German expressionism explored… By : Mr.Snow Nosferatu German expressionism explored… By : Mr.Snow

Original poster   Nosferatu Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens,

A history of the cult classic is a 1922 German Expressionist horror film, directed by F. W. Murnau, starring Max Schreck as the vampire Count Orlok. The film, shot in 1921 and released in 1922, was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897). Various names and other details were changed from the novel: for instance, "vampire" became "Nosferatu" and "Count Dracula" became "Count Orlok". with names and other details changed because the studio could not obtain the rights to the novel (for instance, "vampire" became "Nosferatu" and "Count Dracula" became "Count Orlok").  

Legacy vs the expression of art Stoker's heirs sued over the adaptation, and a court ruling ordered that all copies of the film be destroyed. However, a few prints of Nosferatu survived, and the film came to be regarded as an influential masterpiece of cinema.   As of 2015, it is Rotten Tomatoes' second best-reviewed horror film of all time.

Film details The film was released in the United States on June 3, 1929, seven years after its original premiere in Germany, where it instantly became a hit success. Though this isn't the first adaptation of Stoker's amazing novel it's widely regarded as the most popular as testament to it's long lasting effects on the world of cinema, and the sub- world/genre of horror films.  

Differences from the novel The story of Nosferatu is similar to that of Dracula and retains the core characters but omits many of the lesser characters, and changes all of the their names.Although some of the newer versions here in the United States have reinserted the original names from Stokers' text!! The setting has been transferred from Britain in the 1890s to Germany in 1838. In contrast to Dracula, Orlok does not create other vampires, but kills his victims, causing the townfolk to blame the plague, which ravages the city.

Differences of the Novel cont… Also, Orlok must sleep by day, as sunlight would kill him, while the original Dracula is only weakened by sunlight. The ending is also substantially different from that of Dracula. The count is ultimately destroyed at sunrise when the "Mina" character sacrifices herself to him. The town called "Wisborg" in the film is in fact a mix of Wismar and Lübeck.

Influence on pop culture In 2000 Count Orlok appeared in a brief cameo in children's animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants The episode, "Graveyard Shift", was written by Jay Lender, who pushed for a random gag that featured Orlok....  

The history of dracula The studio behind Nosferatu, Prana Film, was a short-lived silent-era German film studio founded in 1921 by Enrico Dieckmann and occultist and artist Albin Grau, named for the Buddhist concept of prana. Its intent was to produce occult and supernatural themed films. Nosferatu was the only production of Prana Films, as it declared bankruptcy in order to dodge copyright infringement suits from Bram Stoker's widow Florence Balcombe.   Picture of the legendary Bran Castle where "Dracula" is said to have lived

DraculA history cont… In comparison the location that was used for the set of Nosferatu as Count Orlok's residence The Salzspeicher (salt storehouses) of Lübeck, Germany, are six historic brick buildings on the Upper TraveRiver next to the Holstentor ( or the western city gate). In the 16th–18th centuries, the houses stored salt that was mined near Lüneburg and brought to Lübeck over the Stecknitz Canal.