Shadow of the Vampire

Shadow of the Vampire" is a film like "Shakespeare in Love" in that it plays with historical context. However, it doesn't leave everything so cut-and-dry. Die-hard fans of the classic "Nosferatu" will stand in line at theaters, but they will become disappointed easily. Audiences will leave scratching their heads, trying to figure out what the movie was trying to be. The movie does try hard, but "Shadow" always seems to linger between moments of great humor and sadness, horror and history, never reaching its definitive marks. \nThe clever concept plays with the notion that the famed Max Schreck, who played cinema's most terrifying vampire, was actually a bloodsucker himself. It is 1921 and director F.W. Murnau (John Malkovich with a continually slipping accent) is so obsessed with his new film, "Nosferatu," that he casts an actual vampire (Willem Dafoe). It isn't quite clear how Max Schreck breaks into the business with Murnau in the first place, but we can only guess one would need new hobbies when one is damned for eternity. However, Schreck isn't cooperating with Murnau as well as he'd like, snacking on crewmen during coffeebreaks. \nThe suspense of these scenes is never fully grasped, but then again, it's unclear if it's supposed to. There's a dark humor underlying each scene, adding to the blend of questionable feelings this film should evoke. The movie's world could have dwelled flawlessly within an inner torture of Murnau's madness and Schreck's lonely melancholy. But what is given to the actors is such surface material we never fully grasp their emotions.\nThe gem of the film, of course, is Dafoe, who eerily embodies the monster in mind and body. We can only imagine how much Dafoe must have studied "Nosferatu" to perfectly grasp Schreck's horror. His lurking, murky movements are exact as he surrounds the character in posture and voice with a menacing quietness. Hats off to the makeup and cinematography as well, which capture the horrific look splendidly, shrouding Dafoe in a perpetual darkness. \nThis is a movie of negotiations. Certain rationality must be left at the door. Never mind for instance, that most of the real life characters who die in the movie had later long-spanning careers. Despite some serious mishaps (Nosferatu's reflection in a mirror right when a character points out there is none), "Shadow of the Vampire" is an enjoyable fantasy picture, though certainly not as impacting (or frightening) as its inspiration.