Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)

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Day 36 of Sobriety. 

When I was about 19 years old, I used to have a huge poster of Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre on my bedroom wall—right above my bed. I don’t think I have actually watched the movie since around that time, but I remembered it being excellent, so, with yet another remake impeding (courtesy of The Witch director Robert Eggars), I figured it was time to give it another view.

I am quite a fan of Herzog in general, so Herzog + Dracula is a great combination for me, and I really enjoyed my re-viewing of Nosferatu. It’s a shame that Herzog was never tempted to turn his hand to horror again, but I suspect that the “horror” aspect—at least the supernatural element—was not really what appealed to him about remaking  F. W. Murnau’s 1922 film (which Herzog acclaimed as the greatest film ever to come out of Germany). He has stated that he perceives his film to be a parable about the fragility of social order, and a study of the effect that an external, unstoppable force of disruption has on bourgeois society and its mores.

That is certainly visible in the film, but it can also be enjoyed as a very well-made atmospheric gothic horror film. The performances of the lead actors is very strong, particularly the strikingly beautiful Isabelle Adjani as Lucy Harker, and—the centerpiece around which the entire production revolves—Klaus Kinski’s incredibly subtle and complex portrayal of Count Dracula. Herzog brings his trademark qualities of verité to the production. The scenery and settings all look very authentic, and apparently some scenes even feature ordinary people going about their business in place of hired extras. The music by frequent Herzog partners Popol Vu is also very effective. 
 
 In relation to my ongoing sobriety the personal resonances of this portrayal of vampirism struck a chord. The very fact of the Count’s dependence on a liquid that he imbibes, and the intense sorrow and pathos that accompanies that never-sated dependence. Kinski’s count is not the willfully evil Dracula of many other films, but rather a haunted, cursed figure. Unable to die, and unable to resist his unquenchable thirst.

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