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Shadow of the Vampire

  • 20002000
  • RR
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
42K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
Theatrical Trailer from Lionsgate
Play trailer1:34
2 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • Horror
The filming of Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (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.The filming of Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (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.The filming of Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (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.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
42K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • E. Elias Merhige
  • Writer
    • Steven Katz
  • Stars
    • John Malkovich
    • Willem Dafoe
    • Udo Kier
Top credits
  • Director
    • E. Elias Merhige
  • Writer
    • Steven Katz
  • Stars
    • John Malkovich
    • Willem Dafoe
    • Udo Kier
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 340User reviews
    • 204Critic reviews
    • 71Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 16 wins & 29 nominations total

    Videos2

    Shadow of the Vampire
    Trailer 1:34
    Shadow of the Vampire
    Shadow of the Vampire
    Trailer 1:33
    Shadow of the Vampire

    Photos117

    Murnau & Schreck
    Willem Dafoe stars as Max Schreck/Count Orlock
    Willem Dafoe stars as Max Schreck/Count Orlock
    Gustav & Max
    John Malkovich stars as F.W. Murnau
    Grau & Murnau
    Greta & Max
    Greta & Fritz
    Willem Dafoe with director E. Elias Merhige
    Willem Dafoe at an event for Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
    Corin Nemec at an event for Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
    E. Elias Merhige at an event for Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Malkovich
    John Malkovich
    • Friedrich Wilhelm Murnauas Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau
    Willem Dafoe
    Willem Dafoe
    • Max Schreckas Max Schreck
    Udo Kier
    Udo Kier
    • Albin Grauas Albin Grau
    Cary Elwes
    Cary Elwes
    • Fritz Arno Wagneras Fritz Arno Wagner
    Catherine McCormack
    Catherine McCormack
    • Greta Schröderas Greta Schröder
    Eddie Izzard
    Eddie Izzard
    • Gustav von Wangenheimas Gustav von Wangenheim
    Aden Gillett
    Aden Gillett
    • Henrik Galeenas Henrik Galeen
    • (as John Aden Gillet)
    Nicholas Elliott
    • Paul - Camera Assistantas Paul - Camera Assistant
    • (as Nicholas Elliot)
    Ronan Vibert
    Ronan Vibert
    • Wolfgang Mulleras Wolfgang Muller
    Sophie Langevin
    • Elke - Makeup Assistantas Elke - Makeup Assistant
    Myriam Muller
    • Maria - Script Assistantas Maria - Script Assistant
    Milos Hlavac
    • Innkeeperas Innkeeper
    • (as Milos Hlavak)
    Marja-Leena Junker
    • Innkeeper's Wifeas Innkeeper's Wife
    Derek Kueter
    Derek Kueter
    • Reporter 1as Reporter 1
    Norman Golightly
    Norman Golightly
    • Reporter 2as Reporter 2
    Patrick Hastert
    • Reporter 3as Reporter 3
    Sascha Ley
    • Drunken Womanas Drunken Woman
    • (as Sacha Ley)
    Marie-Paule von Roesgen
    • Old Womanas Old Woman
    • (as Marie Paule Van Roesgen)
    • Director
      • E. Elias Merhige
    • Writer
      • Steven Katz
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • 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
      It was utterly impossible to film at night in 1922, so all night-time scenes were actually filmed in broad daylight. Originally, these scenes were tinted blue in order to differentiate them from those that were supposed to take place by day.
    • Quotes

      [Asked what he thought of the book, Dracula]

      Max Schreck: It made me sad.

      Albin: Why sad?

      Max Schreck: Because Dracula had no servants.

      Albin: I think you missed the point of the book, Count Orlock.

      Max Schreck: Dracula hasn't had servants in 400 years and then a man comes to his ancestral home, and he must convince him that he... that he is like the man. He has to feed him, when he himself hasn't eaten food in centuries. Can he even remember how to buy bread? How to select cheese and wine? And then he remembers the rest of it. How to prepare a meal, how to make a bed. He remembers his first glory, his armies, his retainers, and what he is reduced to. The loneliest part of the book comes... when the man accidentally sees Dracula setting his table.

    • 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
      Edited from Nosferatu (1922)
    • Soundtracks
      The Flying Dutchman Overture
      Written by Richard Wagner

      Courtesy of KPM Music Limited

    User reviews340

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    An enjoyable piece of filmmaking.
    Shadow of the takes the viewer to 1921 to "witness" the making of F. W. Murnau's silent classic vampire film Nosferatu. Shadow of the Vampire does not pretend to be a documentary; it is a highly stylized, fictional work that delves into its very own imaginative speculations about a filmmaker's creative process.

    Having assembled his crew, Murnau (John Malkovich) travels to a small town in Czechoslovakia, where he intends to recreate before his camera the story of Bram Stoker's "Dracula". Set on creating the most realistic vampire film, Murnau secretly recruits a real vampire (Willem Dafoe), promising to recompense the creature with leading lady Greta (Catherine McCormack). Murnau cautiously introduces the vampire to his producer Albin Grau (Udo Kier) and scriptwriter Henrick Galeen (John Gillet) as "Max Schreck", a truly professional "method actor" trained by Stanislavsky. Schreck performs his scenes suspiciously well, only appearing on the set at night and in character, keeping his end of the bargain with the director. Soon, however, his blood thirst takes over and he fearlessly threatens to eliminate, one by one, Murnau's most dispensable crew members.

    Shadow of the Vampire stems from the premise that its protagonist, the fictional Murnau (Malkovich), must hire a real vampire in order to ensure a truly authentic representation of the vampire character, "Count Orlock", for his film Nosferatu. The viewer who seeks a more accurate portrayal of the making of the real Nosferatu may find this premise strained and far-fetched, and may even consider the film's ensuing humor a bit aimless. However, Shadow of the Vampire integrates the humorous premise to its metaphorical exploration of the artistic process and of the inevitable struggle between the star, the director and the crew. (In one scene, Schreck tries to secure his interests --a new victim-- by negotiating with Murnau. He reflects: "I don't think we need the writer any longer.") Aside from the film's complex treatment of the film within the film and of the character within the character (where Shadow of the Vampire re-presents Nosferatu, and Shadow's cast plays Nosferatu's cast), the film's most enjoyable aspect is its careful reconstruction of specific Nosferatu scenes. When demonstrating how Murnau shoots these well-known scenes, Shadow's own shots shift between black & white and color; from a full-frame to one enclosed by an iris. Shadow's recreation of the classic scenes are often accompanied by Murnau's off-screen voice-over instructions to the actors, who in turn stop in mid-shot, enter, or exit the frame. These choices offer a fantastic depiction of silent film technique, and they as well add new life and a sort of magical dimension to the original Nosferatu scenes. Undoubtedly, Shadow of the Vampire may be most fully appreciated by the viewer that has already developed a sensitive appreciation for Nosferatu's unforgettable images. Still, Shadow of the Vampire may be enjoyed as well by those fascinated by filmmaking or --as Shadow's Murnau put it-- by "the science of the creation of memory."
    helpful•29
    7
    • chrisbrown6453
    • Jul 11, 2001

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 26, 2001 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • Luxembourg
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
      • Luxembourgish
    • Also known as
      • Burned to Light
    • Filming locations
      • Vianden, Luxembourg
    • Production companies
      • Saturn Films
      • Long Shot Pictures
      • BBC Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $8,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $8,293,784
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $150,171
      • Jan 1, 2001
    • Gross worldwide
      • $11,155,214
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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