Nosferatu - A Symphony of Horror

Filmed in 1921, the German expressionist horror Nosferatu is the first screen adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, albeit an unauthorized one, since the studio could not obtain the rights. Nonetheless, Max Schreck’s unforgettable portrait as the cadaverous count – more reminiscent of pestilence personified than a Transylvanian gentleman – has placed this silent classic amongst the best of its genre.

Here, the main action takes place in the fictional town of Wisborg (filmed in Wismar and Lübeck), in the year 1838.
The most significant change, however, is that of the film’s title character – no longer ‘Count Dracula’ in Murnau’s silent classic, but ‘Count Orlok’ instead. Berlin-born stage actor Max Schreck (Schreck means ‘terror’ and ‘fear’ in German) delivers an unparalleled performance as the ghastly bloodsucker whose pointy ears and sharp teeth resemble a terrifying combination of skull and bat’s head.

The story starts with Ellen (Greta Schröder), who is troubled by melancholia, affectionately petting her cat and embracing her beloved husband Thomas Hutter (Gustav von Wangenheim in the ‘Jonathan Harker’ part), an estate agent. Hutter has been commissioned by completely bonkers Herr Knock (Alexander Cranach in the ‘Renfield’ part) and sets off to Transylvania to set up a contract with Count Orlok, a client who wishes to purchase property in Wisborg. Well, we all know how the story fares, regardless of whether Count Orlok or Count Dracula… especially when a disguised Orlok and his phantom coach come to meet Hutter and bring him to the castle. This particular scene feels odd, because the sequence is filmed in fast motion, whereas modern audiences will agree that a coach rolling along in slow motion is considerably more eerie!
Even the rest of the story isn’t too far removed from Stoker’s original, with the vital difference that here, not only Nosferatu comes to an end but also the female heroine – Ellen Hutter – who sacrifices herself to save her husband and the town.

Who can forget the iconic b/w images that still manage to chill our blood upon looking at them… be it Count Orlok’s ghostly appearance upon the doomed schooner or the count’s shadow climbing up a set of stairs! Now, thanks to this gloriously restored Blu-ray with newly displayed English inter-titles (it looks like the pages of an old manuscript) and a deeply dramatic score by Hammer Horror composer James Bernard we can marvel at these iconic images once again!

The disc also contains some interesting Extra Features:

Newly restored and remastered, and presented in High Definition

- Christopher Frayling on Nosferatu (Lynne Wake, 2002, 24 mins): video essay on Nosferatu and F. W. Murnau and Albin Grau’s backgrounds and influences

- Le Vampire (Jean Painlevé, 1945, 9 mins): Painlevé’s study of the South American vampire bat, an allegory for the Nazism that was sweeping throughout Europe at the time.

- The Mistletoe Bough (Percy Stow, 1904, 5 mins): the oldest film version of a classic Christmas ghost story recently restored by the BFI, featuring a new score by Saint Eitenne’s Pete Wiggs.

- Image Gallery plus a fully illustrated booklet featuring credits and film notes.