Nosferatu the Vampyre (1977)

In Kim Newman’s review of Werner Herzog’s take on the tale of Nosferatu, he compliments the film but questions the point of remaking F.W Murnau’s 1922 original. Which is probably a question you could ask of any remake (besides those made obviously for money) and certainly isn’t the last remake in Herzog’s back catalogue. However, Herzog’s vision of Count Dracula more than justifies its existence, mainly by being an absolutely superb piece of film making, but also because it reminds us of how exceptional a pairing Herzog and his leading man Klaus Kinski were, despite their repeated and quite astounding fall-outs. Kinski’s Dracula is worthy of all the praise it receives, his deathly pale demeanor to match his skin tone is unsettling to say the least, and in his first full scene on screen we see him flinch alarmingly as Bruno Ganz’s Jonathan cuts himself on a bread knife. The opening third of Nosferatu is beautiful to look at as Jonathan travels to the Count’s castle, making much of the journey on foot as no one is prepared to go anywhere near Dracula’s castle, and this makes for an achingly gorgeous sequence of natural beauty through mountains and waterfalls. It’s deliberately sumptuous, as it’s arguably the last of the beauty for some time as the film shifts focus to the danger of Dracula and his voyage back to civilization where blood lust becomes center stage. What Herzog’s best film is will be a debate until the end of time, but Nosferatu throws its hat well and truly into the ring, alongside Fitzcarraldo (1982) and Aguirre, Wrath of God (1972). 7.9/10