Never forget when Spongebob made the punchline of an entire episode a reveal featuring a character from a silent German horror movie none of its child audience would even remotely recognize 💀
I remember distinctly that I got the reference, because I was a weird child and still am, but it bugged be because I knew none of my friends would get it. Luckily, I didn't have any, and still don't. What a good episode
Here's some interesting facts: The 1922 Nosferatu film was based on the Bram Stoker's 1897 Dracula novel, so to try to avoid copyright, they changed the name from Count Dracula to Count Orlock and the title from Dracula to Nosferatu (another interesting fact about the word "Nosferatu" is that it's kinda "lost in time". While it's uncertain, the origin of the word is believed to be of Romanian and it was used in the Dracula novel as a synonym for "vampire". These copyright issues was also the reason why the film was originally never released in America and only in Germany. However, it did end up being a victim of copyright and a court ruled all copies be destroyed! However, a few copies survived and today, the movie "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror" is known as one of the best and most influential horror films of all time. Also, this film is still legendary in 2022.
@@lukeizabelle2131 The version Brandon watched is more or less the "definitive" version (at least until another restoration happens), but my personal favorite is the 2002 Kino version. Night scenes are a darker blue, and the soundtrack has some neat pipe sounds (and cringe vocals in a couple spots).
Even for a silent film, this one still gives me the creeps to this day. It's basically an adaptation of the original Dracula novel, but with names changed
Yeah it was because stoker”s who was dead by this time, wife denied to sell the rights of the book to be made into a film so the director basically made some changes instead.
This is one of the most influential and surreal vampire films ever made. There is even a movie called Shadow Of The Vampire, where us shows us what would happen if FW Murnau hired a real vampire instead of an actor. The film stars Willem Dafoe and John Malkovich.
If you want ‘surreal’ - my favourite old vampire movie/old horror movie full-stop is Vampyr. 1932, so very early days of sound film - contains some of the eeriest sequences ever put to film, full of what I’d call ‘dark whimsy’
"Story is king." You have admirably summed up the secret to the longevity of many classic movies, no matter how long ago they were made. "Nosferatu" is a prime example of how to make a great film.
a movie i’d recommend is M (1931) by Fritz Lang, Lang was a prominent silent movie director and M was his first non-silent movie. It’s fascinating to watch just how much cinema evolved in such a short span of time as M’s camera moves and use of sound still hold up today when both of these aspects of film were virtually non existent prior
So here’s the long and short of the filming locations: Filming took place around Germany, and Slovakia. Wismar stood in for Wisborg for the exterior shots of several locations. The abandoned derelict house that Nosferatu moves into, is a set of old industrial buildings in Lübeck (also in northern Germany) called the Salzspeicher (salt storehouses). Other location exteriors were shot in other areas of Germany notably Lauenburg and Rostock and on the island of Sylt. Orava Castle in Slovakia stood in as Orlok’s castle for exterior shots only and is indeed still there, it’s a museum. I think the shot of the castle destroyed at the end was filmed at Stary Hrad Castle (also Slovakia). All interior shots were filmed at Johannisthal Studios in south east Berlin, founded in 1920 and some 400 silent films were made there, later it was used by the Weimar government of the 1920s and later the Nazis for film production. After the Second World War it fell into control of Soviet East Germany and since the 60s I think it’s used for television production.
Can I just say that this is fucking amazing?! I have so much respect for you for reacting to a film like this, I've never seen any reaction channel on RUclips do something like this. Very awesome
This is the first time I've seen a reaction to a silent film or even to a film pre-1960s in general. Would definitely love more classic movie reactions!
James VS Cinema has done 12 Angry Men, Some Like it Hot, Paths of Glory, The Third Man, and Rashomon. I'm one of a few Patreon supporters who have suggested M and Sunrise: A Story of Two Humans, and other pre-30s films.
@@brettcoster4781 I love Sunrise. I’ve seen Napoleon (1927), The Crowd (1928), The Last Laugh (1924), Dr Mabuse The Gambler (1922), Intolerance (1916) and Greed (1924).
@@brettcoster4781 If you can also suggest him The Phantom Carriage (1921), The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), Freaks (1932), Double Indmenity (1944), Brief Encounter (1945), Late Spring (1949), Sunset Boulevard (1950), All About Eve (1950), Rear Window (1954) or Diabolique (1955). Those are some of the best pre-60s films ive seen.
@@kingamoeboid3887 The only films I've not seen of your list are The Crowd and Greed, otherwise they're all great films. So too is Pandora's Box, one of my very favourites. James has had M on his last Patreon lists, so hopefully it'll get up soon. But the Patreon supporters have a very wide list of great films that they suggest, which is why I love his reviews.
