#Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein

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Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)

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Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)

Dir. Werner Herzog

Language: English

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Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979) by Werner Herzog

Cinematography by Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein

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Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) (Dir. Werner Herzog) (DoP. Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein)

nosferatu is such a pathetic little creep in this film and a woman has to right the wrongs of a stupid man, it's great

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On the set of NOSFERATU: PHANTOM DER NACHT (1979), dir. Werner Herzog

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The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner (Werner Herzog, 1974).

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Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) dir. Werner Herzog

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Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)

Country: West Germany / France

Written & Directed by: Werner Herzog Based on the 1922 film Nosferatu  & the novel “Dracula” by: Bram Stoker

Cinematography by: Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein

Edited by: Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus

Produced by: Herzog, Daniel Toscan du Plantier & Michael Gruskoff

Music by: Popol Vuh & Florian Fricke

Production Design by: Henning von Gierke

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Fata Morgana (1971)

Werner Herzog / Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein

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The absence of love is the most abject pain.

Nosferatu the Vampyre (Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht), Werner Herzog (1979)

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“Death is not the worst. There are things more horrible than death.”

Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) directed by Werner Herzog, cinematographer Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein

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NOSFERATU: PHANTOM DER NACHT / NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE (1979)

Director: Werner Herzog Cinematography: Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein

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Vanitas (1896) by Leo Putz

Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) directed by Werner Herzog cinematography by Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein

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Nosferatu the Vampyre (Werner Herzog, 1979)

Cast: Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz, Roland Topor, Walter Ladengast, Dan van Husen, Jan Groth, Carsten Bodinus, Martje Grohmann. Screenplay: Werner Herzog, based on a novel by Bram Stoker and a film by F.W. Murnau. Cinematography: Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein. Production design: Henning von Gierke. Film editing: Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus. Music: Florian Fricke, Popol Vuh.

Werner Herzog's Nosferatu gets a little choppy in its efforts to blend both Bram Stoker's novel Dracula and F.W. Murnau's 1922 film Nosferatu. The latter was an "unofficial" version of the novel, which the producers neglected to obtain the rights to film, and it was almost suppressed. But the potency of Max Schreck's embodiment of Dracula (called "Count Orlok" in the Murnau film) remained, and it informs Klaus Kinski's makeup and manner in Herzog's version. Herzog did a lot of tinkering with the Stoker version -- Jonathan Harker's wife is Lucy, not Mina as in the novel, and Dr. Von Helsing is not the vampirologist of the book but rather an elderly scientific skeptic -- but he stayed generally faithful to it almost to the end, when he switched to the denouement of the Murnau film and then added his own shocker twist. The homage to Murnau is apparent not only in Kinski's imitation of Schreck, but also in Isabelle Adjani's performance as Lucy, which is built on silent-movie mannerisms, including effective use of her great haunted eyes. Even though it's full of images designed to shock and disgust, including a plethora of rats, Herzog's film is often quite beautiful, especially in the scenes set in the Carpathian Mountains (actually filmed in Slovakia and the Bavarian Alps) and the views of the quaint town called Wismar in the film, but actually shot in the town of Delft and several other villages in the Netherlands. The performances are all that they should be, including Bruno Ganz's determined Harker, whose character twist at the film's end seems organic to the performance, and Roland Topor's giggly Renfield, which often seems to parody Peter Lorre. Dracula is so familiar and fertile a source for movies that it probably will never receive a definitive version, but Herzog's makes a good bid for it.  

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Response: The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner

This film was compulsory viewing for our Documentary Film module :)

Directed by: Werner Herzog

Music by: Popol Vuh

Cinematographer: Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein

Editor: Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus

Release Year: 1974

Running Time: 45 mins

Language: German

My Rating: 4 / 5

Synopsis:

An exploration of Walter Steiner, a celebrated ski-flyer (similar to ski-jumping but characterised by higher jumps) with a full time occupation in carpentry. The documentary showcases his quest for a world record in ski-flying whilst also showing the dangers involved in the sport.

What I Liked:

The use of slower tempo, yet optimistic music over the footage of ski-flying. This created more emotional investment in the outcome of the jumps.

The amount of footage shown of failed jumps. This emphasised the danger of the sport, the willpower of the athletes, and the skill involved.

The interviews with Steiner feel very authentic and emphasise his personality.

I found it interesting to see the juxtaposition of Steiner’s demeanour in interviews which seemed somewhat nervous, with his confidence when jumping and in post-jump interactions. It showed a deep love of the sport.

Herzog played a visible role in the film, both as narrator, and appearing on camera. This is different from in his other films. After a little research I read that this was due to the fact that this film was made as part of a series aired on German TV and the station required him to appear on camera.

I like that the time spent working on the film is mentioned within it, making the documentary process itself as much of a part of the finished product as the subject of Steiner and ski-flying.

The shots in which Steiner is preparing for a jump, are filmed from a distance with a dirty frame. This makes it feel as though they were filmed secretly. Almost as though the viewer is watching some sort of sacred ritual being practiced that outside eyes are usually not able to see.

I like that one of the focuses of the film is the issues with non-athletes within the sport (e.g judges) not listening to experienced athletes when they express concerns with about the dangers of certain jumps. Instead pushing them to do the jumps because they will ‘set records’. A quote about this that I found to be particularly important being: “...they keep saying I brood too much, meaning I have to break my skull before they believe me.”

A more human side to athletes is shown, and the pressure that they feel to be the best and set records, as well as the crises that this pressure can lead to. 

The use of birds as a link to ski-flying. Both visually, and in the story Steiner tells about his pet raven. The raven story almost feeling like an allegory. The harassment of the raven by other ravens linking to the way that Steiner is harassed by people within the sport to take larger risks.

Final Thoughts:

Although films about sport are not part of my typical viewing and not something I would usually seek out, I am glad that I had to watch this as compulsory viewing for the module as I enjoyed watching it. It was more than ‘a film about sport’ or just about an athlete, and more about a persons hopes, fears, and personality.

I also found the film to be inspiring in that Steiner talked of his fears before a jump, and that those fears never got easier, yet he faced them head on. Yet the message I took from it isn’t to simply face all fears head on no matter what, but also to respect your judgement. Something Steiner did when he voluntarily shortened the height of his jumps when those in charge didn’t listen to his safety concerns. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this film, more so than I thought I would.