Nosferatu: Eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)

Country of Origin: Germany
Year of Production: 1921
Running Times: 75 mins (USA) 94 mins (Germany - restored version shown at Cannes in 1995) 96 mins (Australia)
Format: black and white 35mm
Ratio: 1.33:1
Sound: silent Dolby Digital (re-issues)

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Production Companies: Jofa-Atelier Berlin-Johannisthal / Prana-Film
Producers: Enrico Dieckmann, Albin Grau

SCRIPT
Script: Henrik Galeen
Novel: Dracula by Bram Stoker (uncredited)

DIRECTION
Director: F.W. Murnau

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Fritz Arno Wagner, Günther Krampf

MUSIC
Music: Hans Erdmann; Carlos U. Garza; Richard O'Meara; Wetfish; Peter Schirmann (1969); Club Foot Orchestra (real names: Richard Marriott, Gino Robair) (1989); Timothy Howard (1991), James Bernard (1997)

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Costume Designer: Albin Grau

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Nehrik Galeen
Set Designer: Albin Grau

LOCATIONS
Locations: Dolin Kubin, Vratna-Paß, Germany; Helgoland, Germany; Lauenburg, Germany; Orava Castle, Oravsky Podzámok, Slovakia; Rostock, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Germany; Wismar, Germany

CAST
Max Schreck (Graf Orlok)
Alexander Granach (Knock)
Gustav von Wangenheim (Thomas Hutter)
Greta Schröder (Ellen Hutter)
Georg H. Schnell (Westrenka)
Ruth Landshoff (Lucy Westrenka)
John Gottowt (Professor Bulwer)
Gustav Botz (Dr Sievers)
Max Nemetz (captain)
Wolfgang Heinz (first mate)
Guido Herzfeld (innkeeper)
Karl Etlinger, Albert Venohr, Heinrich Witte (sailors)
Hardy von Francois (doctor in hospital)

Thomas Hutter, a real estate agent's assistant, is sent to the imposing castle of the Graf Orlok to help in the sale of a new home for the ancient aristocrat. But Orlok turns out to be a vampire and sets his sights on Hutter's wife Ellen.

Its still a masterpiece and no remake (Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979)), homage / parody (Shadow of the Vampire (2000)) or endless stream of 'official' adaptations of the book have sullied its reputation. When seen in a decent print, projected at the right speed, it retains its formidable power decades later and Graf Orlok is one of the cinema's most repellent monsters. One of horror cinema's most enduring classics, Nosferatu can still hold its own against any modern day version of the story.

UK
Video Distributor: Thorn EMI; Simitar; Redemption

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Janus Films; Film Arts Guild (1929)
Video Distributors: Goodtimes Video; Kartes Video; Foothill Video; Discount Video Tapes; Republic Video; Sinister Cinema; Video Yesteryear (100 mins); Kino on Video (84 mins)
Laserdisc Distributor: Republic (LV 23029); Image Entertainment (ID 8572 DS)
DVD Distributor: Image Entertainment (ID 4098 DSDVD - includes an audio commentary by German silent film expert Lokke Heiss; information about the background and the production of the film, with stills and text by Lokke Heiss); Image Entertainment (ID 0277 DSDVD - all extras as on previous release)

Australia
Rating: PG

Germany
Rating: 16

Sweden
Rating: banned

USA
Rating: unrated

1922
March
5: Germany - theatrical release

1970
July
30: Sweden - first television broadcast

1987
September
11: Finland - theatrical release

1991
October
14: USA - laserdisc release (Republic (LV 23029))

1992
December
23: USA - laserdisc release (Image (ID 8572 DS))

1997
October
22: USA - DVD release (Image Entertainment (ID 4098 DSDVD))

2001
January
2: USA - DVD release (Image Entertainment (ID 0277 DSDVD))

Nosferatu the Vampire
Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror
Nosferatu, a Symphony of Terror
Nosferatu: The First Vampire - US 1998 reissue title
Terror of Dracula

REMAKE
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979)

SEE ALSO
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1973)
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
El conde Drácula (1970)
Count Dracula (1977)
Discworld II: Mortality Bytes (1996)
Drácula (1931)
Dracula (1931)
Dracula (1958)
Dracula (1973)
Dracula (1979)
Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)
Drakula halála (1921)
Noroi no yakata: Chi o suu me (1971)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Salem's Lot (1979)
Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood (1996)
Dracula's Widow (1989)
Fejezetek a film történetéböl: A német film 1933-ig (1989)
Heartstoppers: Horror at the Movies (1992)
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
Killing Zoe (1994)
Die Nacht der Regisseure (1995)
Pale Blood (1990)
Scream 2 (1997)
Soulmates (1992)
Transylvania Babylon (2006)
Universal Horror (1998)
Vem var Dracula? (1975)

MAGAZINES

Close Up 4 January 1929 pp.71-72
article

Shivers 26 p.44
review

TV Times 11-17 January 1986 p.47
credits

Video Watchdog 19 pp.48-61
illustrated article (Nosferatu: The Unauthorized Undead by David Walker)

Video Watchdog 24 pp.4-6
illustrated article (Nosferatu Update by David Walker)

NEWSPAPERS

Expresso, Antena 1 May 1999
review (by Francisco Ferreira)

BOOKS

The Illustrated Vampire Movie Guide p.13
credits, review

The Hidden Cinema: British Censorship in Action 1913 - 1975 pp.19-22, 177
article

vampires; dracula; book into film; magic; gothic; castle; real estate agents

Last Updated: 15 October, 2008