Vampyr (1932)
Genre: Horror / Drama
Duration: 75 minuten
Alternative titles: Vampyr - Der Traum des Allan Grey / The Strange Adventure of David Gray / The Vampire / Not against the Flesh
Country:
France / Germany
Directed by: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Stars: Julian West, Sybille Schmitz and Maurice Schutz
IMDb score:
7,4 (22.544)
Releasedate: 6 May 1932
Vampyr plot
"The Strange Adventure of Allan Gray"
A young man, confused and haunted by the death of a soul mate, falls under the spell of the supernatural and one day follows a strange apparition that leads him to a mysterious mansion. Time and space seem to stand still. The two sisters who live there live under the strain of a serious illness from one, apparently caused by a vampire's bite.
Actors and actresses
Allan Grey
The Lord of the Manor
Giséle
Léone
The Village Doctor
The Old Woman from the Cemetery
The Old Servant
The Old Servant's Wife
The Nurse
Limping Man
Reviews & comments
Roger Thornhill
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- 6011 messages
- 2445 votes
Impressive film full of suddenly appearing strangers, backwards shots, doors that open and close by themselves, apparently living skulls and of course those shadows and reflections that are not attached to anything or anyone and lead a life of their own, all experienced by a main character with a permanently amazed look on his face. It all still works great, and the fact that I sometimes didn't know exactly what was happening and how to place certain characters only reinforced the (positive) feeling of alienation. The age of the film also works in its favor, because it only reinforces the atmosphere of unreality, and the leaden and gloomy music that hangs over the film like a dark cloud does the rest. Much attention here to the shot in which the young woman in bed starts to look desperate and then slowly but surely hungry, but what also struck me was the almost unbearable close-up of the dying father's face . A very memorable movie.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Onderhond
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- 87592 messages
- 12836 votes
Mediocre.
The beginning seemed even more hopeful. The atmosphere is nicely created and although it is already clear that the story does not become too complex, that does not really matter for this type of film. Unfortunately, Dreyer doesn't really manage to keep the atmosphere, let alone increase it towards the end.
It all feels a bit too airy. The music occasionally becomes a bit darker, but at times it is also remarkably jolly. Show don't tell is not exactly this film, the most exciting parts are told in book form (and how slow that is), the film itself shows almost nothing in terms of horror.
What remains is a fairly limited vampire story that looks relatively atmospheric, but never gets dark enough to really appeal. I think Dreyer should have looked more closely at his German contemporaries, they often did better in terms of atmosphere.
1.5*
Translated from Dutch · View original
Bobbejaantje
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- 2260 messages
- 2062 votes
Poetic horror from the interwar period. I'm a big fan of the 'silent' style that Dreyer adopts to the film (out of technical and commercial necessity). He had already proven himself enough to be a masterful filmmaker and here he again plays with impressive shots. The peak period may have already passed with the departure of a few protagonists to Hollywood (Lang, Murnau), but this German film by a Danish director certainly makes a heavily expressionistic impression. Lots of shadow work, a scenario in which dream and reality merge and the use of symbolism. The intro immediately impresses the viewer with it: a man with a scythe (death) pulls a bell several times (announces something) before crossing the river in a boat (reference to the mythological Styx? ). A little later we see Julian West studying a painting in which a skeleton with a murderous knife steals the show. And so it goes on for a while. The mood is immediately set, shaped by lurid and deliberately blurry shots and also a very nice score by the otherwise unknown Wolfgang Zeller. Because there is little dialogue, you kind of get the feeling of watching a shadow opera. Another big plus is filming at a suitable location (eg a ruin) which only adds to the gloomy atmosphere.
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