If you like the "really old movie" experience, watching "Metropolis" is a must. Several versions available. The set's and cinematography were amazing for their day and are still impressive to look at now.
I second this recommendation! A few years back, for my birthday, my daughter took me to see the film at a modern concert hall, with a Live chamber orchestra... it was one of the coolest experiences of my life!
If you wanna check out some VERY old films that are quite amazing, watch The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Metropolis. Both are VERY good. You also can't go wrong with some oldies like Dracula (with Bela Lugosi), The Mummy, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein (probably the best of these), The Invisible Man, Wolfman... etc. Or the Dracula and Frankenstein films from Hammer Studios with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. They are fantastic.
Nosferatu is a straightforward horror film (meaning metaphysical evil is physically real and can ultimately be defeated by purity and goodness, nothing wrong with that), Caligari is a postmodern, psychological horror film from 1920, almost before straightforward horror films existed - prefigured all the ‘psychological horror’ we think of as a contemporary genre. Metropolis is a dazzling piece of film-making, but very flawed (incredibly trite ending)
Also the director of Nosferaru made another silent film considered one of the greatest of all time called Sunrise. A totally abstract story where characters are named ‘the Man’ and ‘the Woman’, set in ‘the City’. Hard to categorise, kind of a love story but very, very dark and tragic - but also comedic to the point where it has a scene of a pig getting drunk
I love this film. My best experience with it was during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival a few years ago where I watched it in an old chapel with a live pianist and percussionist providing the soundtrack. It was amazing.
The color tinting was something done in post-production in the silent era. The film print, originally being black- and-white, would literally be immersed in dye baths to make it change to a desired color. Tints were very common during this time and were used to denote time of day, location, mood, etc.
You need to watch "Shadow of the Vampire" Brandon. It's a fictional horror movie about the making of Nosferatu, and the premise is that the director hired a real vampire for the movie. Willem Dafoe plays Count Orlock/Dracula, and he got an Oscar nomination for his performance. Trust me, it's a great film!
Yep! I first saw it back in 2001and it's still one of my favorite films. Dafoe was so funny and yet so creepy at the same time, and Udo Keir was fantastic. A genuine masterpiece, and a must-see for fans of the 1922 movie.
If you want to watch more silent horror movies like this, I highly recommend Häxan, a sort of documentary/essay film about superstitions around witchcraft as well as the director’s study of the Malleus Maleficarium. Coincidentally Häxan is also turning 100 years old this year!
The Spanish Flu ran from about 1918 to 1920. Some other silent movies to see... "The Phantom of the Opera" 1925 with Lon Cheny. Not only did it feature Cheny's own character design and makeup, and include a legendary reveal, it also had some of the first color sequences in film history. "Faust" 1926 by Murnau. It is a good telling of the story of a man who sells his soul and also has some good special effects for the era. "Wings" from 1927. Not a horror movie but it is about WWI fighter pilots and includes groundbreaking camera work like the swing, cameras on planes filming the dogfights, and a travelling shot through a crowded club.
What I find interesting about the early days of the movies is filmmakers creating in a completely new medium. Trying to figure out the best way to tell a story on film. It went from just filming a static play to what we recognized what a movie is today.
Somehow, I watched this at the age of 17 and really liked it. It's a fascinating watch that managed to feel quite ominous. It is little wonder to me why this film has endured despite its outdated elements; this form of film still works extremely effectively on its own merits.
Would love to see someone do more silent film reactions. Definitely have to do some Charlie Chaplin movies "City Lights, "Modern Times", and "The Great Dictator". But of course Buster Keaton too "The General", "Sherlock Jr", and "The Cameraman". For drama movies "Metropolis", "The Wind", "The Passion of Joan of Arc", "Sunrise: The song of two humans", and "Intolerance" I would recommend. Thing is I think all these movies are now copyright free and can be streamed right off of RUclips.
The filters are the show the difference between day and night because in black and white it’s obvious they shot all Nosferatu scenes during daylight so the blue tint is at night the yellow tint is during the day
Shadow of the Vampire is one of my favorite movies of all time and sadly it isn’t anywhere on streaming so…..in recent years people seem to be forgetting about it. Dafoe and Malkovich are incredible in it…and Dafoe deserves every accolade he has ever gotten for it. The concept is absolutely genius. Despite the dark humor in it…it is equally terrifying!
A lot of silent films don’t have a particular soundtrack going for it, most copy’s of them use random music depending on the version, so there could be a version that is less joyous ost wise
most showings at those times would have had (different) live piano music by local "cinema piano players", and at most could have had some sheet music distributed with the movie to serve as guideline for those local pianists who mostly improvised.
