My Vampire Weekend
Oct. 27th, 2009 12:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xerinmichellexI think I suffered a vampire overdose last weekend. Saturday morning I saw Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (mostly because of John C. Reilly), and then that evening I watched Shadow of the Vampire, which is the "story" behind the filming of F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu. I ended the weekend with Sunday night's viewing of Nosferatu. I went to bed after it wearing a turtleneck. Shut up! I know the extra clothing material does little to stop a bloodsucker. It would at least slow one down.
I was entertained with the three vampire flicks--all for unique reasons. I enjoyed the various odd-ball characters Vampire's Assistant offered. Also, John C. Reilly makes for an awesome vampire (*swoon!*). I would watch a whole movie devoted to Crepsley. John C. Reilly is not the first person you think of when you say “vampire”. What he lacks in the sex, is made up for in his eccentric behavior and his longing to be dead. I can connect more with a vampire who just wants to die than I can with a vampire who hasn't had sex for over a hundred years because he hasn't met the right girl. (I'm looking at you, Edweirdo.) A sucker for metaphors, I really did like the parallels between being considered a freak and going through high school. The Vampire's Assistant wasn't the best vampire tale that's been told. But it didn't suck. *rim shot* And as my brother put it when we were leaving the theater, "That kicked Twilight's ass." Sweetie, everything kicks Twilight's behind. (I did promise myself this vampire post would be sparklepire free. Ah well...)
Later that day, Shadow of the Vampire was on IFC. I should stress that it is a fictitious telling--in which Max Schreck (the actor who played Count Orlok in Nosferatu) turns out to be a really, real vampire. Willem Dafoe (gee, I guess I had a Willam Dafoe weekend too, since he pops up in The Vampire’s Assistant) plays the vampire-actor and John Malkovich plays F.W. Murnau. Just like I would watch an entire Crepsley movie, I would gladly listen to John Malkovich read the telephone book. I wasn't all that too impress with the movie, to be honest. I just couldn't get into the liberties taken within the film. Claiming Max Schreck was an actual vampire is too far of a stretch for me. I understand it serves as a representation for Murnau's obsession with capturing realism. What would have been more intriguing was if Max Schreck believed he was a vampire because of his method acting. That would be more frightening. Mental psychosis is always scarier than a zombie or a werewolf or a vampire. But, I will give credit for the make-up in the movie. The first few scenes Willem Dafoe was in, I thought he actually was Max Schreck. Though, as the movie went on, Willem Dafoe's appearance became more apparent under the make-up. It isn't a bad movie once you forgive the out there plot, but in no way does it compare to the movie they filmed within the movie.
Before that, Sunday's vampire influenced day began whilst I waited for Dexter to start--Showtime has the official rights to air Twilight (Gah! Another Twilight mention, dammit!) in the beginning of 2010. Do I sound pathetic if I say I cannot wait for that? Showtime's notorious for airing their premiere movies over and over again. So, if I'm having a bad day, I know what'll perk me up! Oh man, I do sound pathetic...
As with Shadow of the Vampire, I had no idea Nosferatu was going to be on TMC as part of their Silent Sunday. It was as if the Vampire Gods were conspiring against me. Nosferatu, if I were to describe it, is like a very boiled down version of Dracula. In fact, the producers of Nosferatu failed to obtain the rights from Bram Stoker's widow to make a film version of his novel. Hence, we get Count Orlok instead of Count Dracula; Hutter instead of Harker; Ellen, not Mina; and no Carfax Abbey. See?! It's totally different! On a truthful note, it was slightly scarier than any Dracula adaptation I've seen (and I have see many). This is due to Max Schreck's performance. Which made me even more upset by the direction of the above account. Amongst the dramatic acting, Max Schreck is very subtle in his vampire portrayal. He just oozes EVILAH! the moment he comes on screen. Bald head, long fingernails, painfully thin, this is all you need for a vampire. No Transylvanian accent, sharp fangs, or overly styled hair. Less is more when it comes to these films. Ha! I know, that's funny to say when talking about the over-acting silent film stars had a tendency to do. Case and point, the film's resident Renfield. Expressing love and joy, the acting is laughable. However, for some reason, the ecstatic facial movements don't overpower fear and horror. Those acted emotions seem...real....
