Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

MVictorPjinsiste Okay, this isn't your usual summer blockbuster. It's got next to no action, no sex, no fights, no explosions, no blades, no chases, no violent personality conflicts... What it has is death. All these images, rythm, musical background (a hypnotic, eerie score by eclectic german band Popol Vuh) and themes are about death, oppressing death, and how it wins in the end.Even Adjani, most beautiful woman in the world at the time and today still, looks like an incarnation of a melancholic death, a ghost held up by pure emotions alone, a pre-raphaelite image of sadness and perfection. The creature itself, an avatar of death rather than a super-powered gentleman, expresses pain and solitude, stuck in timeless half existance and despair.With him, death journeys toward the protagonists' home, borne on a ship manned by the dead, bringing with her infertile soil, pestilence, confusion and finally, acceptation; The dance of the dead in the city's streets may have been one of the most intense cinematic experience I witnessed at the time, and today still I am filled with emotion as I recall the last meal, and the tranquil acceptation of inevitable death.I do not easily give scores above eight, but this was something else, and the memory of a grainy, slowly flying bat, without malice or even intent, coming down on an eerie, hypnotic musical background, as being the very image of death, is in my mind on this day still. Such images are what cinema is supposed to provide us with.

TheLittleSongbird Werner Herzog was, and still is, a very talented film-maker, but he's not the only reason as to why to see 'Nosferatu the Vampyre'. That it is based on a classic story, had a larger than life, commanding and great actor in the title role in Klaus Kinski and that it was a re-make of the 1922 Murnau masterpiece 'Nosferatu' were further interest points.Admittedly did question as to whether 'Nosferatu the Vampyre' would work, being a re-make. Re-makes hardly ever are equal to their originals and some don't even come close. There is no doubting which is better and more influential between Murnau's film and this, but 'Nosferatu the Vampyre' is a strong example of a re-make that works well, with the Murnau film being a very clear influence, and is a very good film on its own terms. Found myself never questioning its necessity, like can be the case watching re-makes.The ending is a little rushed and doesn't quite have the unforgettable chills or power of the 1922 film. Personally had little problem with the acting, but a couple of actors did deserve more screen time, a notable example being Van Helsing. Can understand the criticisms with the pacing, 'Nosferatu the Vampyre' to me actually worked very well as a deliberate mood piece and as a film told through primarily visuals but maybe yes it could have taken a little less longer to get going.'Nosferatu the Vampyre' looks magnificent, perhaps one of Herzog's most visually striking and most atmospheric films. This is coming from the director whose films were also well-made and looked great but when his films are being talked about this element can be upstaged by the talking about the themes and Herzog's trademarks, which are undeniably fascinating to read and talk about but Herzog's production values are worthy of a little more credit. The colours dazzle, the lighting is very atmospheric with a striking contrast of light and dark, the production design is both audacious and eerie but how the camera shots and editing are composed.Popol Vuh's music score is both unsettling and dream-like, matching the nature of the visuals perfectly. Typically Herzog directs splendidly, delivering on the substance as well as the style. The script flows surprisingly well and is cohesive, and the story is rich in an atmosphere that's at times grimly eerie and at times contemplative. Despite calling it a re-make, 'Nosferatu the Vampyre' is more a faithful homage while also having significant updates and expanding on the titular character's tragic loneliness.Klaus Kinski is in towering form as Nosferatu. He is genuinely scary in a larger than life way, almost as nightmare inducing as Maximilian Schreck, but counter-points that wonderfully with tragic pathos delivered with heartfelt sincerity. While the other actors aren't quite as good the divide isn't as wide as one would think. Isabelle Adjani is suitably ethereal, making even more of an impression are Roland Topor's creepy, skin-crawlingly so, Renfield and Bruno Ganz's assertive but vulnerable Harker (a role much better acted than most, a notoriously bad example being Keanu Reeves in Coppola's otherwise often impressive film). Walter Ladengast is suitably low-key though with not a role as meaty as ought.Overall, great film. 9/10 Bethany Cox

stevendecastro This movie has a lot of rough edges and no decent climax. Kinski as Dracula works well, as does Isabel Adjani as Lucy. But the blocking of the camera is amateurish, the perspective is confused, and worst of all, it's the only vampire movie that doesn't scare anyone. (Oh by the way, if you are on the way to driving a stake into a vampire's heart, don't appear in the next scene with the stake in your hand; you are supposed to leave it in.)Herzog has said that this movie was an attempt to show the highest values of his own culture. I have no idea whether he succeeded, but as a movie, this is a failure.

