Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

The filming of Nosferatu (1922) is hampered by the fact that its star Max Schreck is taking the role of a vampire far more seriously than seems humanly possible.

Director:

E. Elias Merhige

Writer:

Steven Katz

Stars:

John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Udo Kier

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 27 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 Wangenheim
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.

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Plot Keywords:

max schreck character | reference to konstantin stanislavski | f.w. murnau character | vampire | nosferatu | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | Horror

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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 USA:

$150,171, 1 January 2001

Gross USA:

$8,293,784

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,155,214

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

Udo Kier, who appears as Albin Grau, played the Count himself in Blood for Dracula (1974) and Vampire Elder Dragonetti in Blade (1998).

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Goofs

At the beginning one of Murnau's assistants calls him one of the greatest movie makers ever, with D.W. Griffith and Sergei M. Eisenstein. In 1921 Eisenstein had not yet directed any movie (his first movie is from 1923).

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Quotes

[last lines]
F.W. Murnau: I think we have it.

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Crazy Credits

Credits end with the sounds of the camera filming and of the phonograph which set the mood for the actors.

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Connections

Referenced in Phantasie (2009)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Dafoe is da man.

It is the age of the silent movie, and German expressionist director F.W. Murnau (John Malkovich) is determined to film his version of the Dracula story, whatever the cost to his cast and crew.

I've never really been a big fan of Nosferatu nor a particular admirer of Willem Dafoe, but this bizarre little movie has made me appreciate both much more. A fictionalised account of the making of F.W. Murnau's 1922 silent horror classic, Shadow of the Vampire toys with the notion that Nosferatu's star Max Schreck (played here by Dafoe) was actually a bona fide member of the undead.

This fanciful idea plays out a little too slowly, perhaps, but offers plenty of opportunity for dark humour, the cast delivering suitably offbeat performances that prove strangely intoxicating, with Dafoe's mesmerising turn as Shreck being the film's strongest suit, the actor's mannerisms and expressions played to perfection.

Casual movie fans who haven't seen Murnau's classic will probably wonder what the hell is going on, so I recommend seeing Nosferatu beforehand, just so that one can fully appreciate the magic of certain scenes and the brilliance of Dafoe's performance.