Nosferatu (1922)

Eric's Review: 76


Acting: 7

Nosferatu comes from an era that pre-dates sound and is considered to be part of the German Expressionistic movement therefore judging the film's acting is somewhat like comparing a mime to a theatrical performance. Of course, the acting to be overly embellished to covey the emotions of the actors, especially in an expressionistic film. Nevertheless, the acting would appear to be very appropriate for its era.


Cinematography: 9

As a German expressionistic film with heavy Freudian overtones, "Nosferatu" features beautiful cinematography. Director F. W. Murnau does a fabulous job of carefully framing his characters so that their screen prominence reflect the symbolic nature of the film. Nosferatu is primarily seen in the center of the frame to establish his authority whereas others are framed around the edges. You have to remember we are working with the technical abilities of the 1920s here.


Writing: 6

Once again, it is difficult to categorize the writing of any film from the silent era. There are title cards of course, but that is hardly the same as dialogue within a piece. Nevertheless, the overly exaggerated acting of the film gives a visual dialogue of which seems disjointed at time.


Plot: 7

Based off of the Bram Stoker novel of "Dracula," "Nosferatu" is a pretty close adaptation. The novel is peppered with Freudian psychology in the role of men and women - specifically the dangerous nature of a woman's unchecked sexuality. Approaching the film from this perspective, the film's plot becomes a scavenger hunt into the Freudian philosophy of the id, ego, and superego.


Soundtrack: 7

This is truly a category that can not be accounted for very well in a silent film. However, many films were accompanied by a live orchestra when shown to audiences during this time frame. In the version I view, there was an added soundtrack comprised of excerpts of various live performance pieces that would typically accompany the film. From what I heard, the music seemed to match the mood and action on the screen, but done so in a painfully obvious fashion.


Special Effects: 9

For its era, "Nosferatu" featured some truly haunting and interesting special effects. You have stop motion footage, time elapsed sequences, and the creative use of the film's negative. The inclusion of this techniques does a brilliant job of contriving a fantasy realm that matches with the film's mood and themes. Very well done.


Editing: 9

"Nosferatu" is not only viewed as one of the first horror films, but as a prime example of early editing techniques. The editing of the film is used as a psychological tool to trick the mind into believing in a mysterious landscape where time and movement is manipulated to create a horrifying creature. Likewise, some creative cross-cutting is used to confuse and mislead the audience into believing in certain assumptions that correlate with Freudian philosophies.


Sound Design: 7

Once again, this is a category that can not be applied to this film - however we are using a 100 point scale so I have to apply a score. The sound design is reflected in the film's added soundtrack which is creative at times by correlating musical gestures in place of sound effects.


Climax: 8

The climax of the film does an excellent job of both striking the inevitable fear of death into the hearts of the audience, but formulates a multitude of suspense due to cross-cutting. A very well crafted climax that is the height of the film's Freudian overtones.


Overall Enjoyment: 7

I am not a fan of the horror genre, but there is something very disturbing about the character of Nosferatu that remains with you. Certainly one of film's most iconic figures - and an inspiration for Karloff's Frankenstein - Nosferatu is a fascinating film that is easily a subject of film study everywhere. One could look to this film as the birth of the horror genre, one of the first films in the German expressionistic movement, and an innovation in editing and special effects. Nevertheless, I was often bored with the film and was dissatisfied with its pace at times.

FILM - 76