Nosferatu the Vampire

Werner Herzog’s 1979 version of F.W. Murnau’s silent expressionist horror from 1922 is foremost a remake although it is also an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic novel ‘Dracula’. In Herzog’s version, Klaus Kinski perfectly embodies the bloodsucking Count to a chilling effect.

While for the silent version, Murnau had to change the names of the main characters in order to avoid copyright issues (in the end, Stoker’s widow Florence still sued…), Herzog was in a better position: at the time of filming his version, copyright for the novel had already ceased - meaning that the characters in his film could be given the same names as those in Stoker’s novel.

Everyone knows the story of Dracula and there really isn’t much point going too much into details of a tale which has been adapted for the screen countless times and no doubt will continue to do so. That said, as and already mentioned, Herzog’s adaptation really is a homage to Murnau’s groundbreaking silent horror, a film which, according to Herzog, is the most important film hailing from the Weimar Republic era. It’s easy to see why thanks to its unforgettable expressionistic images, like the one in which Max Schreck’s ‘Count Orlok’ walks up a staircase (though it appears like his gigantic shadow does the walking), or the scene in which he rises from his coffin looking completely stiff-bodied. Then there is Max Schreck’s iconic make-up, which is a far cry from the suave appearance of the Transylvanian seducer so often portrayed in movies. Schreck’s ‘Count Orlok’ looks utterly cadaverous, complete with bat-like pointy ears, rat-like fangs, sharp fingernails the length of a train track and a bald head. And while Klaus Kinski’s ‘Count Dracula’ sports pretty much the same look, he succeeds in making the part entirely his own.

The story begins in the year 1850 in the Hanseatic city of Wismar, Germany, although the actual filming took place in the Dutch city of Delft, while for the scene in which the city is overrun by thousands of rats (we come to that later) director and crew were forced to film the Dutch city of Schiedam, after the Delfter powers that be didn’t allow their beloved city invaded by an army of rats… and who could blame them!

After a truly macabre opening scene depicting the mummies of Guanajuato (filmed in Mexico), with Popol Vuh’s eerie soundtrack adding to the atmosphere and setting the tone, we find ourselves in Wismar. Here, estate agent Jonathan Harker (Bruno Ganz) sits at the breakfast table together with his young wife Lucy (Isabelle Adjani) in what can only be described as a cosy domestic scene, though minutes later he’s off to work. In the office, his boss Renfield (Roland Topor) urges Harker to Transylvania that very same day, reason being that an important client by the name of Count Dracula has expressed his wish to purchase property in Wismar and Harker is dispatched to negotiate and sign the deal.

Traveling on horseback, he leaves his beloved Lucy behind as he rides along the cobblestones of quaint-looking Wismar and soon crosses country roads, meadows and forests. The scenery is truly stunning (as one can expect from a Herzog movie), in particular the scene in which Harker makes his way through the gorge trail of Partnachklamm in Garmisch Partenkirchen, Bavaria, surrounded by dramatic waterfalls and narrow tunnels. As his long journey continues and he eventually reaches Transylvania, he encounters a group of gypsies and sits with them at their campfire. It’s a scene unnecessarily long and feels more like Bruno Ganz on holiday in Transylvania, making friends with local gypsies and engaging in casual conversation, than Jonathan Harker in need of warmth and food. Yes, of course he ends up in a little guesthouse and we’re only too familiar with what happens next: patrons stop chatting and the landlady drops a jug in horror when Harker, perfectly innocently, asks for the directions to Castle Dracula.

The coach driver refuses to take Harker in his coach, pretending there is no coach, just as he’s pretending there are no horses (Harker’s own horse is too exhausted to carry on. Harker has no other option than walk (cue for more breathtaking landscape photography). Suddenly, a mysterious coach turns up out of nowhere and takes Harker to the castle, with the truly creepy Count welcoming at the gate. As the perfect host, Count Dracula serves up food, glorious food (no hot sausage and mustard though) and isn’t stingy with the wine either. He’s particularly fascinated with a miniature portrait of Lucy inside a locket which Harker carries with him. It’s interesting to note that Kinski doesn’t portray his Count as a bloodthirsty monster like Christopher Lee for example but more like a tormented creature cursed with immortality… longing for companionship but doomed to a lonely existence for all eternity. Yes, Harker cuts his finger when slicing some bread. Yes, Harker eventually becomes suspicious of the Count’s odd behaviour, not to mention his appearance. Yes, he gets bitten by Dracula and back in Wismar, Lucy has unsettling nightmares and a foreboding of impending doom. Yes, the gypsies transport coffins filled with earth (oh, and someone else in it…) on a raft upriver to the nearest port while Harker, able to escape the castle, lingers on with a high fever and convalesces in a nearby convent before he is able to embark on his long journey back home…

Meanwhile, an increasingly insane Renfield is committed to an asylum and munches on nothing else but insects while mumbling “The blood is the life” while eagerly awaiting the arrival of his ‘master’. Well, we all know who that is and the scene in which the schooner floats along a canal in Wismar, with all the men aboard either missing or dead, is a sight to behold, as is the sight when thousands of rats escape from the ship and begin to run amok all over town (apparently, the rats were mistreated during filming). At first, Dr. van Helsing (Walter Ladengast) is clueless as to how the ship’s crew and their captain died, but when the penny finally drops and the word ‘Plague!’ is ushered, panic breaks out. Dracula has already set his eyes (and fangs) on the Harker household and of course, things take a tumble for the worse once Jonathan arrives back home… In an interesting twist to the novel (and other movie adaptations), Jonathan Harker becomes a vampire himself after Lucy sacrifices herself in order to destroy Dracula.

Herzog’s version won’t send shudders down collective spines, for that it isn’t tense or horrific enough. However, the film’s strength lies in its arresting visuals and poetic, dreamlike atmosphere which plays out like a never-ending nightmare. Furthermore, the director came up with some unique and inspired touches, like the one when Lucy wanders aimlessly through a near deserted market square scattered with coffins and the odd corpse, only to encounter a group of people dancing a final ‘Dance Macabre’ before they, too, succumb to the plague. Later on, Lucy encounters another group of people, also infected with plague, who are assembled around a long table and enjoy their ‘last supper’ al fresco style.

NOSFERATU THE VAMPIRE is now available on 4K UHD Blu-ray, as well as Apple TV and Amazon Prime.
Special Features include: German and English language versions of the film / Audio commentary with Werner Herzog and additional audio commentaries / Introduction by Mark Kermode / Contracting Vampirism: A Copyright History of Nosferatu: a new video essay by Nic Wassell / Screen Talk: Werner Herzog (2016, 69 mins) / Making of Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979, 13 mins) / Original theatrical trailer / Stills gallery / illustrated booklet