avik-basu1889 On many occasions, Werner Herzog has said that according to him, F.W. Murnau's 'Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror' from 1922 is the greatest German film ever made. So when he decided to make a remake of the aforementioned film in 1979, it was out of respect for the original. When someone watches Herzog's 'Nosferatu the Vampyre', you can clearly see that Herzog is certainly paying an homage to Murnau. The basic plot is loosely the same. There are some shots in the film that are composed and framed exactly like the original. However, having said that, 'Nosferatu the Vampyre' is also a Werner Herzog film through and through. One can feel Herzog's presence in every scene of the film.Murnau himself had changed the plot a whole lot from the book to make his film. He had introduced the plague element which was not present in the book, he had introduced the sacrificial element in the story that marks the end of the original film. Now Herzog borrows of a lot of these changes that Murnau brought in, but he also expands on them. He puts his own touch to every aspect of the film. Herzog also brought in a few changes on his own mostly through the style of direction and storytelling. The character of Nosferatu played by Max Schreck in the original silent film is like a creepy insect. But Nosferatu in Herzog's film exudes a sense of sadness, a sense of loneliness, a sense of pain. He is still creepy and scary when he needs to be. The connection between the arrival of the vampire and arrival of the plague can be seen to be metaphoric, just like in the original film. But the way Herzog treats this angle of the plague in the film is nothing short of genius. The way he shoots the rats, the way he choreographs and composes the scenes which depict the effect of the plague on the people in the city is nothing short of sublime. Herzog also introduces his own element of a form of PTSD in the plot of the film. Jonathan completely undergoes a change and a transformation after going into the heart of darkness and on returning, he ceases to remain what he used to be.Herzog has said that one of his primary intentions while making the film was to create a surreal, 'separate reality' as he thought a vampire film can't be made by firmly grounding it in reality. Not only do I agree with his opinion, but I also feel he managed to completely execute what he set out to. Herzog has always had the DNA of a documentary filmmaker in his blood. He can't help but capture nature in all its glory as well as in all its darkness. About 10 minutes of our time in the film is spent accompanying Jonathan as he makes the journey to Count Dracula's castle. Herzog takes his time to show us the gradual shift in the nature of the environment from beautiful greenery to creepy and grim darkness as Jonathan moves closer and closer to Dracula's castle. The shot composition and visual framing in the film is second to none. I can talk about so many shots that completely blew me away like the shot where Nosferatu walks towards the camera in a dark tunnel and then the blue light falls on his face or the uninterrupted shot where the ship with Nosferatu and the rats arrives at the dock or the overhead shot of the coffins being carried away in a line or the shot where the camera captures the horse drawn carriage as it moves ahead with its reflection falling in the water body right next to the path on which it is moving,etc. Herzog masterfully uses the hypnotic music provided by Popol Vuh to elevate a lot of the scenes to the ultimate heights of surrealism. There is also the usage of some classical music from time to time. There is a sort of a montage towards the last third of the film where Herzog visually shows us the effect of the plague on the spirit of the people in this town by only using Popol Vuh's music and that sequence is one of the most overwhelming and beautiful sequences that I have ever seen in any film.Klaus Kinski is pretty much flawless as Nosferatu. As soon as he appears, one can see the pain, the sadness in his eyes. His line delivery is precise. His body movements are peculiar and totally sell his non-human physical nature. When Kinski delivers the lines regarding Nosferatu's sadness about having to live on endlessly without being loved by anyone, without being accepted by anyone, I felt for him. I never felt anything emotionally for Schreck's Nosferatu. Isabelle Adjani is gorgeous, but somehow she can also make her face look scary and her over-the-top performance was clearly an homage to the silent era. She shifts from one emotion to another effortlessly. Bruno Ganz underplays the role of Harker. He remains subtle, but comes into his own and shows his acting skills in the second half of the film.Before 'Nosferatu the Vampyre', the other Herzog films that I had watched are 'The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser' which I really liked and 'Aguirre, the Wrath of God' which I think is another masterpiece. 'Nosferatu the Vampyre' has a bit of a link with 'Aguirre, the Wrath of God' as both films involve human beings venturing into areas of darkness that they are unfamiliar with and they end up becoming a shadow of their former selves as a consequence. I am slowly falling in love with Herzog's hypnotic style of storytelling which involves making full use of music, the presence of nature and verbal silence. Herzog is slowly climbing up my list of favourite filmmakers of all time.