7/10
Amusing idea but lack of focus
14 October 2023
The idea of narrating in a comedy way the story behind the film Nosferatu and its impacts as if the narrator were Count Orlok himself (great makeup, by the way!) was not bad. There is also some interesting information about F. W. Murnau and Albin Grau (and his occultist motivations and background). However, the documentary with fictionalized elements presented too little focus. It addresses not only academic debates on Murnau's movie, Herzog's great remake, and the production and distribution (including the widespread success of pirate versions, as Bram Stoker's heirs sued over the unnauthorized adaptation, and a court ordered all copies to be destroyed) of both films (indeed, there is relatively little about hat in the script), but also too many other generic representations of vampire popular culture so far. Besides other movies, TV series and theatre plays, which arguably could appear as a contrast, why the hell highlighting so much an anti-communist writer (just because she is a Romanian writing on vampires?) and a black metal band, for instance? It is curious that so many works appear there, but there is not a single mention of awesome Shadow of the Vampire, starred by John Malkovich. To resume, the film could have been shorter and present more core information about Nosferatu, Murnau, Grau and Max Schreck.
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