Movie Review: Shadow of the Vampire

Story: With a good script this could have been chillingly good. But, it just didn't go for the jugular (sorry, I couldn't help myself for that one). Unfortunately, the final cut became a one-line premise that was uneven and choppy. The plot recreates (and often invents) the history of German director F.W. Murnau during his filming of the seminal silent classic Nosferatu. It plays upon the gossip and legend that the lead character, Max Schreck, was, in fact, a real vampire. You will not enjoy the films' more memorable moments (and there are many) if you have not seen the original vampire movie classic. First time screen writer Steven Katz delivers a disjointed story to the inexperienced director E. Elias Merhige. Luckily this inexperienced duo had some wonderful raw material with which to work. The artistic movement German Expressionism (appeared in the 20's and 30's and also extended to painting, sculpture, architecture, theater and dance) with its long shadows, high contrast lighting, skewed set design and off-kilter camera angles make this film an exciting visual experience. This movement had great popularity n the US in the 40's and 50's when many German directors fled Hitler and settled in Hollywood. Most notable are Billy Wilder and Fritz Lang. Oh, oh - I digress! Back to the movie. The film never decides whether it wants to be a documentary, comedy or a thriller. Too bad.

Acting: The cast was great. Willem Dafoe as the vampire was creepiy and terrific. I am sure he had a great time with this role, on and off screen. John Malkovich was also right-on as the notorious director, FW Murnau. Cary Elwes, Eddie Izzard and Udo Kier all were super.

Pets: Oh my. Some of the animals did not fair too well with the vampire. But then neither did some of the cast. We saw a sweet cat, two dogs, a ferret, a bat, horses and livestock.

Food: Is blood food? A loaf of bread has a big part.

Visual Art: Very German Expressionist. It was also extremely dark during the whole film. Keep in mind vampires do not operate well in daylight.

Soundtrack: Very appropriate.

Titles: The opening credits lasted an incredibly mind altering long time. What was up with that?

Theater Audience: Fairly empty. It was very early on New Year's Eve day. But there were two guys who looked amazingly like the vampire.

Quirky Meter: 5

Oscar Worthy: I would not be surprised if Dafoe gets a nod for Best Supporting actor.

Nit Picking: I think they could have raised the wattage without harming the vampire. It was really too dark much of the time.

Big Screen or Rental: Definitely a rental. But a good weekend for you would be a film noir fest. I suggest: the original Nosferatu, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Fritz Lang's M, John Huston's, The Maltese Falcon, and the wonderful Orson Welles Citizen Kane.

Length: A long 90 minutes.

LOBO HOWLS: 5