Directed by E. Elias Merhige. Starring John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe, Udo Kier,
Now this one is certainly an interesting concept. Its a little older, but I had not seen it or heard much about before taking the chance on picking it up, which was not all that much of a risk since 1) I love almost all things vampire 2) with a cast like this, you figured that it would be a good flick.
The premise is this, a retelling of a true story, that is the making of the great silent film Nofesratu (1921), the first major vampire film based on Bram Stoker's Dracula. The film's producers could not get permission from Stoker's widow to use the novel as the basis of the movie, so went on to make a film that basically told the same story, only changing the names of the characters and the appearance of the villain from the suave, evil Count Dracula to the rodent looking Count Orlock. The film was directed by F.W. Murnau and starred Max Schreck as Count Orlock. The film was a success and still remains a classic to this day. (and, yes, as you might guess, Stoker's widow sued the production company anyway)
This is all fact, easily verifiable and probably known to many movie/vampire buffs. Where Shadow of the Vampire departs from just a historical period piece retelling an interesting story, is to use one of the "rumors" of the time, that being that the incredible performance of method actor Max Schreck as the vampire was so real because...Schreck actually was a vampire. In the film, GF.W. Murnau (Malkovich Burn After Reading Con Air) has apparently struck a deal with the devil, so to speak as he has made an arrangement with the mysterious, method actor Schreck (Willem Dafoe Inside Man) to play the villain in the film he is obsessive about making. Schreck is so into his method preparation that the rest of the crew and cast will only see him in makeup, call him only Count Orlock, and...best of all, they will only shoot at night.
Of course, only Murnau is privy to what is really going on, and the rest of the cast-initially, appreciates the realism of the movie and Schreck's acting skills...but things start to go awry as some of the cast and crew begin to get ill and to disappear. This goes against the original deal Murnau had with Schreck/Orlock, of course, but what was Count Orlock to receive in return from Murnau for his performance? Well, if you answered "the girl", pat yourself on the back and move to the head of the class. The girl is Greta (Catherine McCormack) who is the lead actress playing the Nina Harker role (for those of you who have not read Stoker's book, its the Winona Ryder role from the Dracula movie almost everyone has seen), and who is to arrive on the set for the climatic "death scene". The only problem is, Count Orlock can't wait and he and Murnau start to get a little put out with each other.
There are some genuinely funny moments in this movie and its filmed with great homage and attention to detail from that period of movie making. I can't tell you that this is scary, nor do I think it was meant to be, but the mood of tension on the set of the actors in the movie is something that is real and that you can easily appreciate. If you think about the premise, you need a very good director to pull this off seriously and Merhige hits it out of the park, in my opinion.
Of course, no flick, no matter how interesting the story, good the direction, or eye catching the videography can truly be considered outstanding with good actors. This film has good acting in spades. Malkovich is brilliant as Murnau, portraying the "slowly descending into madness" thing very well and with that unique "Malkovich" kind of presence. He gives you just what you expect from a great actor.
The supporting cast is excellent, particularly Eddie Izzard (Valkyrie My Super Ex-Girlfriend) as Gustav and Cary Elwes as Wagner. They play the shocked appreciation of Schreck's methods to perfection in the beginning, which is important as they realize what they are really dealing with in the end.
Willem Dafoe is outstanding, easily the best of a group of very good actors in this one. Almost unrecognizable in his makeup, he gets the brooding pathos and evil of a rat looking vampire exactly right. Not to mention that he is funny as well, which may be hard to believe in this kind of a movie, but believe me, he is. The scene where he is sharing a bottle with the producers during a break in filming, interrupting the talk to snare and eat a bat with lightning speed, and walking away while the two producers agree that he "is a great actor" was brilliant. Without being a spoiler, I will tell you that the ending encompasses all the theories possible in the telling of the story, and ties them up very well. It was awesome.
This film is very tongue in cheek, as Willem Dafoe says in the special features of the DVD, "if someone believes that this movie is non-fiction, then that means they believe in vampires, and I can't help you". A brief search of the records of the film shows that, far from any actors or crew disappearing or dying during the filming, several led long lives and died natural deaths, with the actress playing Greta living until the late 1970's and Max Schreck living until the 1950's, succumbing not to a stake or sunlight, but to a heart attack.
I loved Shadow of the Vampire, it quickly goes to my favorites list. Very good flick.
Leave a comment