Shadow of the Vampire (2000) on Netflix
In 1921, F. W. Murnau shoots Nosferatu, an unauthorized take on Dracula. His leading man, Max Schreck, appears only in makeup, only at night, and never drops the role.
- Netflix3.4/5
- IMDb6.9/1048,242 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes82%
Trailer
Plot summary
F. W. Murnau tells his company almost nothing about the schedule for Nosferatu, his unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, or about the man cast as Count Orlok. Gustav von Wangenheim, the other lead, says the part belongs to Max Schreck, an obscure German stage actor. Schreck stays in character off camera, wears makeup whenever the cast and crew can see him, and is filmed only at night. After scenes shot in a studio with Greta Schröder, Murnau takes everyone to a remote inn in Czechoslovakia. The landlady there is upset when crucifixes around the inn come down. Wolfgang Muller, the cameraman, enters a strange, hypnotic state. Gustav finds a bottle of blood among the food supplies, and someone leaves a caged ferret in the night.
Cast
- Nicholas Elliottas Paul (as Nicholas Elliot)
- Sophie Langevinas Elke
- Myriam Mulleras Maria
- Milos Hlavacas Innkeeper (as Milos Hlavak)
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The premise of Count Orlok being played by an actual Nosferatu was recorded by Ado Kyrou, who in his 1953 book Le Surréalisme au Cinéma incorrectly wrote that naming the music hall actor Max Schreck as the vampire's performer was "deliberately untrue", and asked what was hidden behind the character: "Could it be Nosferatu himself?"
- The film's working title was Burned to Light, but Merhige decided to change the name when Dafoe asked, "Who's Ed?", the actor having thought the title was Burn Ed to Light.
- The film was produced by Nicolas Cage's Saturn Films. Cage originally intended to play Schreck but cast Dafoe when he expressed interest, and said he always wanted Malkovich as Murnau, having already acted with Malkovich in Con Air and with Dafoe in Wild at Heart.
- E. Elias Merhige was hired to direct because Cage had wanted to work with him ever since watching a tape of his previous film, Begotten, which had been given to him by Crispin Glover.
- Members of the online game the Hollywood Stock Exchange were able to donate a small sum towards the film's production in exchange for having their names listed on the DVD release as "virtual producers".