Actually this is the version with the original soundtrack composed by Hans Erdmann for the premiere in March 1922 Occassionally for some silent movies, which were made for special prestige, an original score was composed to be played at the premiere and in selected greater movie theaters as well, which could afford to employ an own orchestra. ( With the introduction of sound in movies by 1929/30 all these movie theater musicians would loose their jobs over night.) For 'Nosferatu - Eine Symphony des Grauens' Hans Erdmann ( 1882 - 1942 ) was comissioned to compose the music for the premiere at the Marble Hall in the Zoo of Berlin on March, the 04th., 1922. For the premiere he provided an arrangement for big orchestra, the one to be heard here. But he also arranged some orchestrations for smaller ensembles. This music of Erdmann was rediscovered and restored in the eighties of the last century and is also the one to be heard in this edition of 'Nosferatu'. This edition of the movie was done on basis of a new movie restoration by the 'Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung' and released by Transit-Film / ( UfA - Universum Film ) in 2007. The music was newly recorded by the Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester, Saarbrücken, Germany, under the direction of music restorator, Berndt Heller. This is also the symphony orchestra of my hometown, and I'm happy that by that my hometown had a considerable part in restoring this classic movie as closely as possible to the original and how it probably could have be seen ( and heard ) at its premiere in 1922. But since the seventies several composers and bands have tried their own scores for 'Nosferatu' . One of the first for instance was the one by Hans Posegga, another prolific German film composer, who wrote a score, that was heavily based on pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach. In 2003 José Maria Sánchez-Verdú from Spain wrote another score for live screenings. In 2015 Matthew Aucoin composed a score for a live screening in Los Angeles. To name just a few. But as said this score here is the original one, which was played at the premiere in 1922.
Hi Brandon, as you liked Nosferatu, try some other classic movies from that era: "The cabinet of Dr. Caligari" from 1920 and "Metropolis" from 1927. I'm sure you'll find them very interesting, too.
Now you’re ready to watch Shadow of the Vampire, a bizarre horror film about the making of Nosferatu starring John Malkovich as Murnau, and Willem Dafoe as Max Schreck. The central conceit is that Schreck was actually a vampire. Edited to add: also, Werner Herzog remade Nosferatu in 1979, with Klaus Kinski as the vampire. It’s a visual feast, and Kinski is amazing in it.
i saw this at a silent movie theatre a few months ago, they had a really old man playing the organ and (i think) it was projected on film. the experience was legit magical
You owe it to yourself to explore the work of Fritz Lang. He was the one of the most important filmmakers in cinema who popularized the most integral genres in the cinematic medium; sci-fi (1927's Metropolis), fantasy (1924's Die Nibelungen), crime (1922's Dr. Mabuse the Gambler), spy (1928's Spione) and the serial killer film (1931's M). I believe that those genres would not become what they are today had it not been for Lang and his films, and if you decide to dig deeper, you may see that as well.
Dudeeeee! Let’s do more of these. Appreciate you setting a trend. Love to see it I’d also recommend phantom carriage. I think I saw that you purchased it in a haul video?
For the ninetieth anniversary (so, ten years ago), I got a chance to see this in a theater with a live orchestra providing the music. It was a terrific experience befitting such an iconic film.
As was Dr Mabuse. Frau Im Mond (Woman in the Moon) is also worthwhile (it invented the rocket countdown). And others like Spiones (Spys), but I didn't. Fritz Lang's 30's and 40's American films have some standouts, too.
@@brettcoster4781 I do love The Big Heat (1953), first film I saw Lee Marvin in. I've seen the Dr Mabuse trilogy, Secrets Beyond The Door, M and Metropolis (my favourite from Fritz Lang).
If you even kind of enjoyed this movie, you HAVE to watch The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. It's the other German expressionistic horror masterpiece of the 20s and in my opinion even better than Nosferatu. If you don't know anything about Caligari, I 100% guarantee you that it will blow your mind.
When I first saw this film as a little boy in the 70's, I was terrified of Nosferatu and hide under the covers. It was shot in Wismar/Germany. There's another film starring William Dafoe. A film about the shooting of Nosferatu. Shadow of the Vampire! And don’t forget the Classic „The Fearless Vampire Killers“ by Roman Polanski.
Interesting to know that the Exorcist was made almost 50 years after this film and now, it's been almost 50 years since the Exorcist was made. 2 of my favorite horror films.
Please watch Cabinet of Dr. Caligari next! I always watch them together as a silent horror double feature. You'll get to see where Tim Burton bit all his style from.
