Nosferatu: The Real Story – Film Review
Coinciding with the 2024 release of Robert Eggers’ rendition of the previously controversial tale of Nosferatu, this new documentary will be a gem for film fans and film theory students alike. Nosferatu: The Real Story is director Robin Bextor’s candid deep dive in to the impact and relevance of the Nosferatu story for modern audiences over 100 years since the release of the original film.
For the uninitiated, Nosferatu was released in 1922 by FW Murnau as a black and white silent horror film. It was a cult classic for its time showcasing the filmmaking style for that era. Max Shreck played Count Orlok, a bald monstrous looking supernatural character with bulging eyes and sharp teeth who lived as a recluse in a castle but also held seductive power as he infiltrated the life of a young married couple and brought pestilence and death to surrounding towns and cities.
Should the premise sound familiar, this is due to the film being based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. Marnau had re-located the film’s setting from London to Germany, removed the romantic, gentlemanly human façade of the vampire and changed the names of the characters within Nosferatu as a tribute. However, this still proved to be insufficient as Bram Stoker’s estate sued the Parna film studios behind Nosferatu’s production and the film sunk into obscurity following the court’s order for the destruction of all physical copies.
This documentary outlines the devastating impact to the film community from the loss of such film given that it captured a moment in history post war within a society reeling from the trauma. The film also reflected the experimental attitudes within Berlin, during that era, with its exploration of society’s underbelly. A number of contributors, ranging from film critics to film historians and film professors such as Dr Sarah Crowther, provide insights and background to the history behind the making of Nosferatu. Their enthusiastic commentary makes this documentary a riveting watch as it unveils Murnau’s connection with characters obsessed with the occult on whom the titular character may have been based. Nosferatu was shot on a low budget, more money was apparently spent on the film’s promotion for its premiere, but there was an emphasis to use cutting edge filming techniques, resulting in Nosferatu’s atmospheric tone and transformation of vampire folklore, thus highlighting the superb craftmanship of the film’s crew.
Nosferatu, in itself, is described as a work of art within the various testimonies utilising this common talking heads format. However, the film does intersperse their spoken opinion with footage from scenes within Nosferatu demonstrating the key themes and impression that the film had on others. Nosferatu, with its emphasis on light and shadows and use of angles and dissolving techniques, was also an example of German expressionism within that period. The film features paintings such as Edward Munch’s The Scream to provide that context of expressionism’s influence on Nosferatu. Thus, it remains relevant with many future films adopting Nosferatu’s techniques and iconic features.
The documentary also unveils the importance of many film archives to assist in the restoration of films to enable future generations the opportunity to study their effect. It is indeed these restorative techniques that have enabled Nosferatu to be enjoyed by countless modern generations and therefore this documentary uniquely illuminates those tenacious efforts.
Nosferatu: The Real Story offers a compelling perspective as it mirrors some of the editing techniques and dramatic score to convey a sense of urgency whilst the interviewees passionately explain what the film means to them alongside revealing key nuggets of history. The film clearly establishes a connection between Murnau’s poetic cinematography with the influence of poets within his life. Strikingly there are also those connections made between the actions of a shadowy vampire to that of the commands that war time soldiers may have been obliged to follow and the decay and disease present within Nosferatu resembling wartime terrors.
The documentary unveils a rich history and the depth of Murnau’s interaction with the scriptwriter to present a multi-layered fascinating tale that extends beyond its horror tropes. Unfortunately, the audience may be taken out of the emphatic effect of this film by Bextor’s misguided use of the occasional voiceover which is monotone in nature thereby creating that distancing. This ultimately threatens to ruin the impact of the layers of emotional substance built up by the onscreen contributors.
Additionally, the film’s deployment of an unstructured layout may not be for everyone, but it is understandable why Bextor may have adopted this approach in a bid to convey the significance that Nosferatu held for many historians. Furthermore, this documentary also delves into the present day interpretations of Nosferatu, which include Werner Herzog’s remake: Nosferatu the Vampyre, the Shadows of the Vampire starring Willem Dafoe before culminating with Robert Eggers’ adaptation, again starring Willem Dafoe. Eggers’ spin on Nosferatu is held out as a positive adaptation by the contributors given that themes of darkness, folklore and the absurd often feature within his filmography. Surprisingly, as revealed in this documentary, Eggers had also produced a school play production of Nosferatu and therefore his level of dedication to its legacy is undeniable.
Nosferatu: The Real Story serves as the ideal companion piece for a re-watching of the original 1922 Nosferatu or indeed before or after watching Eggers’ 2024 version. Bextor has created an insightful and passionate documentary that will no doubt be appreciated by genre fans everywhere as well as drawing new post-pandemic audiences into Nosferatu’s world.
