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| Vampyr - Criterion Collection | 
 enlarge | Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Actors: N. Babanini, Albert Bras, Baron Nicolas De Gunzberg, Henriette Gerard, Jan Hieronimko
Studio: Criterion
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.95
Buy New: $24.99
You Save: $14.96 (37%)
New (41) Used (10) from $24.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  33 reviews
Sales Rank: 3918
Format: Black & White, Dvd-video, Special Edition, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: German (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: Unrated
Number Of Items: 2
Running Time: 75
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.7 x 1.7
MPN: IMEDCC1757D
UPC: 715515030427
EAN: 0715515030427
ASIN: B00180R06I
Theatrical Release Date: 1931
Release Date: July 22, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
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| Customer Reviews:
 Poetry While Paint Dries August 26, 2008
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
Danish film maker Carl Dryer (1889-1968) is considered among Europe's finest directors, the creator of innovative 1928 THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC and the legendary VAMPYR--but some cinematic legends are best left recalled instead of revisited, and such is the case with the latter film. Produced in 1930, released in 1932, and very loosely based on the novella CARMILLA by Sheridan LeFanu, VAMPYR does indeed have moments of great poety, but on the whole the film is akin to watching paint dry.
The plot of VAMPYR is trivial, the tale of a young man who stumbles into a mysterious estate where one of two sisters is under vampiric attack. The appeal of the film is actually in Dyer's truly remarkable cinematic ideas, ideas that are often described as surrealistic in execution. Shadows move independently of those who cast them--or exist without any source at all. Fog and mist drift strangely through the landscapes. A skull moves of its own accord. And most spectacularly, the young man experiences an out-of-body vision in which he foresees that he himself will fall prey to the vampire unless he can destroy it.
These moments are memorable indeed and there is no doubt the film is visually stunning. Unfortunately, it is also very, very, very slow. In theory, this slowness exists to intensify the poetry of the images and a crawling sense of horror; in actual fact, however, I found it simply slow, and that the extremely languid pace undercut both poetry and horror to a very significant degree. Fans of the film--and it has many--will no doubt curse me as a Philistine and declare VAMPYR is too fine to be appreciated by the likes of me.
As in most instances, the Criterion Collection edition offers a group of interesting bonuses. It is worth noting, however, that the film itself is not in pristine condition (it never has been); even so, this is easily the best print in circulation. Recommended for hardcore cinephiles, but most others should give it a miss.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
 Original Special Effects March 17, 2006
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
I see that some other reviewers have been kind of tough on this film. If this film had been produced in 2005, it's probably still worth 3 stars, but this thing is almost 75 years old. It clearly showcases some cutting edge stuff for the period. The director had never seen Bride of Frankenstein, Return of the Mummy, Bram Stoker's Dracuala, et al. I, for one, do not consider this film a "hack job" because of visible shutter flash or occasional sprocket jumps. So if you want to watch an antique film that plays like the latest Steven Speilberg project ---- well, it ain't gonna happen here. I think this piece HAS been restored as well as it's going to be. Having said all that, now on to the film.
It's a vampire story. Or in Danish, a vampyr story. Traveler visits creepy inn. Ghouls in residence. I needn't go into more detail about the general plot, right? But don't expect the Hollywood sterotyped stuff of long liplocks to the neck, or some suave guy morphing into a bat.
Notably, there were some special effects that blew me away, considering the era. They were very effective and some I have not seen duplicated elsewhere. There is a clever and well done effect of shadows moving independently of their source, some very creepy dancing shadows on the lawn, a ghost effect apparently created through use of double exposure and very well executed, and a totally creepy corpse-eye view out of the coffin on the way to the cemetary. The main vampire is a female that looks like a real ghoul, and a very credible job is done of time-lapsing her into a skeleton.
Essentially, this is a silent film. What audible voice there is, is muffled and in Danish. There are quite a few German subtitles and the version I watched had a few English entries. The story is a little disjointed, but the atmosphere is pleasingly creepy and the film is a time capsule of sorts. The early production techniques, and the clothing, furniture, farm implements. EVERYBODY is carrying around a candle (because when this was filmed that's what the actors all did at home anyway).