I have seen this movie in a theater twice with live music from a group called The Invincible Czars. They go around providing music to silent films. In addition to Nosferatu I've seen them do Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde(1920) and The Phantom of the Opera(1925) so far. It makes a world of difference.
So here's a suggestion. Maybe not immediately after this one but... you should also watch the 1979 remake by Werner Herzog. It's a beautiful, atmospheric movie with haunting music by Popol Vuh and lots of amazing shots, beautiful scenery, really good use of color and staging and is I'd say one of the few situations where a remake is much better than the original. Or you could go for an adaptation much closer to the books and watch Bram Stoker's Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola which is also brilliantly shot and is a loveletter to traditional filmmaking with everything in the movie being in-camera... this and the 1979 Nosferatu are my two favorite takes on Dracula ever.
After I've read that all of Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula special effects and film making techniques were in-camera I was blown away, couldn't believe it
My hat is off to you. As somebody wrote below, seeing a reaction to a pre-1960s movie is rare and you did fine by it. Film history is so very rich but on You Tube I see the same 50 or so movies being watched. It's a shame, really. Well done!
I find that the biggest barriers for people in terms of enjoying old silent movies tends to be less the subtitles and silence, more the style of acting, which regardless of situation, largely tended to be = because of the lack of dialogue, highly demonstrative, both in terms of physicality and facial expressions.
Thanks for reacting to this silent film. One of my favorite 100+ year-old films is Young Romance (1915). In a New York department store, Nellie of notions and Tom of hardware don’t know one another, but they have similar desires to see what it would be like to be a person of wealth and status. They travel separately to the same upscale beach resort in Maine, pretending to be persons of wealth. Before long they encounter a mustache-twirling villain, and the plot thickens. It’s worth observing that the role of the gum-chewing girlfriend of the leading lady goes back well before the talkies.
Great adaptation of Dracula. I spent one Halloween weekend watching 5 Dracula adaptations: Nosferatu(1922) Dracula(1931) Horror of Dracula(1958) Nosferatu(1979) Bram Stoker's Dracula(1992) All unique takes on the Dracula story. The original Bram Stoker novel comes highly recommended.
I remember my dad taking me to see this at the Oriental in Milwaukee back when I was five or six. There was a percussion trio with I think one of the guys from Mission of Burma doing the soundtrack. By far the most terrified I have ever been by an old, silent movie, enough to rival a lot of more modern horror movies I’ve seen since. Spectacularly-aged film.
Silent movies were sometimes accompanied by an orchestra, but usually only for big premiere events. The majority of theaters would've had a much more scaled down accompaniment, most frequently a single pianist or organ player. It wasn't uncommon, either, for a theater to have no musicians hired, leaving the film to play in silence.
this movie is considered the second horror movie I believe with the first being the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari 1919. this is also the OG of getting copyright claimed as all but one of the film reels was destroyed by the rights owner to Dracula, and this movie invented vampires dying in sunlight, originally they are just very weak during the day
Love that you reacted to this movie! I think it's pretty much required viewing for horror heads. If you liked this one, you should see Häxan (1922). It's a Swedish silent film about witches and witchcraft, and I think it's creepier than Nosferatu. Yes, some scholars would say that there are two "plagues" in Dracula, Bram Stoker's book. One is tuberculosis. This is also linked with lust/seduction. Tuberculosis was notorious for taking out whole families one by one, or one's most intimate relations. It also left rosy cheeked corpses as if the dead were just sleeping. The other "plague" was immigration. Let's face it, xenophobia or fear of the "other" is one of the pillars of horror. In this case, immigrants from eastern Europe (euphemism?) were blamed for the spread of diseases like tuberculosis. If I recall correctly, in the book Dracula could turn into bats, rats, wolves and fog. I may be missing a few things. I'ma go watch more of your reviews now!
Brandon! As a massive fan of silent cinema, seeing the notification for this video made me so happy! I know reacting to silent films is a risk since not a lot of people are interested in them, but if you ever want to watch more silent movies that I think would absolutely appeal to your subscribers, I would recommend the following! - (1) ANY silent comedy from Buster Keaton (my favorites are OUR HOSPITALITY, and the 45-minute-long SHERLOCK JR.), or maybe even SAFETY LAST! starring Harold Lloyd. They're full of insane, Tom Cruise-level stunt work. - (2) If you want more fantasy/horror, METROPOLIS is the godfather of sci-fi! But I'd absolutely vouch for FAUST, the Christmas Carol-esque THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE, and the "essay film" about witchcraft called HAXAN. - (3) If you want high drama that's also just technically masterful, I would 100% recommend SUNRISE: A SONG OF TWO HUMANS (also directed by Nosferatu's FW Murnau!), THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, and THE CROWD. Whether or not you react to more silent films on your channel, I hope you get to watch more of them on your own time anyway! Silent cinema is a wonderful and still underappreciated era that deserves even more love!
