
Derek Kueter	...	Reporter 1
Norman Golightly	...	Reporter 2

Storyline

Shadow of the Vampire is a film about the making of a German all time classic silent horror-movie from 1922 called Nosferatu-Eine Symphonie des Grauens (Nosferatu-a Symphony of Horror). The production of Nosferatu had to deal with a lot of strange things (some crew members disappeared, some died). This movie focuses on the difficult relationship between Murnau, the director, and Schreck, the lead actor.

---

Plot Keywords:

nosferatu | vampire | actor | blood | film within a film | 

---

Taglines:

An Unspeakable Horror. A Creative Genius. Captured For Eternity.

---

Genres:

Drama | Horror

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality, drug content, violence and language

Details

Country:

UK USA Luxembourg

Language:

English German Luxembourgish

Release Date:

26 January 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Burned to Light

Filming Locations:

Delux Productions, Contern, Luxembourg

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£42,539 (UK) (2 February 2001)

Gross:

$8,279,017 (USA) (30 March 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Saturn Films, Long Shot Pictures, BBC Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Max Schreck (Willem Dafoe) recites Tennyson's poem 'Tithonus' at one point: 'The woods decay, the woods decay and fall, the vapors weep their burthen to the ground...' This is apropos, because the poem is about a character from Greek mythology who was immortal even though he continued to age. Just like Schreck, this made him a tragic figure.

---

Goofs

You can see a reflection of Count Orlock's head in the mirror moments after a big deal was made about the fact that he cast no reflection in the same mirror (although this is possibly a deliberate nod to Nosferatu in which a similar error was made).

---

Quotes

Max Schreck: I feed like an old man pees - sometimes all at once, sometimes drop by drop.

---

Crazy Credits

The Steamer, a revolutionary machine designed and built to cure the foam prosthetics rapidly due to the very limited production constraints. A world first in foam latex curing within the film industry.

---

Connections

Features Nosferatu (1922)

---

Soundtracks

"The Flying Dutchman Overture"
Written by Richard Wagner
Courtesy of KPM Music Limited

User Reviews

Richly nuanced exploration of silent film classic

What if the lead character in the film Nosferatu really was a vampire? Shadow of the Vampire explores this unusual concept as it follows the story of the filming of the 1921 silent film classic. Malkovich plays the role of Murnau, the German director who makes the bargain from hell to provide realism to his Dracula knock-off, only to find that he has unleashed a monster. This is a horror film that is really a psychological drama -- the true horror lies in the man who decides no price is too high for the making of his movie. At the same time, there's a lot of humor, as well as an intriguing glimpse of Berlin in the decadent 1920s.

Dafoe is definitely an Oscar nominee with this performance (and the film should get an Oscar for his make-up, too): especially powerful scenes include his describing his reaction to reading the novel Dracula, by Bram Stoker; and a confrontation with Murnau near the end of the film, when Murnau finally is forced to recognize what he has done. Strong acting performances from the supporting actors as well -- Elwes' accent wanders, as does Malkovich's, but the cast (including native Germans) is generally strong. Some really nice cinematography and editing.

It adds to the experience to have seen the silent film first, by the way; it is well worth viewing in any case. It's available in a remastered print with a good soundtrack. "Shadow" takes a few liberties with the original film, but not important ones (those night scenes were obviously not shot at night, for example).

I loved this film -- two thumbs up!