“NOSFERATU: THE VAMPYRE” My rating: B (Opens Nov. 8 at the Tivoli)
107 minutes | MPAA rating: PG
Remaking a classic movie is generally a futile and thankless task, and you’ve got to wonder about Werner Herzog’s hubris in even attempting a color redo of the silent black-and-white vampire classic “Nosferatu.”
The original, directed by F.W. Murnau in 1927, is a masterpiece of German expressionism and is rightly regarded as one of the greatest horror movies of all time. The very first vampire film, it also contained the creepiest bloodsucker ever, a bald, ratlike nightmare played by the mysterious Max Schrek.
How do you top that?
Herzog’s 1979 “Nosferatu” doesn’t top it, but it offers a perfectly valid alternate telling of the story. Herzog is, after all a cinematic genius (yeah, yeah, often a really irritating cinematic genius) and his version has many strengths.
The newly digitized “Nosferatu” being shown at the Tivoli is in German. The film was shot in both German and English, and only the English version has previously played in the U.S. This was unfortunate, since those who have seen both believe the largely German cast gave superior performances when delivering their lines in their native language.
Butler's Cinema Scene 