Tweet
Released by: Shout! Factory
Released on: May 20th, 2014.
Director: Werner Herzog
Cast: Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz
Year: 1979
Purchase From Amazon
The Movie:
In 1979 iconic German director Werner Herzog (AGUIRRE THE WRATH OF GOD, FITZCARRALDO, GRIZZLY MAN) took a crack at another iconic German master. He undertook a remake (or more accurately reinterpretation) of F.W. Murnau's silent masterpiece NOSFERATU from 1922. Of course the irony was that NOSFERATU in its original scripted form was simply created as a workaround to avoid the legal entanglements of the Bram Stoker estate. The Nosferatu story really is simply the Dracula tale under a pseudonym.
While Hammer Films' 1958 version truncated the tale (Renfield simply disappears for one thing) and other versions have taken other liberties Herzog's take has most of the novel's key ingredients. Mina Harker may be gone but Renfield and Van Helsing are present and accounted for. Dracula is here as Klaus Kinski in excellent form, brilliant Swiss actor Bruno Ganz (DOWNFALL) is a sympathetic Jonathan Harker and Lucy has never been lovelier than Isabelle Adjani.
Since the Dracula plot line is so well known it makes little sense to go over it again. What makes this version the most effective Dracula for many is the brilliant gothic sensibility that Herzog brings to it. Always an amazing talent with imagery, Herzog delivers some unforgettable sequences here. The ship full of rats. Kinski's Count, in shadow, approaching an unaware Lucy. Even the shots of canals and castles - often in longer range - are carefully and deliberately placed. Herzog also does fascinating things with actors in dialog scenes. Emotional moments are shot from the side or even the back. Sometimes the camera pulls away when most directors would pull in. As he explains on one of the film's two excellent commentary tracks, Herzog is interested in having the audience invest emotionally in the film - not having the actors do the job for them.
The acting is of a uniformly high standard but it is Kinski's Count Dracula that stands out. Unlike Christopher Lee's handsome version or Bela Lugosi's broad Eastern European charmer, Kinski is a variation on Max Schreck's repulsive rat like creation in F.W. Murnau's original silent film. He's physically hideous (thanks to a first rate makeup job) but also imbued with the weird romantic aura that evokes Jack Palance's doomed romantic antihero in the Dan Curtis version. Kinski was always larger than life but here he disappears completely into the role and manages to avoid the bug eyed histrionics of some of his lesser performances. Adjani also makes a huge impression with her gorgeous appearance and virginal aura. She's the ultimate fragile flower in danger. When Dracula becomes obsessed with her we truly fear for the woman.
Shout Factory! have also provided both cuts of the film - English and German (with English subtitles). The majority of the actors spoke in both languages so Herzog had the cast do different dialog takes. Both versions of the film are worth seeing as there are differences in the two cuts.
The pacing of Herzog's NOSFERATU is deliberately slow and it has very little in the way of explicit violence or sexuality. This doesn't mean it isn't frightening though. On the contrary, the careful use of mood and tone work magnificently here. The sequences with the rats are genuinely terrifying and Kinski's Count (while bizarrely sympathetic) is a true nightmare vision. Herzog's NOSFERATU is one of the great horror films.
Video/Audio/Extras:
NOSFERATU currently has two recent editions. The one here for the USA market is provided by Shout! Factory. Concurrently, the BFI in Great Britain have also released a version. If you check the following link you can see a screenshot comparison. Essentially, the deficiencies in the USA transfer can be ascribed to the sometimes over zealous application of DNR. Pores often disappear in closeup. Waxy faces and unnatural skin tone make appearances. The British transfer seems superior due to not using digital correction or sharpening tools. While Shout!'s transfer isn't disastrous be aware that especially on larger screen sizes, these issues will manifestly effect fine image detail. These issues exist in both cuts.
Otherwise, the 1080p AVC encoded 1.85.1 image has solid color reproduction and image stability. Contrast is free from boosting or other messing about and the print itself is virtually free from white spots, specks, hairs in the frame gate or obvious damage.
Audio consists of two German tracks (DTS-HD 2.0 and DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio) and one English (a lone DTS-HD 2.0 track). I'm not a particular fan of the German surround mix as it's timid enough to make little difference. As an audio purist for the most part I prefer the original mixes in lossless. Overall sound field presence is good on all three tracks with dialog clear and music solidly presented. Range is limited by the period in which it was recorded but it all sounds just fine and is free of distortion, hissing or any audible anomalies.
The most important extras are the two Herzog commentary tracks - one in English and the other in German with English subtitles. Both tracks are essential listening for both fans of the film and Herzog in general. Herzog has always been an excellent and engaging interview and on these commentary tracks he is at his very best. It's a terrific mix of personal anecdotes and specific information about the making of the film. There is some information overlap between the German and English tracks but enough differences to make both well worth the listen. Who knew Herzog had spent time in a rodeo?
There is also a short vintage making of piece worth seeing for the glimpses of the actors in costume on the set of film. Herzog himself also makes an appearance here. The set is topped off with two trailers and a still gallery.
The Final Word:
A masterpiece of deliberate gothic horror and one of the finest adaptations of Stoker's classic source material it's impossible not to recommend NOSFERATU. It's a shame that Shout! couldn't have delivered a less visually compromised transfer however. It's also worth keeping in mind that your mileage may vary on these issues in relation to screen size.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
German Version:
English Version
German Version:
English Version
