Ah! A breath of fresh air!
Unlike the previously reviewed Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), the classic Nosferatu (1922) is a classic for its novelty and shock value – it has not aged well. This tale has the elements for a good horror movie, as a supernatural entity, housed in an obscure corner of the world and masquerading as a human, a certain Count Orlok, has negatively influenced the mind of Knock, a real estate agent in the German city of Wisborg (or Wismar), who had visited him on previous occasions. Knock sends his newly married subordinate, Thomas, to assist Orlok in selecting a new abode to inhabit in Wisborg.
Leaving his wife, Ellen, in Wisborg, Thomas’ trip to Orlok’s castle has grim omens of the nature of Orlok: Knock’s remark about fresh blood, villagers going silent upon learning the nature of Thomas’ journey, and an exceedingly creepy carriage with horses covered in black. Once at a castle empty of servants, Thomas must fight a polite, unacknowledged battle with Orlok for control of himself, as Orlok uses him to gain his knowledge; during this time, Ellen somehow is aware of Thomas’ travails, but can do little to help.
Orlok leaves the castle for Wisborg, leaving Thomas, injured in the traditional manner, a prisoner in the castle, to wander in the castle and in his mind. But Thomas discovers a secret and breaks out of the castle, also heading for home.
Orlok must travel with his coffins, his lifeline, and so he takes them down a river and on to a schooner, which finishes the last leg of the journey, a creepy affair as Orlok slings the coffins about like toys or moves them with his mind. The crew of the schooner begin dying from ‘the plague’, and by the time the Demeter has arrived as Wisborg, no one is left. Demeter docks herself and is unloaded, the coffins transported to the Wisborgian residence of Orlok.
And now the plague has come to Wisborg. But Thomas is on his way, flying, exhausted, to the aid of his beleaguered city.
Skipping some final plot twists and turns, including the ending of Knock, Ellen uses the secret Thomas found to destroy Orlok, but must sacrifice herself to do so.
The story elements are there, but the story characters, outside of Count Orlok, are, I fear, a bit cartoonish. Perhaps it was the sensibility of German movie making at the time. The captions last for entirely too long. And, at least in this copy of Nosferatu, the music is annoyingly oppressive and fairly inappropriate to the scene. The first half is organ music which finally prompted us to turn this ‘silent’ movie’s volume down to a dull roar; the change to stringed instrument of some sort was a relief, but not much of an improvement.
On the plus side, the work of Max Shreck as Orlok, famous even today, holds up very well – his preoccupation with blood comes across nicely. The creepiness which surrounds him, even when not physically present, adds to the ambiance of the movie. And the special effects, while perhaps dated, are still effective in that they intimate something out of the ordinary is present.
On the whole, it’s a wash. It’s worth a watching just to say you’ve watched it; the serious student of horror and film making will find it interesting in how the various elements are handled.
And it is fun.