@@markrowe1979 I can't help but be biased in favor of Harold and Buster over Charlie Chaplin. I feel like action movies wouldn't be where they are today without them!
i was also coming here to strongly recommend the passion of joan of arc. i don't know how it would play as a reaction given that there's not a lot of "action" but it's one of the films that everyone should see and one of the few films where i felt like I was a different person after i watched it (admittedly i was 18/19, so pretty impressionable, but it legitimately is that good.)
@@jessharvell1022 I'd agree with your 18/19-year-old self! I'm 28 and I only watched it earlier this year, and I still felt changed afterward. One of the best performances ever captured on film!
some questions that you raised in your reaction: color tinting was a pretty commonly employed technique in this period of filmmaking. it was added during the printmaking process by running the black and white print through a dye bath. dark blue tinting was generally used to indicate when scenes were taking place at night, when they were obviously shot in full daylight, akin to the later technique of day-for-night, i.e. shooting in daylight with a dark filter on the camera lens to suggest a nighttime setting. yellow tinting would be used to suggest bright daylight or morning sun; red or orange might be used to suggest dawning light or scenes set in firelight or lamplight; etc. tinting might also be used to suggest the emotional tenor of a scene, such as red for a depiction of violence or extreme anger, or pale blue for a love scene, and so on. re musical accompaniment, studios would prepare scores for films, sometimes composed expressly for the film (such as the original 1927 orchestral score for fritz lang's film "metropolis," which was recorded for the major restoration of that film that was undertaken about 15 years ago) or compiled from existing music, chosen to suit the mood and emotion of the various scenes of the narrative. large, prestigious theaters would likely have a substantial pit orchestra, while smaller theaters might have a small instrumental ensemble or piano accompaniment. this was also the age of the great theater pipe organs, which had capabilities of suggesting an entire orchestra via the various ranks of pipes as well as a battery of percussion instruments and sound effect devices such as car horns, train whistles,, police sirens, etc, all operated from the organ console.
Dude, silent film is a mother lode. I personally am obsessed with the films of Buster Keaton, which are surprisingly modern, and endlessly inventive, both in story and in filmmaking. Sherlock Jr., The General, The Navigator, Our Hospitality and Steamboat Bill Jr are the flat out masterpieces, IMO, but you can’t go,wrong with Buster. One that is often overlooked is The Man Who Laughs from 1928, a Hollywood film by the great German expressionist director Paul Leni, with a masterful performance by Conrad Veidt, famous for playing Major Strasser In Casablanca. If you’ve ever wondered where The Joker came from, it’s from the character Veidt plays.
I only watched a handful of Movies that are older than this one: - Destiny (1921), directed by Fritz Lang - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), directed by Robert Wiene - Intolerance (1916), directed by D.W. Griffith - Trip to the Moon (1902), directed by Georges Melies I think I watched a number of other Short Films by Melies as part of a TV-Special once, but I can't remember which ones exactly. But anyway, the Silent Era is a Treasure Trove.
This is a stunning movie that puts many a modern filmmaker to shame. And can I just say I am always very impressed with Greta Schroeder's performance as Ellen, she makes one care more than anyone else in this movie. You might also enjoy The Phantom of the Opera with Lon Chaney from 1925.
I play in a Radiohead cover band and we've performed during a showing of this film, as a sort of alternate soundtrack to it. Pretty bonkers experience.
Thanks for sharing this amazing reaction Brandon. I would also like to recommend the 1979 version of Nosferatu, made by another badass, legendary german director Werner Herzog, and it is a legit masterpiece. Beautifully shot, creepy, nightmarish, erotic with a unique vibe of another era of german filmmaking. The Count played by Klaus Kinski, one of the craziest and most obsessed actors of the time, who was long time best friend and "archenemy" of the director at the same time. Hutter (changed to Harker) played by the young Bruno Ganz, who is most known to our generation by his portrayal of Hitler in Downfall - and Lucy is played by the very talented and gorgeous Isabelle Adjani, who was an arthouse scream queen at that time (anyone who loves 70s and 80s indie/art horrors check her out also in the Tenant-1976, and Possession-1981). Now Robert Eggers is making his own version of Nosferatu, and I am really thrilled and hyped about it. But before you hit the screens to see that one, check out first the 1979 version. Probably is even worth a reaction video from you Brandon, as a follow up to this one. Cheers, and keep up with your work and good taste for classics.😉
Need to get back to movies, I can't watch your TV reactions as I haven't seen most of the series myself yet, but your movie reactions are always insightful and enjoyable to watch.
