Nosferatu

Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)

Timing: 1:29 (89 min)

7.658/10
2389

7.605/10
27240

7.8/10
123000

All about film

Video 8

Photo 159

Actors and characters

Release date

1922-02-16

Country

Germany

Production

Prana-Film GmbH, Jofa-Atelier Berlin-Johannisthal

Genre

Horror, Fantasy

Budget

$0

Revenue

$24 194

Website

Director

F. W. Murnau

Actors

Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder, Georg H. Schnell, Ruth Landshoff, Gustav Botz, Alexander Granach, John Gottowt, Max Nemetz, Wolfgang Heinz
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Albin Grau, Enrico Dieckmann

Operator

Fritz Arno Wagner

Composer

Hans Erdmann

Artist

Audition

Editing

All team (8)

• The film was banned in Sweden until 1972.
• The film's prints and negatives were destroyed as a result of a lawsuit initiated by Bram Stoker's widow. However, copies were later found in other countries, and the film was saved.
• Murnau used an interesting and previously unused cinematic technique to create a mystical atmosphere: in the scene where the hellish carriage carries Hutter to the castle, a night forest is shown in negative (white trees) in one shot, but the carriage and horses remain dark. In fact, the entire scene was filmed in negative, but the carriage and horses were draped in white cloths.
• To enhance the 'deadness' of his character, Max Schreck did not blink once on camera.
• Many night scenes were shot during the day, and this was visible even on black and white film. The flaw was later corrected by applying a blue filter to the night shots.
• Out of 94 minutes of screen time, only 9 minutes are actually devoted to Nosferatu.
• The cities of Wismar, Lübeck, and Rostock are shown at the beginning and end of the film. The High Tatras and the Vah River can also be seen in individual scenes.
• Transylvania, the habitat of Count Orlok, was filmed in Slovakia. Orava Castle (in northern Slovakia) was used as the vampire's castle during filming.
• The plot motif of a vampire dying from sunlight was first used in 'Nosferatu'.
• Many night scenes were filmed during the day, and this was visible even on black and white film. This was later corrected by applying a blue filter to the night shots.
• ’Nosferatu’ was the first film to use the plot device of a vampire dying from sunlight.