For the guys, there's even the 1932 Danish version of a hottie that's not too bad. And I found the lack of exagerrated makeup and physical inflection to be superior to the clownish over-acted stuff that Hollywood was putting out during that era. I doubt it will frighten you, but it is a good period piece to take a look at.
Atmospheric Horror At Its Best. August 5, 2008
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Carl Theodor Dreyer's VAMPYR has long been one of my favorite early horror films but until just a few years ago it was impossible to see it in a decent print. The old Image DVD had the best picture quality but was marred by black box subtitles in Gothic script. Still it was the best there was until now. This new Criterion transfer is not only the best so far it will probably be the best from now on as I can't see anyone else wanting to redo it. It's not everyone's idea of a horror film especially today when poetry and atmosphere are not high on the list of priorities for most horror movies (or most movies in general). The film was not a success in 1932 causing the director to abandon filmmaking for 11 years although it quickly developed a cult following.
The scenario inspired by Irish Huguenot writer Sheridan Le Fanu's novella CARMILLA and influenced by F.W. Murnau's NOSFERATU is probably the closest cinematic equivalent of a dream captured on film. It certainly influenced Cocteau's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST which was 14 years later. The film is actually more of a nightmare as it follows a young protagonist through village inns and country estates on the trail of a female vampire who against conventional tradition is old and wizened rather than young and beautiful. Strange things happen. Shadows have a life of their own, the hero watches himself from above as he is buried alive, and it contains one of the strangest death scenes ever filmed which was borrowed from D.W. Griffith's A CORNER IN WHEAT. The entire film was designed to be pale with lots of fog and scenes shot through gauze over the camera lens. It was photographed by Rudolph Mate' who had done Dreyer's previous film THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC. Once seen it cannot be forgotten. Like most vivid dreams you remember it whether you want to or not.
This new transfer of the German version (there were French and English ones as well) looks as good as any restoration I have ever seen and the cleaning up of Wolfgang Zeller's music score, so essential to the overall mood, is nothing less than astonishing. Like most Criterion releases it comes with a plethora of extras including the original shooting script and a complete copy of Le Fanu's story CARMILLA so that you can see how much they varied from it. There is alao a second disc containing deleted scenes, a detailed analysis of the film and a radio interview with the director. Yes it's expensive and no it's not for everyone but if you appreciate cinema as poetry and are seduced by black and white images than this is the movie for you. Be advised though that Dreyer shot this film as a silent and added the music and effects later. There is less than 10 minutes worth of dialogue overall and no one says more than a few words each time they speak.
Haunting despite snap, crackle, pop September 23, 2001
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Slow pans, suffused lighting, sparse dialogue, and indelible imagery, elevate this vampire movie, a complete opposite to the bloody neck-biters of Hammer Films Inc. It's not a movie for everyone. Too slow for some, too actionless for others, Vampyr does carry the stamp of a master, Carl Dreyer. The overall effect is to unnerve rather than frighten. Images collect rather than jolt, passing through to the subconscious where the film lingers long after a last flickering frame. Not a ghost movie, the effect is nevertheless ghostly and dreamlike, with daylight apparitions gliding through some nightless nether nether world. A counterpart perhaps closest in effect is 1962's Carnival of Lost Souls, minus adagio pacing.
My videocassette purchase is obviously a copy of the unrestored original. Titles remain in Danish, with the surreal bits of dialogue untranslated into English, (only pages from text appearing on screen are translated). The sound track crackles and pops with age, all of which might scare off the Sensurround viewer. But for me, the effect was heigtened by these infirmirties of age, rather like finding an old arcane manuscript in original form. Despite the film's vintage, Dreyer's remains a sure hand at the helm, with a rare and delicate sensibility that coheres. All in all, Vampyr may well be a work of genius, and a discovery for modern viewers. But unless you have a taste for the unrestored, stay away from videocassette.
 A Haunting & Lyrical Nightmare February 16, 2002
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
VAMPYR is a very hypnotic horror film. It may seem slow going & somewhat incoherent, but let the atmosphere of the movie wash over the viewer. This movie should be savored for its chilling atmosphere. A variation of Sheridan Le Fanu's CARMILLA, VAMPYR is about mood, atmosphere, shadows, & light. The sounds & the dialogue seem muffled, but that's what adds to the chilling atmosphere. Like watching a virtual lyrical nightmare, VAMPYR is a nightmarish classic.
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