Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979)

Country of Origin: West Germany / France
Year of Production: 1979
Running Times: 107 mins
Format: Eastmancolor 35mm
Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Werner Herzog Filmproduktion / Gaumont
Executive Producer: Walter Saxer
Producers: Werner Herzog, Michael Gruskoff
Production Manager (CSSR): Rudolf Wolf
Unit Manager: Joshi Arpa

SCRIPT
Script: Werner Herzog
Novel: Dracula by Bram Stoker (uncredited)
English Dialogues: Tom Shachtman, Martje Grohmann

DIRECTION
Director: Werner Herzog
Assistant Directors: Remmelt Remmelts, Mirko Tichacek

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein
Cameraman: Mike Gast
Lighting: Martin Gerbl
Lighting Assistant: Anton Urban
Stills: Dr Claude Chiarini

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editor: Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus

MUSIC
Music: Florian Fricke (Brothers of Darkness, Sons Of Light (main theme)); Charles Gounod (from Sanctus (Caecilienmesse)); Richard Wagner (prelude from Das Rheingold)
Music Performed By: Popol Vuh (Brothers of Darkness, Sons Of Light (main theme)); Wiener Philharmoniker, conducted by Georg Solti (prelude from Das Rheingold); Ansambl Gordela (Zinskaro)

SOUND
Sound Engineer: Harald Maury

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Reiko Kruk, Dominique Colladant
Hair: Ludovic Paris
Costume Designer: Gisela Storch
Wardrobe: Ann Poppel

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Cornelius Siegel

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Henning von Gierke
Assistant Set Designer: Ulrich Bergfelder

MISCELLANEOUS
Continuity: Anja Schmidt-Zäringer
Perchman: Jean Fontaine
Dialogue Coach: Beverly Walker

LOCATIONS
Locations: Czechoslovakia; Germany; Mexico; Netherlands

CAST
Klaus Kinski (Count Dracula)
Isabelle Adjani (Lucy Harker)
Bruno Ganz (Jonathan Harker)
Roland Topor (Renfield)
Walter Ladengast (Doctor Van Helsing)
Dan van Husen (warden)
Jan Groth (harbourmaster)
Carsten Bodinus (Schrader)
Martje Grohmann (Mina)
Ryk de Gooyer (town official)
Clemens Scheitz (Clerc)
Lo van Hensbergen
John Leddy (coachman)
Margiet van Hartingsveld
Tim Beekman (Coffinbearer)
Jacques Dufilho (captain)
Stefan Husar (uncredited)
Roger Berry Losch (uncredited)
Johan te Slaa (uncredited)
Beverly Walker (nun - uncredited)
Michael Edols (lord of the manor - uncredited)

Estate agent Jonathan Harker travels to the castle home of the Count Dracula in order to sell him a new home in his hometown, Virna. But the vampire Count Dracula sets his heart on Harker's wife Lucy and arrives in Virna spreading plague with him. All Dracula wants is to be able to grow old naturally, to love and to die.

A haunting if often tedious remake of Nosferatu: Eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) that looks ravishing but which takes forever to get going. Atmosphere is all here and in that respect it's a classic, the stunning visuals complemented by a knockout score from German prog-rockers Popl Vuh. Certainly deserving a place in any serious horror fan's collection, but not without its share of problems.

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox
Laserdisc Distributor: The Roan Group (RGL 9648 - includes an audio commentary by Werner Herzog; theatrical trailer; limited special edition)
DVD Distributor: Anchor Bay (DV 10677 - includes an audio commentary by Werner Herzog; behind-the-scenes featurette)

Australia
Rating: PG

Denmark
Rating: 16

Finland
Rating: K-16

Germany
Rating: 16

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: 15

USA
Rating: PG

AWARDS

1979
Berlin International Film Festival
Silver Berlin Bear: Outstanding Single Achievement (Henning von Gierke - for the production design) - winner
Golden Berlin Bear (Werner Herzog) - nominated

German Film Awards
Film Award in Gold: Outstanding Individual Achievement: Actor (Klaus Kinski) - winner

1979
March
14: Sweden - theatrical release

April
12: West Germany - theatrical release
27: Finland - theatrical release

1999
January
12: USA - laserdisc release (The Roan Group (RGL 9648))

February
16: USA - DVD release (Anchor Bay (DV 10677))

2000
November
6: Indonesia - shown at the Jakarta International Film Festival

2002
January
4: USA - television broadcast (on The Independent Film Channel)
12: USA - television broadcast (on The Independent Film Channel)
15: USA - television broadcast (on The Independent Film Channel)
16: USA - television broadcast (on The Independent Film Channel)
20: USA - television broadcast (on The Independent Film Channel)
21: USA - television broadcast (on The Independent Film Channel)
28: USA - television broadcast (on The Independent Film Channel)
29: USA - television broadcast (on The Independent Film Channel)

2009
January
31: UK - television broadcast (on BBC Four)

Nosferatu - fantôme de la nuit - French title
Nosferatu the Vampyre - English language title

REMAKE OF
Nosferatu: Eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Demoni (1985)
Die Nacht der Regisseure (1995)
Mein liebster Feind - Klaus Kinski (1999)

SEE ALSO
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
El conde Drácula (1970)
Count Dracula (1977)
Dracula (1931)
Drácula (1931)
Dracula (1958)
Dracula (1973)
Dracula (1979)
Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)
Drakula halála (1921)
Noroi no yakata: Chi o suu me (1971)
Nosferatu a Venezia (1986)

MAGAZINES

Entertainment Weely no.470 (5 February 1999) p.74
review (Kinski Counts by Michael Sauter)

BOOKS

Illustrated Vampire Movie Guide pp.86-87
credits, review

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

book into film; vampires; dracula; remake; immortality; plagues; rats

Last Updated: 31 January, 2009