There are many interpretations of Nosferatu, originally made by the German filmmaker F.W. Murnau as an unofficial adaptation of Dracula. It’s important to note that most of these adaptations are personal and sincere to the filmmakers involved. Werner Herzog, for example, felt a great weight upon him as he followed in the footsteps of one of the most influential German filmmakers.
Robert Eggers’ recent adaptation of Nosferatu, on the other hand, traces back to his childhood, when he adapted Nosferatu for the theater as a kid. Since then, he’s been constantly obsessed with the film. When I looked at the cast of his version, I noticed that Willem Dafoe is in it. It’s interesting to me that he’s already connected to the story because of his lesser-known film Shadow of the Vampire.
Shadow of the Vampire plays out like a faux documentary about the making of Murnau’s Nosferatu. Willem Dafoe plays the part of Max Schreck (who portrayed Count Orlok in Murnau’s Nosferatu), while John Malkovich plays Murnau. It’s not often you get two very talented actors playing off each other in a film as fun and real as this.
The film flirts with the idea of obsession and the desire to be timeless. In that way, both of these central characters share similar sentiments, though one is a vampire and the other a filmmaker. They are both exploiting what’s given to them in order to survive.
The film is structured in a way that you don’t notice John Malkovich’s ‘performance’ much until the climax. The climax is its most interesting part, where obsessions and desires lead both characters to abandon rational thought. This is when John Malkovich transforms the swearings you usually hear into poetry, thanks to his exceptional dialogue delivery.
However, the scene where the producer and writer ask Dafoe’s character about his thoughts on the authenticity of Dracula may be the best part.Dafoe’s performance is filled with eccentricities and extraordinary gravitas, literally shaping the film into what it is. It made me wonder whether this is his best performance. Considering an actor like Willem Dafoe, who has an extensive body of work, Shadow of the Vampire becomes a must-watch.