The first train filmed made people run away from the screen because they thought the train was going to hit them in the theatre. I can't even imagine the pure terror people felt watching this.
I know you have watched older movies before but I was incredibly surprised to see this on my subscriptions list. I'm so happy that a reactor is watching a silent movie, probably the oldest movie I have seen any channel watch and one that I love at that! Thank you and great reaction!
Some other absolute must-see horror flicks from the silent era: -The Haunted Castle (1896) -A Trip to the Moon (1902) -L’Inferno (1911) -The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) -The Phantom Carriage (1921) -Häxan (1922) -The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) -The Phantom of the Opera (1925 version, not the shorter 1929 rerelease) -Metropolis (complete version, 1927) -The Man Who Laughs (1928)
The vampire in the mini-series of Stephen King's Salem's Lot was modeled on this character. As a followup, might I suggest Shadow of the Vampire. It's a movie about the making of Nosferatu starring Willem Dafoe as the actor who played Nosferatu.
This one still holds up! If you want another creepy silent movie, also from 1922, Häxan (The Witch) is a really great watch! Might be hard to find though
Welcome to German expressionist cinema. I hope you continue your journey into this most fascinating period of cinematic history. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, as recommended by more than a few folks here, is another great one. You watch that film and you see that Tim Burton took a lot from that film and applied it to films like Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice. The other film I recommend is Metropolis.. it could easily be considered the first SciFi film ever made.
You said it, Brandon: this movie is perfect evidence that story is king. (And also: storytelling!)). You did this movie GREAT!!! I LOVE silent movies, some of the best movies I've ever seen are from that era, including three from the director of this movie (F.W. Murnau): "Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans", hands down, one of the best ever. Also "Faust" and "The Last Laugh". For other silent stuff: Douglas Fairbanks (Sr.) and Buster Keaton: both will BLOW YOUR MIND with the stunts (and the stories and performances) in their movies. Keaton is hilarious: "One Week" is only twenty minutes and totally iconic. HIghly recommend that. Also "The General" and "Sherlock Jr." And superheroes and action movies BEGIN with Fairbanks' "The Mark Of Zorro", which kicked off a string of classic action films. He's the original and the best of them all, the first "King of Hollywood". Anyways, THANK YOU, and I hope you hit more silents from time to time!
The werewolf in the beginning could have actually been referring to dracula. In the book he takes the form of a wolf many times. In the book dracula is truly op
what a classic, Murnau is maybe the best and most influential director of the silent era. If you want to continue with some silent films, I really recommend his later movies Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans and The Last Laugh, both of which are all-time favorites of mine. I also recommend Metropolis and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari if you're looking for some more influential silent German expressionism/horrors.
Well, I can't believe what I'm seeing! A young RUclips viewer watching a SILENT black-and-white movie from the previous century? Yes, silent movies have "dialogue cards" when pantomime fails.;) Silent films were tinted certain colors to evoke the atmosphere before color movie film was available. I had seen Silent films in full monochrome before, but when I saw the tinted version of "Nosferatu," on Turner Classic Movies, it heightened the mood.
My first time seeing any Nosferatu was on an Are You Afraid of the Dark episode, some of those episodes really freaked me out as a kid but I couldn’t get enough!
this movie is also featured in Shadow of the Vampire a fictional "Making of" story :Are you Afraid of the Dark?" used the film in one episode Nosferatu The Vampyre 1979 other noteworthy films dracula 1931 Man of a Thousand Faces 1957 the story of how Lon Chaney made his films as well as The Phantom Of The Opera 1925 and The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923 and Frankenstein 1910 battleship potemkin 1925 The Golem 1915 The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari 1920 Horror of Dracula 1958 Bram Stoker's Dracula 1992 Metropolis (1927) and for Christmas A Little Girl Who Did Not Believe in Santa Claus (1907)
Always enjoy how many unique movie choices you watch, really hope we get to see more old movies with you, like some of the classics (Stuff like Wolfman, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein, Dracula etc.). I saw a comment below recommended The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in the vein of these kind of old movies, and I second it! If you're interested in other older movies, then there's also: Gaslight (1944), Dead of the Night (1945), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), Night of the Living Dead (1968) and The Last Man on Earth (1964) Edit: Fun fact about the last one, it's an adaptation of the novel I Am Legend , which in 2007 got another adaptation featuring Will Smith
From the same period there is what is considered the first proper horror movie (1920) and a landmark that had huge influence on the horror and noir film and also considered the crown jewel of German cinematic expressionism of the 1920's, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
Keep this Vampire Train rolling! Dracula 1931 starring Bela Lugosi; Dracula or The Horror of Dracula 1958 starring Christopher Lee; Bram Stoker's: Dracula 1992 starring Gary Oldman Lets goooo!
