Shadow of the Vampire
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| Shadow of the Vampire | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | E. Elias Merhige |
| Produced by | Nicolas Cage Jeff Levine Richard L. Johns Jimmy de Brabant |
| Written by | Steven Katz |
| Starring | John Malkovich Willem Dafoe Udo Kier Cary Elwes |
| Music by | Dan Jones |
| Editing by | Chris Wyatt |
| Distributed by | Lions Gate |
| Release date(s) | France: May 15, 2000 (premiere at Cannes) United States: 29 December 2000 (limited) |
| Running time | 92 min |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $8,000,000 (estimated) |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Shadow of the Vampire is a movie that opened in the United States on December 29, 2000. It was directed by E. Elias Merhige and written by Steven Katz, and it stars John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe and Udo Kier. The film is a fictionalized account of the making of the classic vampire film Nosferatu, directed by F.W. Murnau, in which the film crew begin to suspect that their lead actor is not all that he seems.
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[edit] Plot
The film is set in 1922. German director F.W. Murnau takes his Berlin-based cast and crew on-location in Czechoslovakia and Poland in order to shoot Nosferatu, an unauthorized version of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. He informs them that the person playing the part of the vampire Count Orlok, an obscure German theater performer called Max Schreck, is a highly professional method actor, but in order to involve himself fully in his character, he will only appear among the cast and crew in full make-up and character.
The main setting is an old castle in Czechoslovakia. Schreck is there waiting for the filming team, and his appearance and behavior are truly disquieting. The cameraman soon starts feeling terrorized and sick, and has to be taken away and replaced. The other main actor is frightened of Schreck but then convinces himself that he is simply a very good actor.
On one occasion, two members of the crew are sharing a drink under the stars, and Schreck approaches. They invite him to join them, and Schreck drinks with them. Jokingly they ask about his vampirism and Schreck reveals he is a real vampire, centuries old. When questioned, he tells the crew that he is so old, he cannot remember how he became a vampire, and cannot create more of his own kind. A bat flies by and Schreck catches it with a quick hand and bites it, ecstatically sucking blood from its body. The others are left impressed.
As it turns out, Murnau has made a deal with a true vampire, in order to make his film absolutely realistic. Schreck has been promised the main actress Greta Schröder as prize, provided he fulfills his role until the end of the filming. But the vampire is frequently uncooperative until eventually the entire production, stranded on an island in the North Sea, is at his mercy.
In the end, Schreck kills Greta Schroeder and the crew before being exposed to sunlight and dying, while the mad Murnau finishes the film.
[edit] Trivia
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The film borrows the techniques of silent films, including the use of intertitles to explain elided action and iris lenses. The scenes of Nosferatu being filmed are shot in black and white.
The real life Schreck was a German stage and film actor who appeared in several movies, including Die Finanzen des Grossherzogs.
[edit] Cast
- John Malkovich .... F. W. Murnau, the director of Nosferatu.
- Willem Dafoe .... Max Schreck, who plays Count Orlok/Count Dracula.
- Udo Kier .... Albin Grau, the producer and art director and costume designer.
- Cary Elwes .... Fritz Arno Wagner, the cinematographer.
- Catherine McCormack .... Greta Schröder, who plays Ellen Hutter/Mina Harker.
- Eddie Izzard .... Gustav von Wangenheim, who plays Thomas Hutter/Jonathan Harker.
- Aden Gillett .... Henrik Galeen, the screenwriter.
[edit] Awards
Shadow of the Vampire won several awards:
- the Prix Tournage
- the Saturn Award
- the Gran Angular Award
- the International Fantasy Film Award
- the President Award
- the Golden Satellite Award
- the Independent Spirit Award
- the LAFCA Award for Willem Dafoe
- the Bram Stoker Award for Steven Katz
Dafoe was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