Nosferatu is not perfect. The middle part drags on foreverrrrrrrrrrrr--which is a problem Murnau seems to have. The only other film of his I've seen is Sunrise. That film starts off as a semi-murder plot a husband has for his wife in order to run off to the city with the woman from the city. But then, it morphs into a "Let's go into town!" farce. Translation: "Let's become dull!" Murnau's vampire flick also has this issue. His need for realism becomes too overbearing by making it feel like it takes Count Orlok two months to sail to England. Tying in a plague when he does finally arrive is also tedious. For God's sakes, just get to the part where he drinks Ellen's blood!
But, the one thing that crawled under my skin was the restored version I saw. Which included changing the black and white I know the film was shot in to be "colorized". By colorization, I mean they ran the film through color filters depending on the setting. Nighttime was dark blue, sunrise was indicated by red, and most of the interiors were yellowish. The yellow was fine. All the rest was distracting--just like the silent version of The Phantom of the Opera I watched last weekend. I do not need color to keep me entertained, Ted Turner. No! Ted, no! Put down the color wheel!
Watching Shadow of the Vampire pre-Nosferatu had its disadvantages. It was interesting to see the scenes that were shown being filmed in Shadow in context with the actual film. My mind had a hard time realizing Eddie Izzard was not going to be on screen in Nosferatu. (Sort of like whenever you pictured Harry Potter, you’re mind immediately thinks of Daniel Radcliffe.) Whenever Hutter came on, I expected Eddie Izzard's face to stare back at me. And Ellen's whole role in the ending was comical if you watch Shadow. Ellen has to allow Count Orlok to drink her blood because that'll get him to forget to go to his coffin when morning comes a callin'. That is not the funny part. The funny comes by Ellen being the only one who could do this because she is a woman without sun. Whaaaaat? A. She is married to Hutter...I am sure some part of sin has happened. B. In Shadow, there is a scene where the actress who plays Ellen is rolling around in bed, boobs flying everywhere, because she is high off of morphine or something to that effect. Yeah, Ellen is just full of virtue.
And then, my unplanned vampire weekend was over. Thankfully, I had no nightmares about vampires. If I did, I guess I would be left with only one cure: OD'ing on wooden stakes. Get it?! Hahahaha....Jeez, I need to get out of my room more often.
I was entertained with the three vampire flicks--all for unique reasons. I enjoyed the various odd-ball characters Vampire's Assistant offered. Also, John C. Reilly makes for an awesome vampire (*swoon!*). I would watch a whole movie devoted to Crepsley. John C. Reilly is not the first person you think of when you say “vampire”. What he lacks in the sex, is made up for in his eccentric behavior and his longing to be dead. I can connect more with a vampire who just wants to die than I can with a vampire who hasn't had sex for over a hundred years because he hasn't met the right girl. (I'm looking at you, Edweirdo.) A sucker for metaphors, I really did like the parallels between being considered a freak and going through high school. The Vampire's Assistant wasn't the best vampire tale that's been told. But it didn't suck. *rim shot* And as my brother put it when we were leaving the theater, "That kicked Twilight's ass." Sweetie, everything kicks Twilight's behind. (I did promise myself this vampire post would be sparklepire free. Ah well...)
Later that day, Shadow of the Vampire was on IFC. I should stress that it is a fictitious telling--in which Max Schreck (the actor who played Count Orlok in Nosferatu) turns out to be a really, real vampire. Willem Dafoe (gee, I guess I had a Willam Dafoe weekend too, since he pops up in The Vampire’s Assistant) plays the vampire-actor and John Malkovich plays F.W. Murnau. Just like I would watch an entire Crepsley movie, I would gladly listen to John Malkovich read the telephone book. I wasn't all that too impress with the movie, to be honest. I just couldn't get into the liberties taken within the film. Claiming Max Schreck was an actual vampire is too far of a stretch for me. I understand it serves as a representation for Murnau's obsession with capturing realism. What would have been more intriguing was if Max Schreck believed he was a vampire because of his method acting. That would be more frightening. Mental psychosis is always scarier than a zombie or a werewolf or a vampire. But, I will give credit for the make-up in the movie. The first few scenes Willem Dafoe was in, I thought he actually was Max Schreck. Though, as the movie went on, Willem Dafoe's appearance became more apparent under the make-up. It isn't a bad movie once you forgive the out there plot, but in no way does it compare to the movie they filmed within the movie.