1:55 Notice that the letter is exactly the same as the capital "H" in "Here is its story" above, so the name is "Hutter." 5:15 Back in the day, there was some hand coloration. This, of course, would have to be done on each individual copy. 5:54 It depended on the size of the venue. For smaller theatres, there was just a single piano player, but larger performances might have a full orchestra. I strongly recommend that you watch Metropolis, preferably in the most recent, restored version.
After this, you may get some fun out of watching the "Shadow of the Vampire" which is a fiction about the making of this movie where Max Schreck is so scary because he's an _actual_ vampire. You're spot on with some of your thought on symbolism. The original vampire scares (much like witch hunts before) were often to do with actual calamities, such as a plague. Also the aspect of sin and sexual desire is totally something that Bram Stoker added to the vampire myth. That spawned the vampire as the charismatic tempter.
Never forget when Spongebob made the punchline of an entire episode a reveal featuring a character from a silent German horror movie none of its child audience would even remotely recognize 💀
"If that was you on the phone and you on the bus, then who was flickering the lights?"
@@AlexSeverinski the primetime of spongebob, don't know why but it was hella funny even tho we were just around 8-10 years old.
I remember distinctly that I got the reference, because I was a weird child and still am, but it bugged be because I knew none of my friends would get it.
Luckily, I didn't have any, and still don't.
What a good episode
Steve Hillenburg was just brilliant. Spongebob wasnt the same after he left
In a German film class I took way back when, we told the teacher this and then showed her the clip. She was laughing more than we were.
Fun fact: this was the first time a vampire was destroyed by sunlight. That was never part of vampire lore prior to this.
Here's some interesting facts:
The 1922 Nosferatu film was based on the Bram Stoker's 1897 Dracula novel, so to try to avoid copyright, they changed the name from Count Dracula to Count Orlock and the title from Dracula to Nosferatu (another interesting fact about the word "Nosferatu" is that it's kinda "lost in time". While it's uncertain, the origin of the word is believed to be of Romanian and it was used in the Dracula novel as a synonym for "vampire".
These copyright issues was also the reason why the film was originally never released in America and only in Germany. However, it did end up being a victim of copyright and a court ruled all copies be destroyed! However, a few copies survived and today, the movie "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror" is known as one of the best and most influential horror films of all time.
Also, this film is still legendary in 2022.
Also when it was remade the villain went by Dracula because by then the character was public domain.
@@GiffTunes Klaus Kinski mvp xD
Cadinho Meireles Which you think is the definitive version of this movie? Because I have read that there are several of them
@@lukeizabelle2131 The version Brandon watched is more or less the "definitive" version (at least until another restoration happens), but my personal favorite is the 2002 Kino version. Night scenes are a darker blue, and the soundtrack has some neat pipe sounds (and cringe vocals in a couple spots).
@@Bioroid And which version did Brandon watch and does it have the original soundtrack since you've said that is the definitive one?
Even for a silent film, this one still gives me the creeps to this day. It's basically an adaptation of the original Dracula novel, but with names changed
Yeah it was because stoker”s who was dead by this time, wife denied to sell the rights of the book to be made into a film so the director basically made some changes instead.
This is a really interesting choice for a movie reaction. I hope it gains enough attention to encourage more like this.
Removes the danger of copyright claims if movie is over 95 years old...The first sound movies will be turning Public Domain in a year.
@@themoviedealers Great point! I think Freaks is only 90 years old, but it would be another interesting reaction!
This is one of the most influential and surreal vampire films ever made.
There is even a movie called Shadow Of The Vampire, where us shows us what would happen if FW Murnau hired a real vampire instead of an actor.
The film stars Willem Dafoe and John Malkovich.
shadow of the vampire, famously directed by the director of the INSANE surrealist black and white cult classic BEGOTTEN.
If you want ‘surreal’ - my favourite old vampire movie/old horror movie full-stop is Vampyr. 1932, so very early days of sound film - contains some of the eeriest sequences ever put to film, full of what I’d call ‘dark whimsy’
@@jack_rabbit I watched Begotten for the first time whilst tripping out. Do not recommend.
@@mysticsaxophone4181 ugh, I can only imagine!
