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Shadow of the Vampire A Review by |
| During the early 1920's,
with film still silent and German Expressionism arguably at the top of its form, German
Director Hans Murnau is shooting what could perhaps be his greatest Film ever:
"Nosferatu," or "the unclean." Denied the rights to the use of the Uber-vampire, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Murnau has decided instead to hire the actor "Max Schreck" to play the character 'Count Orlock,' the lead character (i.e. Dracula). Schreck is an actor so eccentric that he only appears to the crew of the film "in character." With the crew in tow, Murnau heads to Eastern Europe to shoot his film. What the crew doesn't know, however, is that Max Schreck is actually a Real Vampire. This movie has several things that can only be seen as positives. First, the quirky story line is perfect. When you're watching this movie, there are certain times when you can't tell if you're watching the making of a silent movie, an actual silent movie, or a recreation of a silent movie. That is, everything blends in to make this movie seem old, but in a good way. Imagine one of the "great" black and white films, but with new life breathed into it. Second, the acting is tremendous. Say what you want about Willem Dafoe, but there was never a second when I thought to myself "that's Willem Dafoe." He _is_ Orlock/Schreck, and he absolutely MAKES this movie. Udo Kier also does an excellent job, and his character comes across flawlessly. John Malkovich, on the other hand, does an excellent job, but there were some issues that made his performance less-than stellar. In this respect I think other reviews of this film over-rate him. For one, his German accent is atrocious, and this made the film difficult at times. Contrarily, he does a brilliant Murnau, and in this respect he rules. And then there's Cary Elwes. Say what you want about "The Princess Bride," but this is the one actor who never should have been let near the set of "Shadow.." Even supposing you know no German, his accent is ridiculous, and he turns it off and on NOTICEABLY. As if one second his character is 'Nosferatu's' cameraman, and the next he's in jolly old England doing Shakespeare. Crap-ola. Ok, a couple final thoughts. First, this movie will make you laugh. It's designed to do that. I was chuckling through some scenes harder than ...well, I was chucklin' pretty hard, and I wasn't the only one. Second, there are some scary scenes in this movie too, involving Schreck, of course. Finally, when you see this movie, go there expecting to see a modern Silent-Film. Everything about this film is peculiar, and the acting is such that it's almost as if the director of the film (E. Elias Merhige) is trying to re-create the atmosphere of an old-school silent film. Finally: Enjoy. This movie is definitely worth seeing in theatres. Rating:  out of four. |
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