best film: Nosferatu from F.W. Murnau. Nosferatu is an essential masterpiece- a landmark in horror cinema, German expressionism, and Murnau’s wonderful body of work as an auteur. It is an unauthorized adaptation (much like Ossessione from Visconti in 1943)—this is Bram Stoker’s 1897 work Dracula. Murnau designs the lighting, the silhouettes and dramatically stylized sets—and Max Schreck is simply horrifying in the lead.
Nosferatu is an essential masterpiece- a landmark in horror cinema, German expressionism, and Murnau’s wonderful body of work as an auteur
most underrated: Foolish Wives from von Stroheim is underrated at #697 on the TSPDT consensus list. I have it nearly 400 slots lower- at #268. I have it virtually tied with Greed as von Stroheim’s best work. Foolish Wives does not have the artistic high-water marks that Greed does but, unlike Greed, it is available in its full version/vision so it still might be his greatest surviving work.
Foolish Wives does not have the artistic high-water marks that Greed does but, unlike Greed, it is available in its full version/vision so it still might be his greatest surviving work.
most overrated: TSPDT only has five films from 1922 in the top 2000 and the only one I don’t have as underrated or correctly rated is Robert Flaherty’s Nanook of the North and I don’t judge, watch, or evaluate documentary films. The other four are Nosferatu, Mabuse, Foolish Wives and Haxan.
gem I want to spotlight: Haxan from Christensen
- It’s an ambitious work- both thematically and stylistically- from Christensen—Denmark
- Story told in 7 chapters
- In told in an essay style- I think Christensen sees himself almost as an educator- very didactic—he’s literally pointing things out (with a pointer) as we go through. It’s utterly fascinating stuff so that helps with his approach which is so pragmatic
- Artwork photographed, we also have the use of drawings and ornately designed miniatures
- Busy and beautiful mise-en-scene—animal skeletons and witches pot brewing
- No more a documentary than Oliver Stone’s JFK really—maybe slightly with sections where he’s it feels like he’s cataloging different torture weapons and devices
- The imagery really jumps off the screen at you—very strong film from a mise-en-scene standpoint
- A unique film- not just in the subject matter and how frank it is- but the style of Christensen’s voice—fictional recreations
- Photograph special effects manipulation (coins sequence and a few others)
- Cuts to close ups of the grotesque and those in horror both—does so frequently and effectively- both those doing the horrifying and those victim to it
- It’s a series of connected (through time) vignettes
- Meditation on the abuse of religion—there are some pre-Dreyer The Passion of Joan of Arc-like sequences
- The superimposed flying witches in the background with shadow (boy and owl in foreground) shot and sequence is a stunner
- Christensen is witty- I think many of the laughs (woman giving birth to ridiculous monster) is intentional—and some of the ridiculousness of the claims during the medieval era where we could have made it scary if he was going for the straight horror play
- Superstition turned horror
- Energetically edited- briskly told
- I do absolutely hate all the summarizing by Christensen—it’s 1922 but he should’ve had more faith in the audience—he does, though, have a good sense of humor which is odd how much it comes through given the subject
- Gorgeous final shot of witches/women burning
Gorgeous final shot of witches/women burning
It’s an ambitious work- both thematically and stylistically- from Christensen—Denmark
trends and notables: By 1922 the best work from Gish and Griffith are behind them—it is an off year for Chaplin (he’d come back in 1923) and Buster Keaton hasn’t started yet either in the archives (1923 as well). 1922 makes for the third year in a row that we’ve had a dark German expressionism film as the best film of the year (Caligari, Destiny, and Nosferatu). Three of the top six films are either from Murnau or Lang. Lang’s back to back 1921 and 1922 is worth talking about. Lang’s Dr. Mabuse The Gambler is a behemoth at 242 minutes but I found the world of the narrative to be extremely compelling and there are flashes of visual décor style and brilliance he would perfect in 1927’s Metropolis.
Lang’s Dr. Mabuse The Gambler is a behemoth at 242 minutes but I found the world of the narrative to be extremely compelling and there are flashes of visual décor style and brilliance he would perfect in 1927’s Metropolis.
best performance male: Evil pervades this category in 1922. Max Schreck in Nosferatu, Erich von Stroheim as the Count Sergius Karamzin and Rudolf Klein-Rogge as the titular character in Mabuse give the performances of the year in 1922.
Max Schreck is simply horrifying in the lead in Murnau’s Nosferatu
best performance female: Another skipped year here with nothing of note single out
top 10
- Nosferatu
- Foolish Wives
- Mabuse: The Gambler
- Häxan
- Robin Hood
- Phantom
Archives, Directors, and Grades
| Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler – Lang | MS |
| Foolish Wives- von Stroheim | MS |
| Häxan – Christensen | HR |
| Nosferatu- Murnau | MP |
| Phantom- Murnau | R |
| Robin Hood- Dwan | HR |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-See- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
I finally saw Nosferatu. Holds up well even after such a long time (almost 100 years). Glad that you have it as a Masterpiece, definitely is one.
