Nosferatu the Vampyre
Director: Werner Herzog
Year Released: 1979
Rating: 2.0
It certainly isn't the Murnau version. Herzog's adaptation of the Bram Stoker novel has noble Jonathan Harker (Bruno Ganz) leaving his pretty wife (Isabelle Adjani) behind to meet with Count Dracula (a wonderfully cast Klaus Kinski), who has a taste for the red stuff (and I'm not talking about grenadine). One major benefit of the Murnau picture is the black and white imagery combined with the decrepit film stock - its datedness adds to its atmosphere - while this is choppy and plodding; it fails to evoke a sense of impending disaster and Herzog's eccentric touches (weirdo cast members, odd inserts) tend to be goofy (oh my, a flying bat!). Kinski, however, is clearly enjoying the villain role: shriveling up, hissing and eyeing a bloody finger with intense desire.
