Nosferatu: The Real Story

I've been attracted yet repulsed by some of the trailer previews of the Robert Eggers' Nosferatu, so watched the original 1922 version, then this 2024 documentary so I could focus more on the story than the gore.

First, I had planned to watch only the opening 10 minutes or so of the 1922 one, as I thought its silence & low-tech would drag it down, but ended up watching the whole thing with its stark, compelling images & locations.

Then watching this doc gave great background on that & bridges it to other versions, ending with previews of Eggers'. The making of the original in itself was an interesting story, including factoids like it was cheaper back then to shoot on location rather than build studio sets. It also mentions universal themes that thread through the various versions: eg, projecting fears of war and pandemics; as well as symbolism of things like large windows representing female boundaries. A lot of interesting history and observations I wouldn't have necessarily thought about otherwise.