@AP. I love that we’re on the same page here and especially love that you’re out there seeking out films like Nosferatu! good work!
Why did you leave out Douglas Fairbanks in the best male category for Robin Hood.A very memorable character.
The more I revisit Nosferatu, the more I come to believe it has a formidable case for being the best film ever made. I understand “best” and “most innovative” are arguably different things, but there aren’t many better ways of objectively measuring greatness than stylistic originality, and I think this can stand alongside any other film in that regard; Murnau’s contributions to the artform here are simply endless: the expressionistic use of shadows at it’s absolute superlative peak, low camera angles to make a figure more imposing, speed-ramping to make an actor’s movements seem unnatural, match-cutting between narrative strands (as when it intercuts between Orlok approaching Hutter’s hand to lick his bleeding wound, and the girl having a nightmare of such) the use of negative film to create a dreamlike effect of looming darkness, etc. What other films are there which can claim this level of pure cinematic ingenuity? The list, if there is one, is incredibly short.
I showed this film to my family for a Movie Club we do, I was a little hesitant to pick a silent film as it can sound intimidating and as my Mom pointed out it is 100 years old! That is a crazy thing to think about but it ended up being well received
Nosferatu (1922) Directed by F.W. Murnau
Notes
Yellow tint to start with upbeat music to set the mood, Hutter and his young wife Ellen are shown to be happy and living a sort of idyllic existence
7:22 Music changes after introduction to a more sinister tone during the introduction of Hutter’s employer, the Estate Agent named Herr Knock
18:52 first use of pink tint as Hutter wakes up in tavern
22:30 Hutter crosses bridge and Orlok arrives with horse and carriage shortly after, about 23:27
35:08 one of films best shots when Hutter opens door, and we get deep focus POV shot with Orlok staring into Hutter’s direction
35:40 Orlok slowly walks into Hutter’s room set to creepy music, yellow tint goes to green
37:25 Orlok shown creeping up on Hutter using shadows
39:54 arch shaped door frames common at Orlok Castle
Orlok making his way toward Ellen as ship gets order for carrying 6 caskets full of dirt
54:22 music turns slightly more ominous as ship nears the shore
55:45 a plague is spreading in the area
59:15 use of pink tint as crew on ship continues to get sick
1:00:40 slow rise of Orlok from the casket into a rigid standing position
1:01:28 one of the best shots in film with a low angle shot of Orlok on deck in a towering position
1:21:28 draft incoming through open window as frame goes from yellow to green and shortly after we get one of best shots of film at 1:22:02 as we get POV shot from window into street where lines of caskets are carried through the town on a narrow street
1:26:30 great transition from sun setting to Orlok outside the window of Ellen’s room as Hutter sleeps in a chair and Ellen walks up to window
1:31:50 pink tint represents sun rise leading to Orlok death as body disappears
1:33:00 Ellen showing body movements resembling Orlok
Thoughts
The score is vital to this film’s changing moods and atmospheres, I am still new to Silent Films in general, but I can already see why the score is so crucial to setting a films tone
Nosferatu is such a great name, there is something very unsettling about it
The pacing here is perfect, I’ve only seen the 1 hour 35 min version, I know there is a very condensed version that is just over 1 hour
The film uses color to indicate time of day, lighting, and mood with blues and greens representing nighttime, while pinks and yellows represent daytime or twilight
Orlok is often shown as a distorted vision compared to the the visual symmetry of the architecture
It is impossible to conduct a credible analysis of this film without considering the context of German Expressionism The inside of the castle contains many arch shaped doors and hallways
Ebert makes a great point in his review how Orlok is portrayed as a sick and desperate man while many Vampire movies and shows today have turned Vampires into sex symbols
References to rats and the black plague are effective given that Pandemics are a real-world horror and while Covid may pale in comparison to the black plague in terms of % of population killed it is a reminder that humanity might not last forever, a chilling thought
Hutter’s fear in the Castle is palpable, I love the shot of Orlok slowly moving into Hutter’s room blocking the doorway
This is considered to be a landmark film for a good reason as it is one of the earliest German Expressionism Films as well as the first real Vampire Film at a time when Horror Films grew as a Movie Genre
Verdict: MP
@James Trapp- bold choice for a family movie club- love it!
@Drake – thanks haha. I thought it was a bit of a risk but it seemed to work out. I try to pick a wide range of movies.