Film Review : "Nosferatu"

 

Eggers remake of the 1922 silent film finds him keeping the mood of the original film and building off it to create his own gothic vampire story that like the original is another retelling of the Bram Stoker story, though where the original would depict Orlok as a different character from the Dracula we would later come to know from 1931 "Dracula" as a suave seductive gentleman to Orlok's creepier monster persona. The first elephant in the room is the fact I had seen promotional pictures from the movie that showed Bill Skarsgard in makeup much closer to the original portrayal of Orlok, than what would appear in this film. I can appreciate keeping him in the shadows, but this new persona made him a more shambling wreck of a creature, perhaps to create more of a contrast and make Deep's relationship with him more shameful.  But I kept waiting for him to shed the mustache and emerge as the classic Orlock which did not happen. 

The film's strength was in its visually striking cinematography and the world that Eggers created. There were few shots wasted and even less than were not stunning to look at. Eggers said that he did not want the film to be contaminated by other cinematic vampire portrayals. He succeeded in doing this , though he comes closest to Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula from 1992. Both stick close to Stoker's book, though Egger's takes the slant of Orlok's arrival bringing a plague to the city. Willem Dafoe and Raph Ineson give the film's two strongest performances, with Dafoe stretching himself the most, while Ineson pretty much does what he does, it just falls into place here. Skarsgard serves as a body for make-up to be applied to and pantomimes his way through the film. Considering the original was a silent film this might be for the best. 

Deep looks good in the costumes and once again serves as a body holding the place of a character who is walking through life in a dream-like trance. Her experience as a model comes in handy, as she sells the look more than tapping into an emotional connection with the role, and does not have any chemistry with anyone, though Dafoe carries the scenes with her. But perhaps this is intentional, as she could not connect to anyone so called forth a spirit to be with her, which is the crux of the movie, though it feels more told than shown despite that is how the film opens, a little more interaction with Orlok might have sold this fact better, but it worked well enough. I can understand where fans of the original are going to complain, this movie is more of a art piece based on concepts from the original. I enjoyed the bleak miserable mood it creates, and the darkness that envelopes it. It's not a happy Hollywood ending, which I also value in horror movies. A great experience to look at even at the cost of the high expectations that come with the source material. 

Byzantium

Byzantium might be one of the best vampires movies in some time. Despite strong showing at film festivals last fall, the theatric release was shamefully limited, though this trend in indie cinema finds the film getting the most exposure as it was just released on Showtime and dvd simultaneously .

 The movie embraces the human elements and romantic notions while keeping things gruesome in small doses when it is called for. The movie is beautifully shot and explores it's own take on the mythos. The vampires are not as supernatural as i might like, hell they don't even have sharp teeth , they just grow a mean thumb nail, not too mention my number one pet , they can walk in daylight. But even with those liberties playing against it the movie was able to win me over.

Vampire exhaust is not at a fever pitch as it was for zombies, who return from the dead became more tedious given the rather hipster cool zombies had taken in the past five years. Vampires are complex emotional creatures where zombie just chew scenery and are more of a back drop. The complex nature of vampires is what the film nails. the mother/whore, always believes she is doing what is best to protect her child, despite the glimpses we see of what a wicked predatory bitch she can be.

The dialogue feels natural and the only melodramatic moments come from the Vampire council who comes to hunt down the rogue vampires. This gives the actors a lot to work with and make their complex relationships and torn natures seem much more believable and answers the question about the nomadic life of a modern day bloodsucker , rather than making them super heroes who happen to suck blood. While my favorite vampires are the more monstrous variety depicted in 30 Days of Night, this is a good movie where the characters happen to be vampires, they very well could have been just serial killers and this movie would have been just as effective.

Saoirse Ronan steals the movie as usual, her acting chops are far superior to Gemma Arterton, whose sex pot vampire role, certainly has it's appeal, as she came across way sexier than she did in Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters, but Ronan continues to encompass a wider range of emotions in her roles. 

The flash back give you the back round story with out having to start with an origin or lay all the by laws for these vampires out for you. It covers it's bases and makes sense of the unique nature of it's character leaving few plot holes. There was enough of a bitter sweet element to it's ending to leave me statisfied , even though it did not adhere to my no survivors rule on horror movies.

Hopefully the On Demand options Show Time is offering will gain the audience this film deserves, a sequel would only cheapen this film , but the ending leaves it open for one. So if you are tired of the rather high school depictions vampires have gotten lately then this is a film that is worth your time.