Before that, Sunday's vampire influenced day began whilst I waited for Dexter to start--Showtime has the official rights to air Twilight (Gah! Another Twilight mention, dammit!) in the beginning of 2010. Do I sound pathetic if I say I cannot wait for that? Showtime's notorious for airing their premiere movies over and over again. So, if I'm having a bad day, I know what'll perk me up! Oh man, I do sound pathetic...
As with Shadow of the Vampire, I had no idea Nosferatu was going to be on TMC as part of their Silent Sunday. It was as if the Vampire Gods were conspiring against me. Nosferatu, if I were to describe it, is like a very boiled down version of Dracula. In fact, the producers of Nosferatu failed to obtain the rights from Bram Stoker's widow to make a film version of his novel. Hence, we get Count Orlok instead of Count Dracula; Hutter instead of Harker; Ellen, not Mina; and no Carfax Abbey. See?! It's totally different! On a truthful note, it was slightly scarier than any Dracula adaptation I've seen (and I have see many). This is due to Max Schreck's performance. Which made me even more upset by the direction of the above account. Amongst the dramatic acting, Max Schreck is very subtle in his vampire portrayal. He just oozes EVILAH! the moment he comes on screen. Bald head, long fingernails, painfully thin, this is all you need for a vampire. No Transylvanian accent, sharp fangs, or overly styled hair. Less is more when it comes to these films. Ha! I know, that's funny to say when talking about the over-acting silent film stars had a tendency to do. Case and point, the film's resident Renfield. Expressing love and joy, the acting is laughable. However, for some reason, the ecstatic facial movements don't overpower fear and horror. Those acted emotions seem...real....
Nosferatu is not perfect. The middle part drags on foreverrrrrrrrrrrr--which is a problem Murnau seems to have. The only other film of his I've seen is Sunrise. That film starts off as a semi-murder plot a husband has for his wife in order to run off to the city with the woman from the city. But then, it morphs into a "Let's go into town!" farce. Translation: "Let's become dull!" Murnau's vampire flick also has this issue. His need for realism becomes too overbearing by making it feel like it takes Count Orlok two months to sail to England. Tying in a plague when he does finally arrive is also tedious. For God's sakes, just get to the part where he drinks Ellen's blood!
But, the one thing that crawled under my skin was the restored version I saw. Which included changing the black and white I know the film was shot in to be "colorized". By colorization, I mean they ran the film through color filters depending on the setting. Nighttime was dark blue, sunrise was indicated by red, and most of the interiors were yellowish. The yellow was fine. All the rest was distracting--just like the silent version of The Phantom of the Opera I watched last weekend. I do not need color to keep me entertained, Ted Turner. No! Ted, no! Put down the color wheel!
Watching Shadow of the Vampire pre-Nosferatu had its disadvantages. It was interesting to see the scenes that were shown being filmed in Shadow in context with the actual film. My mind had a hard time realizing Eddie Izzard was not going to be on screen in Nosferatu. (Sort of like whenever you pictured Harry Potter, you’re mind immediately thinks of Daniel Radcliffe.) Whenever Hutter came on, I expected Eddie Izzard's face to stare back at me. And Ellen's whole role in the ending was comical if you watch Shadow. Ellen has to allow Count Orlok to drink her blood because that'll get him to forget to go to his coffin when morning comes a callin'. That is not the funny part. The funny comes by Ellen being the only one who could do this because she is a woman without sun. Whaaaaat? A. She is married to Hutter...I am sure some part of sin has happened. B. In Shadow, there is a scene where the actress who plays Ellen is rolling around in bed, boobs flying everywhere, because she is high off of morphine or something to that effect. Yeah, Ellen is just full of virtue.
And then, my unplanned vampire weekend was over. Thankfully, I had no nightmares about vampires. If I did, I guess I would be left with only one cure: OD'ing on wooden stakes. Get it?! Hahahaha....Jeez, I need to get out of my room more often.
