Nosferatu's horrific reputation is unchanged today; The sight of the vampire (Max Schreck) is every bit as grotesque now as it's ever been. The story is familiar Dracula, however the genesis of German film expressionism is clearly engrained; Nosferatu was one of a handful of films that changed the industry and made people think in ways that were never explored before.

The music score of this DVD is wonderful pipe-organ music composed from many early-19th century compositions. It's crafting completely compliments the story and adds not only tonal accuracy, but also a believable thread that brings us closer to the time of the film's creation.

But the unexpected hit of this DVD is the audio commentary track from Lokke Heiss, and expert on German films. Heiss's commentary is absolutely compelling and points out many similarities that the average viewer wouldn't easily pick out. In fact, I would recommend watching the movie with the organ score, and immediately watching it with the commentary so "see" all the parts you may have initially missed.

The DVD transfer is about as good as you can get, understanding that it all came from smuggled copies. The film is also 're-tinted', a film technique that provides different exposure colors to express changes is daytime or location.

I highly recommend this DVD to all silent fans, and anyone who wants to see a peice of history, as well as get an excellent historical and documentary analysis.


Everlasting Life and Greta Schroeder   November 11, 2001
 77 out of 78 found this review helpful

I bought "Nosferatu" on Halloween night, to screen a double-feature with "Shadow of the Vampire". This turned out to be a terrific idea and caused me to wish, for the first time since childhood and my array of Star Wars costumes, that Halloween came eleven or twelve times a year.

"Nosferatu" may be 80 years old, but its influence is, amusingly enough, going to be eternal. The "Symphony of Horror" special edition DVD is absolutely a must-have, with three audio tracks that basically create three different versions of the film, and with three excellent mini-features.

The basic audio track is an organ score derived from early-19th-century Romantic composers. Married to the film's flickering tinted images, this makes ideal Halloween (or, indeed, any post-midnight) viewing. The second audio score is more experimental, more modern, and much, much more fun. Whereas the organ track basically lies underneath the movie and provides a traditional (if static) experience, the "Silent Orchestra" compositions give the undead film a new life. This rock-jazz-classical track positively breathes in the way that Dracula never could.

The final audio track is the commentary by German film expert Lokke Heiss. Don't be fooled by the man's voice and delivery, which is about as dynamic as balsa wood and interesting as an American cheese sandwich on white bread. He cites both scholarly film treatises and Stephen King as he discusses Murnau's influences, the film's light-dark composition, and the use of mirrors and windows within the movie. This is a terrific commentary track in that it increased my understanding of the move ten-fold. Pity they couldn't have had someone with an actual voice (like Christopher Lee) read Mr. Heiss's words.

The featurettes range from cute to weird. Weirdest is the "Nosfera-Tour", ten minutes worth of home movies narrated once more by Heiss (oy vey) as he presents pictures of what the film's "Wisborg" looks like in the year 2000. The "Phantom Carriage Ride" is very eerie, spotlighting as it does one of the truly *bizarre* moments in the film. Finally, the art/photo gallery is splendid, one of the best galleries I've seen on a DVD. The real treasure comes at the beginnng -- the charcoal drawings that were producer Albin Grau's original renderings of Nosferatu.

The DVD packaging -- cardboard case with plastic snap -- may be cheap, but it contains within one of filmdom's finest moments, and provides far more than just 81 minutes of enjoyment. Highly, highly recommended.


Truly The Ultimate Restoration!   October 18, 2007
 31 out of 34 found this review helpful

Now that it has been officially released in the U.S., there are no more ifs ands or buts. This edition of NOSFERATU is truly the ultimate restoration. If you want a sneek peak at how the film will look and sound go to the Kino International website and check it out. There is a three minute excerpt that shows how the restoration was done with before and after results. There is also a full length documentary as well as a first time recording of the 1921 Hans Erdmann score putting this edition of NOSFERATU in league with the work done on METROPOLIS and BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN. NOSFERATU is one of the true landmarks of German silent cinema as well as the horror film itself. It has always been around in inferior copies from 16mm prints for years which attests to the film's importance but only recently have we been able to see it in something close to what Murnau intended. There are a few good versions out there now but be prepared to be blown away by this one. Proper colorization, correct film speed (18 frames per second), and the original orchestral score make this head and shoulders above the rest. And that's just the film! Also included in this 2 disc set are a wealth of extras including the original German intertitles and excerpts from other Murnau films. Even non-silent film enthusiasts will want to get this one so order your copy now. For those of you who don't know, this is the original Dracula film and there has never been another one quite like it although Werner Herzog directed a 1979 remake with Klaus Kinski. Copyright infringements nearly destroyed it but like Dracula it has returned again and again in various forms until now when it can be seen and heard and enjoyed in all it's glory.


Not happy with this release   February 11, 2001
 30 out of 44 found this review helpful

Don't get me wrong - I've loved this movie since I saw it as a child, but this release leaves much to be desired. There are many good points of course: the commentary by Lokke Heiss, production and concept art, the restoration quality of the film, and even the design of the case, with a great Albin Grau painting of Max Schreck as Count Orlok.

On to what I didn't like about it: first, the tinting of the film. I've alwasy seen Nosferatu presented in stark black and white, and this always added to the creepy feel of the movie. However, Image Entertainment has chosen to use bright tints on the film in order to more clearly present moods, locations, times of day, etc. supposedly, this is how it was originally presented? It is quite distracting, and I feel it takes away from the quality of the video. My second issue is with the soundtrack options, of which you get two new ones. The first, by the Silent Orchestra, gets the right mood sometimes, but is too full and modern for this movie. It's very out of place. The second, an organ score by Timothy Howard, is too quiet, very bland, and adds nothing to the mood of the film. This being a silent movie, the music is a very important part, and I feel that both of these fail miserably at reflecting what is occuring on the screen.

It makes me long for earlier VHS editions I've seen, which, even though their video quality wasn't as good, were in regular B&W and had appropriate soundtracks which succeeded at mirroring the action on screen. Oh well, I can wait for another...