Product Description

An iconic film of the German expressionist cinema, and one of the most famous of all silent movies, F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror continues to haunt and, indeed, terrify modern audiences with the unshakable power of its images. By teasing a host of occult atmospherics out of dilapidated set-pieces and innocuous real-world locations alike, Murnau captured on celluloid the deeply-rooted elements of a waking nightmare, and launched the signature "Murnau-style" that would change cinema history forever. In this first-ever screen adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, a simple real-estate transaction leads an intrepid businessman deep into the superstitious heart of Transylvania. There he encounters the otherworldly Count Orlok portrayed by the legendary Max Schreck, in a performance the very backstory of which has spawned its own mythology who soon after embarks upon a cross-continental voyage to take up residence in a distant new land... and establish his ambiguous dominion. As to whether the count's campaign against the plague-wracked populace erupts from satanic decree, erotic compulsion, or the simple impulse of survival that remains, perhaps, the greatest mystery of all in this film that's like a blackout... Remade by Werner Herzog in 1979 (and inspiring films as diverse as Abel Ferrara's King of New York and The Addiction, and E. Elias Merhige's Shadow of the Vampire), F. W. Murnau's surreal 1922 cine-fable remains the original and landmark entry in the entire global tradition of "the horror film". The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present, at long last, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror in its definitive restoration, complete with original intertitles and accompanied by the score that played with the film at the time of its initial release. SPECIAL FEATURES - 2 x DVD special edition of the 2007 F.W. Murnau-Stiftung restoration with the original score, Full-length audio commentary by Brad Stevens and R. Dixon Smith, A 96-page book containing articles by David Skal (author of Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen); Thomas Elsaesser (author of Weimar Cinema and After: Germany's Historical Imaginary); Gilberto Perez (author of The Material Ghost: Films and Their Medium); Enno Patalas (former director of the Münchner Stadtmuseum/Filmmuseum, where he was responsible for the restoration of many German classics, including Nosferatu); a newly translated archival piece on vampires by the film's producer Albin Grau; notes on the film's restoration; and archival imagery, 53-minute German documentary about Murnau and the making of NOSFERATU complete with fascinating footage of the film's locations today, Restoration demonstration, More extras to be announced

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2198 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-11-19
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, PAL, Restored
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 93 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
"Nosferatu ... the name alone can chill the blood!". F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu, released in 1922, was the first (albeit unofficial) screen adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Nearly 80 years on, it remains among the most potent and disturbing horror films ever made. The sight of Max Schreck's hollow-eyed, cadaverous vampire rising creakily from his coffin still has the ability to chill the blood. Nor has the film dated. Murnau's elision of sex and disease lends it a surprisingly contemporary resonance. The director and his screenwriter Henrik Gaalen are true to the source material, but where most subsequent screen Draculas (whether Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, Frank Langella or Gary Oldman) were portrayed as cultured and aristocratic, Nosferatu is verminous and evil. (Whenever he appears, rats follow in his wake.)

The film's full title--Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror)--reveals something of Murnau's intentions. Supremely stylised, it differs from Robert Wiene's The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1919) or Ernst Lubitsch's films of the period in that it was not shot entirely in the studio. Murnau went out on location in his native Westphalia. As a counterpoint to the nightmarish world inhabited by Nosferatu, he used imagery of hills, clouds, trees and mountains (it is, after all, sunlight that destroys the vampire). It's not hard to spot the similarity between the gangsters in film noir hugging doorways or creeping up staircases with the image of Schreck's diabolic Nosferatu, bathed in shadow, sidling his way toward a new victim. Heavy chiaroscuro, oblique camera angles and jarring close-ups--the devices that crank up the tension in Val Lewton horror movies and edgy, urban thrillers such as Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice--were all to be found first in Murnau's chilling masterpiece. --Geoffrey Macnab

Synopsis
F.W. Murnau's silent classic is the original, and some say scariest, DRACULA adaptation, taking Bram Stoker's novel and turning it into a haunting, shadowy dream of German Expressionist horror and dread. Count Orlok, the rodentlike vampire frighteningly portrayed by Max Schreck, is perhaps the most animalistic screen portrayal of a vampire ever filmed. The design was copied by Werner Herzog in his 1979 remake and by Tobe Hooper for his telefilm of Stephen King's SALEM'S LOT that same year. Names had to be changed from the novel when Stoker's wife charged his novel was being filmed without proper permission. Charged with now-legendary cinematic imagery, NOSFERATU is a landmark of the horror genre that should not be missed.

