Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
Genre: Drama / Horror
Duration: 92 minuten
Country:
United Kingdom / United States / Luxembourg
Directed by: E. Elias Merhige
Stars: John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe and Cary Elwes
IMDb score:
6,9 (47.898)
Releasedate: 15 May 2000
Shadow of the Vampire plot
"An Unspeakable Horror. A Creative Genius. Captured For Eternity."
While making the classic 1922 vampire film Nosferatu, director Murnau wants to make the film as authentic as possible. To realize this, he hires a real vampire to play the part of Count Orlok. Murnau promises him the neck of drug-addicted co-star Greta Schroeder.
Actors and actresses
F. W. Murnau
Max Schreck
Albin Grau
Fritz Arno Wagner
Greta Schröder
Gustav von Wangenhein
Henrik Galeen
Paul
Wolfgang Müller
Elke
Reviews & comments
Bottleneck
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- 8233 messages
- 2119 votes
Pretty annoying movie... also lasted longer than 92 minutes in my opinion, maybe because everything revolves around the gimmick that the vampire is real. It does produce good and awkward scenes at first (especially because it's a movie within a movie) but then it drags on to the end, despite actors like Malkovich and Dafoe. Occasionally there is that eerie Eastern European vampire atmosphere, but it is nowhere near as good as films like Nosferatu Phantom der Nacht. Same goes for the vampire; Dafoe tries but often comes across as a bitch in a suit and a layer of make-up; nowhere as impressive as Nosferatu.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Roger Thornhill
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- 6195 messages
- 2546 votes
This is now the second time that I have seen this film, but the first time does not really count: that was the aforementioned Yorin broadcast of October 2003 (see above), when the film cut into three parts via commercial breaks did not parts 1, 2 and 3 but 1, 3 and again 3 were shown. Still, I found the film so captivating at the time that I now wanted to watch it again – and then in its entirety. But just like the first time, I still struggle with it: a brilliant premise (it should be noted that Nosferatu is one of my favorite horror films), beautiful shots and intriguing roles by John Malkovich and Cary Elwes in particular. , but...
...that role of Willem Dafoe – I really don't know whether I think it's fantastic or totally out of place. Despite the fact that I think he's an excellent actor, and despite all the accolades that have been thrown at him left and right (including an Oscar nomination, which, however, went to Benicio del Toro for Traffic), I think he here not so much lugubrious (like the real Max Schreck) as grotesque, which on the one hand leaves room for sometimes humorous and sometimes wry details, but on the other hand also makes me wonder how he could have such an impressive Count Orlok in real life put down. And maybe the film is all about the tension between that weird and that scary, but I'm not quite sure if it works for me yet.
Anyway, four stars anyway for the loving recreation of perhaps the best silent film I know.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Chainsaw
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- 8845 messages
- 3690 votes
The concept is fantastic, the execution a little less so. The idea that Max Schreck, the actor who played Orlock in 1922's Nosferatu, would be a real vampire is a lot of fun. However, only this fact turns out to be just a bit too meager for a full feature film, at least with this elaboration. Shadow of the Vampire is dark and slow, creating an appropriate atmosphere, but the lack of tension breaks the film a bit. The way in which they imitate movie scenes from the classic is very clever, but as characters are deepened, the film always collapses. Cast is also fine, but not really exceptional. Except Dafoe, who steals the show.
3 stars.
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