(Welcome to Year of the Vampire, a series examining the greatest, strangest, and sometimes overlooked vampire movies of all time in honor of "Nosferatu," which turns 100 this year.)
Civilization is a tenuous notion in "Nosferatu the Vampyre," Werner Herzog's 1979 remake of the original "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror." The movie begins with footage of mummies in a cave, their faces frozen in ghastly, Edward Munch-like expressions. The camera pans down and we see that some of them are wearing shoes and fashionable heels, an image at odds with their half-decayed state and the spooky, ethereal choral chanting of Popol Vuh's "Brüder des Schattens" ("Brothers of the Shadow").
A bat flies in through the window of the bedroom where Lucy Harker, played by Isabelle Adjani ("Possession"), wakes screaming from a nightmare. Her husband Jonathan (Bruno Ganz) tries to console her, but he'll be riding off soon, despite her presentiments...
Civilization is a tenuous notion in "Nosferatu the Vampyre," Werner Herzog's 1979 remake of the original "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror." The movie begins with footage of mummies in a cave, their faces frozen in ghastly, Edward Munch-like expressions. The camera pans down and we see that some of them are wearing shoes and fashionable heels, an image at odds with their half-decayed state and the spooky, ethereal choral chanting of Popol Vuh's "Brüder des Schattens" ("Brothers of the Shadow").
A bat flies in through the window of the bedroom where Lucy Harker, played by Isabelle Adjani ("Possession"), wakes screaming from a nightmare. Her husband Jonathan (Bruno Ganz) tries to console her, but he'll be riding off soon, despite her presentiments...
- 10/22/2022
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
It is finally time to look at the second disc of the BFI collection box set. Hope you enjoyed part one and potentially found it useful. This time round, there are only two titles to devour. One being my personal favourite Herzog film, and the other being an example of his early television documentary work.
The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser (1974)
“Nothing lives less in me than my life”
Up until his late teens, Kaspar Hauser (Bruno S.) was locked in a cellar by a man in an overcoat and top hat. Devoid completely of any human contact aside from his mysterious captor, Kaspar had only a toy horse to occupy his time. One day however, Kaspar is finally released by the man, taught some very basic phrases, handed a letter and a Bible, and left in a town square in Nuremberg. Understandably, the locals are intrigued by this mysterious fellow...
The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser (1974)
“Nothing lives less in me than my life”
Up until his late teens, Kaspar Hauser (Bruno S.) was locked in a cellar by a man in an overcoat and top hat. Devoid completely of any human contact aside from his mysterious captor, Kaspar had only a toy horse to occupy his time. One day however, Kaspar is finally released by the man, taught some very basic phrases, handed a letter and a Bible, and left in a town square in Nuremberg. Understandably, the locals are intrigued by this mysterious fellow...
- 10/23/2014
- by Mondo Squallido
- Nerdly
In discovering Bruno S., Werner Herzog found exactly the kind of actor he needs, someone who doesn't necessarily "act" in a role, but someone that more-or-less is the character he/she was hired to portray. In this case, the story of Bruno S. (full name Bruno Schleinstein) holds eerie similarities to the title character in The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, a 19th century Germany-set story of a man who was locked away in a dungeon for the first 17 years or so of his life only to one day be found in a small town square outside Nuremberg, alone and holding only an anonymous letter. The film is based on a true story, though Herzog holds little allegiance to reality as he cast Bruno (as I'll refer to him throughout the rest of this review), a man in his forties portraying what history would tell us is only a boy in his late teens.
- 6/24/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
‘Nosferatu the Vampyre’: Werner Herzog’s German-language version to be presented at Film Forum (photo: Isabelle Adjani and Klaus Kinski in ‘Nosferatu the Vampyre’) Werner Herzog’s stylish 1979 horror drama Nosferatu the Vampyre will have a two-week run at New York City’s Film Forum from Friday, October 25, through Thursday, November 7. Tagged as "the unseen German-language version," Nosferatu the Vampyre, starring Klaus Kinski in the title role, Isabelle Adjani, and Bruno Ganz, will be presented in a new 35mm print. According to Film Forum’s press release, Herzog shot two versions simultaneously: the English-language Nosferatu the Vampyre was released in the United States theatrically and on video, whereas the German-language version, also known as Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht, though available in other territories, has been "virtually unseen" in the U.S. Needless to say, Film Forum’s presentation of Nosferatu the Vampyre will feature English subtitles. ‘Nosferatu the Vampyre’: Visually haunting Curiously,...
- 10/1/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
★★★★☆ Rereleased to tie in with a two-month retrospective at BFI Southbank, it's been almost forty years since Werner Herzog's The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974) debuted on screens. Although a little obtuse and raggedy at times, this beguiling and fable-like yarn sits within his finest work. Loosely based on a real-life tale, the film follows Kaspar Hauser (Bruno Schleinstein) who has spent the first seventeen years of his life chained up like an animal in a confined, grotty cellar. One day, the young man is mysteriously released into captivity, taught some phrases and how to walk, and taken to the town of Nuremberg.
Unsurprisingly, Hauser's looked upon as a genuine curio by the inquisitive townsfolk, and finds himself being entered into the freak show of a travelling circus, before a kindly Professor Daumer (Walter Ladengast) adopts him. Under close scrutiny from the authorities, Hauser appears to be a savant of sorts.
Unsurprisingly, Hauser's looked upon as a genuine curio by the inquisitive townsfolk, and finds himself being entered into the freak show of a travelling circus, before a kindly Professor Daumer (Walter Ladengast) adopts him. Under close scrutiny from the authorities, Hauser appears to be a savant of sorts.
- 7/4/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
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