Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

E. Elias Merhige

Writer:

Steven Katz (written by)

Release Date:

26 January 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

An Unspeakable Horror. A Creative Genius. Captured For Eternity.

Plot:

The filming of Nosferatu is hampered by the fact that the star is taking his role far more seriously than what seems humanly possible.

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Nosferatu | Director | Actor | Bitten In The Throat

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

John Malkovich	...	Murnau
Willem Dafoe	...	Schreck
Udo Kier	...	Grau
Cary Elwes	...	Wagner
Catherine McCormack	...	Greta
Eddie Izzard	...	Gustav
Aden Gillett	...	Galeen
Nicholas Elliott	...	Paul (as Nicholas Elliot)
Ronan Vibert	...	Muller
Sophie Langevin	...	Elke
Myriam Muller	...	Maria
Milos Hlavac	...	Innkeeper (as Milos Hlavak)
Marja-Leena Junker	...	Innkeeper's Wife
Derek Kueter	...	Reporter 1
Norman Golightly	...	Reporter 2

Also Known As:

Burned to Light (USA) (working title)
La sombra del vampiro (Argentina) (Colombia) (Spain) [es]
L'ombre du vampire (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
A Sombra do Vampiro (Portugal) [pt]
L'ombra del vampiro (Italy) [it]
Ngao payabat peesat amata (Thailand: Thai title) [th]
Shadow of the Vampire (Germany) [de]
Umbra vampirului (Romania) [ro]
Xixuegui De Yingzi (China: Mandarin title) [zh]

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexuality, drug content, violence and language.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

UK | USA | Luxembourg

Language:

English | German | Letzebuergesh

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | Iceland:12 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-3 (re-rating) | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:G (Quebec) | Chile:14 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Malaysia:(Banned) | Norway:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:R(A) | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Delux Productions, Contern, Luxembourg

Company:

Saturn Films

Trivia:

Max Schreck (Willem Dafoe) recites Tennyson's poem 'Tithonus' at one point: 'The woods decay, the woods decay and fall, the vapors weep their burthen to the ground...' This is apropos, because the poem is about a character from Greek mythology who was immortal even though he continued to age. Just like Schreck, this made him a tragic figure.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: 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:

F.W. Murnau: Ladies and gentlemen, this is Max Schreck, who will be portraying our vampire, Count Orlock. As you no doubt have heard, Max's methods are somewhat... unconventional, but... I am sure you will come to respect his artistry in this matter.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 2001 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (2001) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Flying Dutchman Overture

blew me away

This has got to be the pinnacle of movie making genius. Anyone even remotely interested in suspense, film making, vampires, German Expressionism, or simply in being entertained should make it a point to see this challenging, evocative, thought-provoking and funny film.

Reviewers I've read seemed outraged at the liberties the film took with the premise of Nosferatu. I thought it was an imaginative and extremely compelling take.

John Malkovich, as always, is brilliant, but nothing prepared me for how scintillating Willem Dafoe's Schreck was. The man is amazing.

I'm taking my friends to see it this weekend!