"Nosferatu"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's production of the film, "Nosfertu" (based on Briam Stoker's novel) in 1922. It describes the profound effect that his film had on the way that books are adapted for films. It also discusses how his German filmmaking techniques had a major impact on the "look" and style of American movies for decades to come.

From the Paper:

"Today, of course, with the many horror films, "Nosferatu" is tame. However, it truly set the stage for what was to come. Like an old-fashioned pounce film, its artistry, innovation and images evoked emotions in the viewers. A large part of the movie is shot in lurking shadows. The screen's corners are used more than a typical film where characters hide or shiver from fright; this following the composition rule that tension is created when the main character of a shot is removed from the middle of the frame."
"Murnau was one of the most accomplished orchestrators of tone, atmosphere, space and tempo in the history of the medium. Although his films became most known for artful lighting and composition, he argued that the goal was something more visionary than picturesque. "There should be no such thing as 'an interesting camera angle,' " he once argued. "The angle itself has no significance, and if it does not intensify the dramatic effect of the scene, it can even be harmful" (Washington Times, B01)"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cook, Pam. Cinema Book. New York: BFI Publishing, 1999.
• Hantke, Steffen. Horror Film: Creating and Marketing Fear. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2004.
• Holte, James Craig. Dracula in the Dark: The Dracula Film Adaptations. Westport, CT Greenwood Press, 1997.
• Ishii-Gonzales, Sam Hitchcock : Past and Future. New York: Routledge, 2004.
• The Washington Times. F.W. Murnau's Symphonic Vision (October 2, 2004). B01

More papers on "Nosferatu":

• Comparison Essay # 107143 : "Nosferatu" and "Dracula"
• Essay # 25573 : "Nosferatu"
• Analytical Essay # 15118 : "German Expressionist Films of the 1920s and1930s"

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