Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

Director:

E. Elias Merhige

Writer:

Steven Katz (written by)

Release Date:

26 January 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Nosferatu | Director | Actor | Bitten In The Throat

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

John Malkovich	...	Murnau
Willem Dafoe	...	Schreck
Udo Kier	...	Grau
Cary Elwes	...	Wagner
Catherine McCormack	...	Greta
Eddie Izzard	...	Gustav
Aden Gillett	...	Galeen
Nicholas Elliott	...	Paul (as Nicholas Elliot)
Ronan Vibert	...	Muller
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

Also Known As:

Burned to Light (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

UK | USA | Luxembourg

Language:

English | German | Letzebuergesh

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | Iceland:12 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-3 (re-rating) | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:G (Quebec) | Chile:14 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Malaysia:(Banned) | Norway:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:R(A) | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Delux Productions, Contern, Luxembourg

Company:

Saturn Films

Trivia:

Based in part upon a legend that Max Schreck was in reality a vampire which is why he played the role of Orlock/Dracula so well. Some variations of the legend suggest that Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) was the only film Schreck made, though in reality he was already a stage and screen veteran by the time Nosferatu was shot, and would appear in many non-Vampiric roles before his death in 1936.

Goofs:

Continuity: After they film Gustav entering the castle, he is talking in the doorway with Murnau and Grau. Murnau and Grau then walk into the courtyard where Gustav is already waiting for them.

Quotes:

F.W. Murnau: Why would you possibly want to be in a play when you could be in a film?
Greta Schroeder: An audience gives me life. This... thing only takes it from me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Eisai to tairi mou: (#1.2)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Tristan Und Isolde - Overture

Great Performances in a Good Movie

The premise of "Shadow of a Vampire" is simple, what if Max Schreck was really a vampire posing as an actor playing a vampire in the Murnau's masterpiece, "Nosferatu?" Well, the result is both slightly scary and pretty funny. Director E. Elias Merhige and writer Steven Katz create a fairly creepy mood, and inhabit the picture with some real interesting characters.

John Malkovich plays famous silent film director F.W. Murnau. This is perhaps the funniest performance of the bunch, especially when he is giving audible instructions to the "actors" while the camera is rolling. Then, there is Willem Dafoe who plays Max Schreck/ the vampire. It is incredibly fun to watch an almost unrecognizable Dafoe play this oddball, Max Schreck. Unfortunately for Murnau, Schreck starts doing what vampires tend to do... bite people. The original photographer dies along with a few others at the mouth of Schreck. After seeing this movie, it is quite easy to see why Dafoe was nominated for best supporting actor at the Oscars. His performance is worth the price of admission.

This is a film which is hard to classify, sense it is a fictional account of an actual film with real people. Yet this horror-comedy does have its moments of wonderful macabre humor along with great performances to help make it an enjoyable movie. A 7 out of 10. I highly recommend watching this as part of a double feature. First, watch Murnau's original 1922 masterpiece, "Nosferatu", then watch "Shadow of a Vampire." You will appreciate "Shadow of a Vampire" a lot more (or maybe vice versa).