Nosferatu, o Fantasma da Noite (1979)

Count Dracula moves from Transylvania to Wismar, spreading the Black Plague across the land. Only a woman pure of heart can bring an end to his reign of horror.

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writer:

Werner Herzog

Stars:

Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz

5 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Klaus Kinski	...	Count Dracula
Isabelle Adjani	...	Lucy Harker
Bruno Ganz	...	Jonathan Harker
Roland Topor	...	Renfield
Walter Ladengast	...	Dr. Van Helsing
Dan van Husen	...	Warden
Jan Groth	...	Harbormaster
Carsten Bodinus	...	Schrader
Martje Grohmann	...	Mina
Rijk de Gooyer	...	Town official (as Ryk de Gooyer)
Clemens Scheitz	...	Clerk
Lo van Hensbergen	...	Harbormaster's Assistent
John Leddy	...	Coachman
Margiet van Hartingsveld	...	Vrouw
Tim Beekman	...	Coffinbearer

Storyline

Jonathan Harker is sent away to Count Dracula's castle to sell him a house in Wismar where Jonathan lives. But Count Dracula is a vampire, an undead ghoul living off of men's blood. Inspired by a photograph of Lucy Harker, Jonathan's wife, Dracula moves to Wismar, bringing with him death and plague... An unusually contemplative version of Dracula, in which the vampire bears the curse of not being able to get old and die.

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Plot Keywords:

vampire | plague | transylvania | rat | melancholy | 

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Genres:

Horror

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Details

Country:

West Germany France

Language:

German English Romany

Release Date:

19 June 1979 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Nosferatu, o Fantasma da Noite

Filming Locations:

Tatra Mountains, Slovakia

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,874

Company Credits

Production Co:

Werner Herzog Filmproduktion, Gaumont, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min 96 min (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was one of five Dracula films released in 1979, the other four being Drácula (1979), Amor à Primeira Dentada (1979), Nocturna (1979) and O Conde Drácula na Baviera (1979). In the same year, O Cavaleiro Destemido (1979), a Romanian film concerning the historical figure on whom the Count was based, was released. 1979 also saw the release of two other vampire films: Ânsia (1979) and A Purificação de Salém (1979)

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Goofs

When Jonathan Harker first sets out on his trip, you can see in the distance, through the arch of bridge, the wheels and wings of motor cars parked in a herring-bone fashion on the opposite side of the canal.

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Quotes

Count Dracula: [subtitled version] Time is an abyss...

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Alternate Versions

The full 107 minute English version of Nosferatu has been released on DVD in the US and the UK by Anchor Bay.

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Connections

Version of Purple Playhouse: Dracula (1973)

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Soundtracks

Richard Wagner: Rheingold
Written by Richard Wagner (uncredited)
Performed by Wiener Philharmoniker
Conducted by Georg Solti (as Sir Georg Solti)
Decca LC 0174 (uncredited)

User Reviews

Kinski Rules

I saw this as part of a double feature with Aguirre: The Wrath of God. Needless to say, it wasn't an evening of giggles. This is a film from beginning to end about pestilence. There is the actual plague. There are characters who are walking demonstrations of pestilence. There is the sad, defeated, Count who, as we all know, is not happy with his condition, but is programmed to steep himself in blood. The characters of Kinski and Adjani are on a collision course. Only through human sacrifice and lust can this demon be destroyed. It's a gray, striking film, full of sadness and despair. Kinski is visually stunning as the vampire. He is remindful of count Orlock in the Murnau film. There is more sensuality in this film (there are less limitations). Still, like its predecessor, the star of the show is death and the scenes with the rats and the people dancing away their last days, the coffins carried through the streets, are as striking as any performance. Herzog brings out the weight of human despair.