"The Best of Film History" is a new column I opened on a whim, and the films reviewed here are not only unique in themselves, but also recognized as important works in the history of film, which is of great significance and worthy of repeated reference by future generations.
When it comes to the classic images in horror movies, there are always vampires, werewolves, zombies and aliens. One of the most romantic monsters is none other than the vampire. In representative films such as "Night Interview with Vampires" and "Four Hundred Years of Horror", their stories always seem to be inseparable from gorgeous costumes and poignant love. After entering the 21st century, starting with the "Twilight" series of novels and movies, the classic image of the vampire has been given the core of popular culture: from the spooky castle to the modern city, from the aristocrats in dresses to the young and fashionable handsome men and women, the vampire film and television image is evolving with the times.
But no matter how the image of the vampire changes, some classic features are always the same. For example, pale skin, emaciated face, fangs in the mouth, sharp nails, and fear of the sun, no shadow, and so on.
How the fangs of a vampire look in different movies
If you want to go back to the roots, most of these factors that determine the image of the vampire screen come from the first vampire movie in the history of cinema - "Northferath"
Nosferatu, a symphony of horror
The film was directed by German director F. W. Maunau was filmed in 1921 and the screenplay was adapted from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, dracula, but because it was not copyrighted, the title and the title of the protagonist were changed to "Northferatu". In fact, the word "Nosferatu" itself has a vampire connotation. Some scholars have speculated that the etymology comes from the Romanian nesuferitu (repulsive thing) or Necuratu (unclean soul).
The earliest version of Northferatu, released in 1922, was a black-and-white silent film, which was remade in 1979 by another German director, Werner Herzog, and named "Northferatu: Ghosts of the Night".
The next screenshots and content you'll see are from the 1922 version of the film colored on post-film.
Comparison of the original and remake posters
As an early silent film, the plot of "Northferatu" is not complicated: butt, an employee of the real estate company, travels alone to the castle to trade a house sale with the Count of Northferatu. After the meeting, Bute, who discovers that the Count is a vampire, has fled the castle with great difficulty, and the Count, who has fallen in love with Bute's wife, has also left for the two of them' hometown.
Coming to town with vampires is the terrible plague. Faced with the constant death of the townspeople, Boot's wife used herself as bait to lure the Count and managed to keep the Count in the room until morning. In the end, the wife destroys the vampire at the cost of her life and saves the town. The Count turned into green smoke in the sunlight and disappeared into the wind.
From today's point of view, the horror of "Nosferatu" is not strong, it is more like a well-rehearsed stage play. In addition to the birth of the first vampire image in the history of cinema, the film's use of light and shadow and montage is also exquisite. Below, let me take you to feel the charm of this movie in turn.
As the first vampire in film history, Northferatu's first appearance is a classic. The count who slowly stepped out of the darkness was slender and emaciated, his steps stiff, and his hands were uncoordinatedly crossed on his chest, which was extremely strange. In addition, the contrast between light and dark in this scene also adds a mysterious color to the vampire.
Slightly different from other vampire figures of later generations, Nosferatu did not have hair. The bald top of the head and the long, thin chin, as well as the bulging eyes, make the whole face even more morbid. Bat-like ears and claw-like fingers seem to be declaring to humans that they are not good.
Stills from "Nosferatu"
In the AAA game Red Dead Redemption 2, released last year, there was a vampire-related side quest. This vampire pays homage to our Earl of Northferatu from styling to costume, and its influence is evident.
Despite the qualitative leaps in today's film special effects and makeup technology, the shock of the vampire image in this film shot nearly a hundred years ago is still difficult to surpass. I think this is mainly due to the actor Marcos Sharick, who plays Northfiratul.
There is very little information about the actor on the Internet, and there were even rumors that he was the real vampire - perhaps no one had ever been able to make this image so realistic and frightening. If you change to other actors, you will probably lose your charm.
After talking about the characters, let's talk about the film's performance method. The horror scenes in the film are not shown by the popular Jump Scare, but mainly through lighting techniques to create a sense of psychological oppression. Light and shadow have become the weapons in the hands of horror film directors.
37 minutes and 17 seconds Boot, who had spent the night in the castle, slept in uneasiness, and the shadow of a vampire was projected on the wall. The open claws moved slowly upwards, enveloping the innocent victims in their own shadows.
1 hour 29 minutes The Count walked down the steps into Boot's wife's bedroom. Instead of aiming directly at the vampire, the camera shows the scene through the projection of the staircase and the vampire. Against the backdrop of the music, the ghostly figure and elongated fingernails make the audience fidget, making this shot an eternal classic in the history of horror films.
In last year's movie "Jurassic World 2", the scene of the tyrannical velociraptor sneaking into the little girl's room is the most terrifying scene in the whole film. Seeing the figure of the velociraptor reflected by lightning and the slowly opening claws, who can say that this is not a tribute to The Nosferatu?
It is worth mentioning that the director of this film, F.W. Mauna, was also one of the early directors who skillfully used montage. In the case of "Nosferatu", when the count approaches the sleeping Boot, the camera immediately switches to Boot's wife who wakes up from the dream, and the latter's scream causes the Count to slowly retreat.
On the way to his hometown, the director stitched together the picture of Boot riding a horse and the vampire riding a boat. Different spaces and scenes, under the action of montage, achieve narrative unity.
The second half of the film also deliberately inserts a clip that seems to have nothing to do with the plot, and the professor guides the students to observe carnivorous plants and spiders. This is actually a symbolic expression, reflecting the insidiousness and cruelty of vampires.
Incidentally, a German version of the "Northferatu" poster was designed with flytraps as the main element.
summary
Indisputably, "Nosferatu" is not only the first vampire film in film history, but also the object of continuous imitation and reproduction of similar films in later generations. The classic image of the vampire, the plot direction of the final victory of good over evil, and the skillful control of light and shadow all had a profound impact on later horror movies.
At the same time, the film also has certain humanistic elements. The plague alludes to the tide of death brought about by the First World War, and boot's wife's act of sacrificing herself to save the town is an affirmation of the good qualities of human beings.
F· As a pioneer figure in German cinema, W. Maunau's exploration of film and television art can be seen.
Aside from Dracula, remember the name of this vampire: his name is Nosferatu.
References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosferatu_ (word) The birth of a vampire – A doctoral thesis by Maunau Vincent https://movie.douban.com/review/8433430/
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