FREE ON CINEGEEK.DE Werner Herzog - Nosferatu

Okay, I admit, as a video store owner in a business from two days ago, I subscribed to the Disney Channel. After a long Disney night, I had a deep desire for a European film. For Werner Herzog and Isabelle Adjani!

It is the colours in Werner Herzog's Nosferatu that get under my skin! It would be insufficient to describe them only as saturated. The colours are rich and heavy and deep. The earth, it looks dirty. There is little green in it, but a lot of wetness and mud. The mountains of Transylvania, jagged, grey, sharp. The interiors are filmed with shades of red, white and brown - white are mainly the faces, especially that of Dracula. A work of great beauty, but one that never tries to impress us. The journey to the castle of the count, it seems epic. Not as if a film team had only recorded some scenes of it. Werner Herzog often shows nature with an undertone of fear in his films. Eerie shadows, low-hanging clouds and farmers with little confidence also accompany Jonathan Harker on his journey. Herzog takes his time - before we meet Count Dracula, we see the frightened faces of the people when Harker asks for directions. Herzog follows the structure of Murnau's great silent movie, which in turn is based on the novel by Bram Stoker (although the names had to be changed due to copyright laws). Herzog, however, is obviously allowed to use the original names: Dracula (Klaus Kinski), the estate agent Jonathan Harker (Bruno Ganz), his wife Lucy (Isabelle Adjani), Dr. Van Helsing (Walter Ladengast) and the manic Renfield (Roland Topor). At the beginning Renfield Harker opens his order for Dracula to buy a property in the city. Harker accepts the arduous journey because Lucy is pregnant. There is probably no other film adaptation in which the way to Transylvania takes so much space. Nobody wants to help him find Dracula's castle. On the contrary, when he mentions the name, the people stare at Harker in horror. The depiction of the count follows the example of the silent movies. Dracula doesn't look like one of these modern attractive vampires. Rather like an animal than a human. His fingernails look like skewers, his ears like those of a bat. The two front teeth are also reminiscent of blood-sucking fliers. Many Dracula details are affectionately considered by Herzog. Once the count draws our attention to the sweet sounds of the children of the night, as a wolf howls. When Harker cuts himself with a knife, Dracula can only with difficulty suppress his lust. Finally Dracula's journey to Bremen begins, where he wants to buy land and Lucy is expecting her child. Herzog can be considered one of the most unique filmmakers of all time. Unsuspicious to produce a remake. But why did he film one of the greatest German silent movies again? I think you can only explain it by his love for the original! Another reason is called Klaus Kinski. Who could you better imagine to play the title role? Beside Kinski there is Isabelle Adjani. The French beauty never plays "normal" women, she always seems to be from another planet. Her face, as white as porcelain - an irresistible catch for Dracula! And Kinski? He doesn't give the crazy one from the service, but plays a quiet and deeply sad vampire. Kinski has always shown his best performances when he could control his temper! But the greatest quality of the work is its beauty! Yet Herzog shows only a few pictures that look like they were painted. Instead, he concentrates entirely on the action. But when he plays with light and shadow and his poetic palette of colours, it takes my breath away! Nosferatu has not become a horror film. A lot of things seem very real here. If I would believe in vampires - I think they must look like Klaus Kinski!