NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF HORROR

(A.k.a. NOSFERATU, EINE SYMPHONIE DES GRAUENS; NOSFERATU; NOSFERATU THE VAMPIRE; NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF TERROR; TERROR OF DRACULA)

Well, if companies will insist on re-releasing the same films over and over, I'm not going to feel guilty about rehashing portions of my original reviews. So, here goes with another largely recycled synopsis:

Surely in need of no introduction, this is the 1922 masterpiece of German cinema - widely regarded as the first horror film, and one of the all-time greats of celluloid expressionism. It's also the first (totally unauthorised) screen adaptation of Bram Stoker's "Dracula".

The film begins with young Hutter (Gustaf Von Wangenheim) and his wife Ellen (Greta Schroder), happy at home and very much in love. But that doesn't stop Hutter from getting extremely excited when his real estate agent boss Knock (Alexander Granach) tells him of a wealthy foreigner, Count Orlock (Max Schreck), who is looking to buy property in their small town.

Knock assigns Hutter to travel to the Count's castle and seal a deal in which the Count will buy a property opposite Hutter and Ellen's home.

Hutter rushes home to tell Ellen the good news. However, as he bounces round the house packing excitedly, Ellen doesn't take to the news too well. Upon realising this, Hutter arranges for her to stay with his good friend Harding while he's away.

And then he's off, at which point the film literally gets darker. What had started as a light story exemplified visually by the use of soft yellow-tinted sepia suddenly turns to a murky green tint onscreen as Hutter steps out into the world of the supernatural.

His journey first takes him to a tavern where he stops for food and drink. Upon telling the landlord where he is headed, the locals recoil in horror and tell him not to venture near Orlock's castle. The landlord speaks of a werewolf that is said to roam the land surrounding the castle.

Undeterred, Hutter continues on his travels. It takes him an age to finally arrive at Orlock's castle (despite the use of fast-motion at times). When he finally does get there, he - and we - meet the Count, and the film suddenly takes on a whole new slant as Schreck dominates its remainder. It's at this point you fall in love with the film all over again and remember WHY it is such an undisputed classic...

Eureka first gave F W Murnau’s NOSFERATU the 2-disc DVD treatment in 2001, and then provided a fully restored upgrade – again, a double-disc special edition affair – in 2007. So, what could they possibly add this time around to entice punters into once again upgrading?

In short, I believe the transfer here comes from a new 2013 rendition by Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung, which has expanded on the restoration work undertaken by Luciano Berriatua in 2006.

As such, the transfer presents the film in its original 1.30:1 ratio. It looks absolutely gorgeous. For a film that is almost 90 years old, it's incredible that it's even remotely watchable. Eureka's original Special Edition was, I thought, a great effort. The 2007 upgrade was significantly clearer. But this time around, images are even cleaner still. Sharp, bright and respectful of the original film source - the difference is immediately apparent. The amount of detail and depth in each scene’s textures is nothing short of stunning.

The film works a lot better here with its original German intertitles too. They've been dramatically cleaned up and restored too, making the film at times look like a very modern production. This is a sterling job: hats off to all concerned.

Optional English subtitles are available to complement the German intertitles. From the get-go, with the original German credits in attractive green-tinted hues, this is the only way to fully appreciate Murnau’s seminal film. Hans Erdmann’s score was re-recorded in 2006 and is offered here in both 2.0 and 5.1 mixes, adding even more ambience to a film already positively dripping with atmosphere.

Static menus include a scene-selection menu allowing access to the film via 18 chapters.

Extras on this new 2013 release kick off with the audio commentary track from historian R Dixon Smith and freelance writer Brad Stevens, which was previously made available on the 2007 DVD. It sounds like a cut-and-paste job to begin with, but they do start interacting as time goes on. There's an absolute wealth of information to be gleamed from this (how much will interest you is debatable). The pair seem to agree that although NOSFERATU is a masterpiece of expressionism, director Murnau should not be mislabelled as an expressionist - they go back to this point on several occasions.

A second commentary track is new to this release. This comes courtesy of film historian David Kalat, and is an altogether more focused and engaging track. Inevitably it overlaps with the preceding track at times in terms of information being provided, but is equally academic without ever being too stuffy.

The 53-minute documentary "The Language of Shadows" is another port from the 2007 DVD. It focuses on Murnau and the making of NOSFERATU. This is a genuinely interesting look into Murnau's background, from his childhood onwards and into his legendary legacy of films. Directed by Luciano Berriatua, this is clearly a labour of love. The film features interviews with historians and people lucky enough to have met Murnau, plus family photographs, narration from Berriatua and even footage of locations used for NOSFERATU as they appear today. Fascinating.

The 3-minute demonstration on how the movie's startling (and by all accounts very costly) restoration was achieved doesn’t reappear here, although in its place we do get two interesting new featurettes.

First of which is a 12-minute chat with cult filmmaker Abel Ferrara, who gushes over how the film influenced his own works including THE ADDICTION and – bizarrely – KING OF NEW YORK. Ferrara is Ferrara, love him or loathe him, there’s a feral quality to his deceptively shambolic manner that makes him a compelling subject. Kevin Jackson, author of the BFI Classics book on NOSFERATU, then gets 20 minutes of well-edited screen-time to extol the virtues of the film in a more scholarly fashion.

Also included in this impressive set is a gorgeously designed 56-page book (yes, I know, the 2007 release contained an 80-page book …). As well reproducing the film’s main credits, this offers up a 1998 article from Gilberto Perez entitled "The Deadly Space Between" which reads more like a highly involving thesis; set/costume designer Albin Grau’s "Vampires" from 1921, newly translated into English and providing a fascinating insight into the inspiration behind the lead monster’s look; notes on the restoration; "On the Way to Nosferatu" – writings on archival material used towards researching the film’s restoration in 2002; and "The Bridge", a piece by Craig Keller which relays something that came to light during one screening of the film many moons ago.

SGM were provided with the new 2013 DVD version of NOSFERATU for review purposes. It’s worth noting that Eureka are also releasing the film onto blu-ray, and in a 2-disc blu-ray & DVD Steelbook combi pack.

NOSFERATU is an out-and-out, genuine classic. It may have enjoyed more DVD releases than any other film this side of John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN, but when each subsequent release constitutes a significant upgrade for fans, that’s hardly cause for complaint.

Highly recommended. Again.

Review by Stuart Willis