Customer Reviews

an embarrasment of riches.
The Eureka edition of Nosferatu includes the following:
a 2 x DVD special edition of the 2007 F.W. Murnau-Stiftung restoration plus original score. This edition of NOSFERATU features Hans Erdmann's original music for the first time since the film's initial release in the 1920s. The original score in paper form has been located (no original recordings were ever made, it was only performed live in the 1920s). A lush, orchestral recording of this original score has been performed by Radio Symphony Orchestra Saarbrücken conducted by Berndt Heller
+ Full-length audio commentary by Brad Stevens and R. Dixon Smith - film historian.
+ A 96-page book containing articles by David Skal (author of Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen); Thomas Elsaesser (author of Weimar Cinema and After: Germany's Historical Imaginary); Gilberto Perez (author of The Material Ghost: Films and Their Medium); Enno Patalas (former director of the Münchner Stadtmuseum/Filmmuseum, where he was responsible for the restoration of many German classics, including Nosferatu); a newly translated archival piece on vampires by the film's producer Albin Grau; notes on the film's restoration; and archival imagery
- 53-minute German documentary about Murnau and the making of Nosferatu complete with fascinating footage of the film's locations today
- Restoration demonstration
there might be a few other extras but nothing confirmed at this time.
The cover art is taken from Albin Grau's poster of the time.
On top of this edition "KINO" films is releasing their own version AND there is a groovy "STEELBOOK" edition available from AMAZON.DE which I have pre-ordered. It boasts amongst other things a picture gallery and a 60 minute documentary by Luciano Berriatúa
about the director FW Murnau called "the language of shadows". The commentary on the 1970s version of Nosferatu by Werner Herzog states Nosferatu as the greatest German film of all time.

The best version you will ever see
Finally! This is one release I have been waiting for with great anticipation, ever since I heard it was being restored and I can safely say, it was well worth the wait. Indeed, it is an absolute masterpiece! Its a definitive must have, for anyone who is interested in silent film. I own the beautiful steelbook german edition from Transit (as i live in Berlin) but please note, it is entirely w/o English subtitles!
The film itself looks utterly incredible. We have never seen it look so good.The picture is crystal clear, sharp and very detailed, its practically flawless.
The original colour tinting, brings the chapters alive. All previous releases literally pale in comparison.
I already own the soundtrack score from a 1995 RCA/BMG cd, but combined with the moving images and in 5.1 Nosferatu looks and sounds wonderful. Although I must say I really enjoyed the James Bernard score for the BFI release, this is the way it was intened to be heard. Therefore, I highly recommend this splendid dvd and by buying it you support the hard work that went into its reconstruction and invest in future releases to come. Congratulations to Transit on their excellent work in restoring this and other classics, such as Battleship Potemkin, Metropolis or Der Golem. Well done!

The stuff of nightmares
"Nosferatu" directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau in 1921, is still the most impressive interpretation of Bram Stoker's "Dracula".

The film is beautifully photographed with exterior sets photographed in real locations. The interiors are equally realistic and well-thought out. But, it is the work of Albin Grau that added the surrealistic terror the pervades the entire film. Grau was the art director responsible for the sets, costumes and make-up.

Max Shreck as Count Orlok makes a terrifying figure, tall and thin with rodent features and fangs like spikes whose clawed hands appear more enormous from scene to scene. Orlok seems somehow to be propelled by external dark forces, particularly in one scene where he shifts from a lying position, in his coffin, to an upright standing position in a hearbeat. It is scenes like this (combined with the lack of dialogue) that somehow give the film its terrible nightmare quality. The film is full of atmosphere and so well crafted that it doesn't need to rely on cheap props or lots of mist and fog to hide dodgy sets.

The DVD presentation is superb. I'm not sure the modern electronic score is appropriate to some parts of the film but, in places it is quite brilliant with its gothic sensibilities.

Essential viewing for the horror enthusiast.