Shadow of the Vampire film review

THE STORY:

Berlin, 1921. Passionate filmmaker Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe Murnau has ignored the threats of the Bram Stoker Estate and has gone ahead with his tenth film, an adaptation of "Dracula", anyway. Renaming the titular character "Count Orlock", and changing the title to "Nosferatu: Eine Symphonie des Grauens", Murnau is determined to create a work of art for the ages. Intrigued by the "method acting" school coming out of the U.S.A, Murnau decides to cast an unknown for the integral role of the vampire, and finds him in the person of the ratlike loner Max Schreck. Arriving on location, the repertory cast, not to mention the crew, is confused and irritated by Schreck's insistence on remaining "in character" off set, even sleeping in a coffin. Soon Murnau questions his decision when the cinematographer suddenly dies mysteriously and Schreck expresses a hunger for the scriptwriter, whom no one deems really all that necessary..

ROBERT L's REVIEW:

"We are all scientists engaged in the creation of memory"
-F.W. Murnau (John Malkovich)

Far from the weighty meditation on art-with-a-capital-A that the concept and above quote might suggest, "Shadow Of The Vampire" is a surprisingly slick and accessible romp through the pioneering days of German Expressionism that plays a lot like a backstage farce ala "Noises Off", albeit with the inclusion of the "undead" factor. Take the serious musings of Bill Condon's "Gods And Monsters", mix them with the manic pace and broad performances of Tim Burton's "Ed Wood", and you get some idea of "Shadow"s spirit. Cult movie buffs might even spot a touch of Richard Rush's "The Stunt Man"...

You certainly won't learn much about Murnau from Katz' jokey script or John Malkovich's bug-eyed, silent-film-worthy performance (not to mention "Hogan's Heroes" accent), other than that he was a drug-addicted homosexual prone to shrieking fits at his cast and crew and frequent battles with his producer Albin Grau (Udo Kier) over the usual creativity-vs.-commerce clashes that plague the industry to this day. Likewise, Catherine McCormack's decadent diva Greta Schroeder and Eddie Izzard's lead Gustav van Waggenheim are mere sketches, but both actors are clearly having a blast hamming it up and are a delight to watch as each becomes increasingly, hilariously, revolted by Schreck's behavior and Murnau's gradual loss of his senses.

John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe

The standout performance belongs to Willem Dafoe, a living special effect as the mysterious "character actor" Max Schreck. Just as the strength of "Nosferatu" rested on Schreck's bony shoulders, so does the success of "Shadow" hinge on Dafoe's considerable command of the frame, skull-like features, and comic expertise. Now the fourth actor to sport the familiar bald head, pointed ears, rat teeth, and elongated fingernails after Schreck, Klaus Kinski (Werner Herzog's 1979 remake), and Reggie Nalder ("Salem's Lot"), Dafoe does more than let the makeup and costume do the work for him. Punctuating his glib dialogue with leers, sniffs, growls, and flamboyant bits of actorly "business", Dafoe goes places no previous role has allowed him to venture (and is clearly still beaming from the experience, as indicated by his cheery nature during the intro at the Elgin Theatre).

(Of course, "Shadow Of The Vampire" is a work of fiction, and plays fast and loose with the facts. The real Max Schreck was a German stage and screen performer who died in 1936 and was well into his career at 43 when he appeared as Count Orlock.)

Talk Back

The cheeky tone and "Ten Little Indians" plot contrivance have polarized some critics to dismiss "Shadow" as nothing less than an insult to the very reputation of the entire German Expressionism movement, but take a pill, already. From the gorgeous art deco titles, sumptuous period detail, use of placards, and meticulously recreated moments of "Nosferatu"'s still-stunning black and white textures (Merhige's many Marilyn Manson videos were obviously apt training), "Shadow Of The Vampire" teems with TIFF 2000's mission as a love letter to the miraculous alchemy of not just one movie, but all movies. Sure, a near identical farce could've been made about virtually any other title (if "Vampire" is a success, will Lion's Gate consider a sequel about Murnau's foray to Hollywood five years later with "Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans"? LOL?) but why not use the start of a new century celebrate a masterpiece that has remained a timeless model of cinema yet to be outdone? Remember, "Nosferatu" was initially critically reviled, too, so a flood of bad notices would be entirely appropriate....

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Shadow of the Vampire

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