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Shadow of the Vampire is a movie that opened in America on December 29, 2000. It was directed by E. Elias Merhige and written by Steven Katz, and it starred John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe and Udo Kier.
StoryThe movie is a fictionalized account of the making of the classic horror film Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens, directed by F.W. Murnau. The story takes place in 1922 in Eastern Europe. Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
The main setting is an old castle in Czechoslovakia. Schreck is there waiting for the filming team, and his appearance and behavior are truly disquieting. The cameraman soon starts feeling terrorized and sick, and has to be taken away and replaced. The other main actor is frightened of Schreck but then convinces himself that he is simply a very good actor. On one occasion, two members of the crew are sharing a drink under the stars, and Schreck approaches. They invite him to join them, and Schreck drinks with them. Jokingly they ask about his vampirism and Schreck replies as if he were a real vampire, centuries old. When questioned, he tells the crew that he is so old, he cannot remember how he became a vampire, and cannot create more of his own kind. A bat flies by and Schreck catches it with a quick hand and bites it, ecstatically sucking blood from its body. The others are left impressed. As it turns out, Murnau has made a deal with a true vampire, in order to make his film absolutely realistic. Schreck has been promised the main actress Greta Schroeder as prize, provided he fulfills his role until the end of the filming. But the vampire is at times uncooperative and seems too anxious to wait. He eventually grabs a member of the crew by surprise and sucks him dry. Murnau is furious and has to threaten him, while reassuring his investors.
TechniqueThe film includes frames with texts explaining elided action as in silent films. The crew uses iris lenses to turn images to black-and-white. The image the public sees also becomes monochrome during the shooting. Cast
AwardsShadow of the Vampire won several awards:
Dafoe was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
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