When I first saw the commercials for SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE (2000), I immediately fell in love with this moody, atmospheric film. When you’re not expecting it, there is vaudevillian comedy peaking in.
The movie begins with a note explaining who F.W. Murnau was and citing him as Germany’s greatest director of the silent era. You couldn’t really argue that because he had made several great films, but the two films he is mostly known for, SUNSET, and NOSFERATU, has helped the art of film move forward. He always had scenes on location in his films. SUNSET from technical point of view is stunning, especially when you realize it was made Pre-John Ford, Pre-Alfred Hitchcock and Pre-Howard Hawks. NOSFERATU shows he was a master of mood. And that is the subject of Shadow of the Vampire, (A “what if”, actually.) making of NOSFERATU. Also in the notes they inform the audience that Bram Stoker’s Widow would not allow Murnau to film Dracula. So he created his own vampire, Orlock.
It is Nineteen twenty-one, and Murnau (John Malkovich--- Empire of the sun, Killing Fields, and Being John Malkovich) is filming Nosferatu. Everyone questions his judgment and he answers (when he is paying attention, that is.) he mentions he is Germany’s greatest director. The amount of times he says this is hilarious. After shooting some interiors in studio, Murnau and crew head to Czechoslovakia to shoot some scenes at a hotel and a castle, where the mysterious Max Schreck will join the cast as Count Orlock.
Gustav von Wangenheim (Played by Comedian Eddie Izzard---Valkyrie, Mockingbird Lane, and Mystery Men.) explains to the crew that Schreck will only appear in character, in makeup, and for effect, they will film him only at night.
Almost immediately upon arrival, strange things occur. While everyone is asleep, Murnau sneaks off to meet with Schreck, bringing him a caged ferret as a gift. Schreck (Willem Dafoe---To live and die in L.A., Boondock Saints, and Last Temptation of Christ.) appears, long fingernails, ghastly and ghoulish, he cannot wait to feed on his gift.
Shooting a scene where Gustav meets Schreck at the castle gates is priceless. The look on Gustav’s face was sheer terror and confusion, but when Albin (Udio Keir-Blood of Dracula, Susperia.) says to Murnau; “He is not from the Reinhardt Company. Where did you find him?” Murnau points to the entrance of the castle and replies: “In that hole.”
Then Murnau’s cameraman Wolf (Played by Ronan Vibert-The Pianist, Saving Mr. Banks.) becomes Schreck’s first victim. He is carried inside the hotel where the mistress and owner sees Wolf, kisses her crucifix and mumbles, “Nosferatu.”
The expression on the cast and crew’s face again is another great addition to the film when Schreck finally makes his appearance. The makeup girl begins her job like any other job dabbing powder on a more than willing participant in Schreck, no doubt he could smell her warm blood and that brings out anticipation or stirs other emotions.
A dinner scene goes awry. Gustav is slicing bread and accidently cuts himself. Schreck grabs him and begins feeding from the wound. In that precise moment, the generator and all the equipment become faulty. The lights fail and there are two shadows. One is lying on the ground, the other hunched over. When the lights come back, Schreck is now feeding off of Wolf and all the crew see what he could actually be, but in their minds he is nothing more than a lunatic, because vampires cannot exist in the real world.
The performances in this film are extraordinary. The material, story and plot are fresh. No retreading familiar ground except the rules of most vampire stories. The dialogue is crisp and often times funny as hell (that’s where the vaudeville comes into play.) especially when Schreck and Murnau argue over who Schreck is to eat and who he is not; “Why couldn’t it be the script girl!?” Murnau screams. Schreck replies, “I’ll eat her later….”
The makeup job on Dafoe is astonishing as well. Dafoe was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actor. The direction by E. Elias Merhige (Begotten.) is what I have been talking about in previous articles: the marriage of art and entertainment. If indeed, F. W. Murnau was like the personality Malkovich displays in this character, then he was definitely a mad man. Steven Katz script tells a great “what if…” behind the scenes of what became a staple of my childhood on Halloween. Almost all PBS stations showed this film every Halloween and when they found that lost scene of the coach bringing Hutter to Orlock’s castle, I had to run out and rent it. No matter that it was damaged and had to be flipped over in order to be reinstated in the film. That murky green tint only added to the strange foreboding that was fluent throughout the film.
A special note about Shadow of the Vampire is that it was produced by Nicolas Cage. Maybe he missed his calling. He should have gotten behind making more films and his eccentricities might have worked well there more so than recently in front of the camera. Also this film might have been the first to be partially financed by a group of people from the internet. I’m not sure but it could have. They are listed as Virtual financers.
Mark Slade, HMS
Read the previous installment.