the vampire movie database
Shadow Of The Vampire
| AKA's: | Ombra Del Vampiro, L' / Ombre Du Vampire, L' / Sombra Del Vampiro, La Burned To Light (working title) |
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| Release date: | 2000 UK/USA/Luxembourg | Running time: | 92' (cover 93') - Source: DVD (RC 1/NTSC) 92' (cover 95') - Source: DVD (RC 2/PAL) |
Rating: | Germ.: 12; UK: 15; US: R | ||
| Main Crew: |
Director: E. Elias Merhige (Suspect Zero 2004; Begotten 1991) Producer: Saturn Films / Longshot Films / BBC Films / Delux Productions Score: Dan Jones Writer: Steven Katz Director of photography: Lou Bogue |
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| Summary: |
Somewhere in Eastern Europe 1922. Filming of F.W. Murnau's classic vampire movie, Nosferatu, is being disrupted not only by funding problems, but by rumours of disappearances and deaths amongst the cast and crew. |
On the first night of shooting, the cameraman mysteriously takes ill and collapses ... Some days later, his replacement falls into a trance and never recovers ... Leading man Max Schreck (Willem Dafoe) is never introduced to the cast and crew and he is never seen out of character. Hapless actor Gustav (Eddie Izzard) thinks his sinister co-star is the ultimate method actor. In fact, director Murnau (John Malkovich) has sealed a pact with Schreck offering him the neck of his leading lady (Catherine McCormack) at the end of the shoot if he delivers the ultimate performance for the camera. Stranded on an island, the crew must finish the film before Schreck's bloodlust becomes uncontrollable.
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short review: A movie about making a movie - a vampire movie, to be precise. And not about any vampire movie, but one of the all-time genre highlights, with a real vampire instead of an impostor. That sounds like an interesting plotline. And yes, it is - highly enjoyable, superb executed, and with such great actors like John Malkovich as the manic German director F.W. Murnau and accompanied by Willem Dafoe as the real vampire/actor Max Schreck. If you've ever seen the origin (and which devotee of vampire movies has not?), you will sure as hell be delighted about this new angle.  |