"Story is king." You have admirably summed up the secret to the longevity of many classic movies, no matter how long ago they were made. "Nosferatu" is a prime example of how to make a great film.
a movie i’d recommend is M (1931) by Fritz Lang, Lang was a prominent silent movie director and M was his first non-silent movie. It’s fascinating to watch just how much cinema evolved in such a short span of time as M’s camera moves and use of sound still hold up today when both of these aspects of film were virtually non existent prior
Metropolis came out 4 years before M
@@parsasadri8015 correct, kind of random though
@@finlaylonghurst I thought you said M was his first silent movie. I misread 🤦♂️🤣
@@parsasadri8015 no worries lol
So here’s the long and short of the filming locations:
Filming took place around Germany, and Slovakia.
Wismar stood in for Wisborg for the exterior shots of several locations.
The abandoned derelict house that Nosferatu moves into, is a set of old industrial buildings in Lübeck (also in northern Germany) called the Salzspeicher (salt storehouses).
Other location exteriors were shot in other areas of Germany notably Lauenburg and Rostock and on the island of Sylt.
Orava Castle in Slovakia stood in as Orlok’s castle for exterior shots only and is indeed still there, it’s a museum.
I think the shot of the castle destroyed at the end was filmed at Stary Hrad Castle (also Slovakia).
All interior shots were filmed at Johannisthal Studios in south east Berlin, founded in 1920 and some 400 silent films were made there, later it was used by the Weimar government of the 1920s and later the Nazis for film production. After the Second World War it fell into control of Soviet East Germany and since the 60s I think it’s used for television production.
I thought Orava Castle's interior was also used.
Can I just say that this is fucking amazing?! I have so much respect for you for reacting to a film like this, I've never seen any reaction channel on RUclips do something like this. Very awesome
This is the first time I've seen a reaction to a silent film or even to a film pre-1960s in general. Would definitely love more classic movie reactions!
Popcorn in Bed did a good review of Casablanca. hopefully you’ve seen the film.. if not, make sure to watch the actual film first
James VS Cinema has done 12 Angry Men, Some Like it Hot, Paths of Glory, The Third Man, and Rashomon. I'm one of a few Patreon supporters who have suggested M and Sunrise: A Story of Two Humans, and other pre-30s films.
@@brettcoster4781 I love Sunrise. I’ve seen Napoleon (1927), The Crowd (1928), The Last Laugh (1924), Dr Mabuse The Gambler (1922), Intolerance (1916) and Greed (1924).
@@brettcoster4781 If you can also suggest him The Phantom Carriage (1921), The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928), Freaks (1932), Double Indmenity (1944), Brief Encounter (1945), Late Spring (1949), Sunset Boulevard (1950), All About Eve (1950), Rear Window (1954) or Diabolique (1955). Those are some of the best pre-60s films ive seen.
@@kingamoeboid3887 The only films I've not seen of your list are The Crowd and Greed, otherwise they're all great films. So too is Pandora's Box, one of my very favourites. James has had M on his last Patreon lists, so hopefully it'll get up soon. But the Patreon supporters have a very wide list of great films that they suggest, which is why I love his reviews.
If you like the "really old movie" experience, watching "Metropolis" is a must. Several versions available. The set's and cinematography were amazing for their day and are still impressive to look at now.
I second this recommendation!
A few years back, for my birthday, my daughter took me to see the film at a modern concert hall, with a Live chamber orchestra... it was one of the coolest experiences of my life!
If you wanna check out some VERY old films that are quite amazing, watch The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Metropolis. Both are VERY good. You also can't go wrong with some oldies like Dracula (with Bela Lugosi), The Mummy, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein (probably the best of these), The Invisible Man, Wolfman... etc.
Or the Dracula and Frankenstein films from Hammer Studios with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. They are fantastic.
great suggestions!
Caligari and Metropolis are easily my favorite silent films
Nosferatu is a straightforward horror film (meaning metaphysical evil is physically real and can ultimately be defeated by purity and goodness, nothing wrong with that), Caligari is a postmodern, psychological horror film from 1920, almost before straightforward horror films existed - prefigured all the ‘psychological horror’ we think of as a contemporary genre.
Metropolis is a dazzling piece of film-making, but very flawed (incredibly trite ending)
Also the director of Nosferaru made another silent film considered one of the greatest of all time called Sunrise. A totally abstract story where characters are named ‘the Man’ and ‘the Woman’, set in ‘the City’. Hard to categorise, kind of a love story but very, very dark and tragic - but also comedic to the point where it has a scene of a pig getting drunk
Chris Lee will forever be my favorite Dracula!
I love this film. My best experience with it was during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival a few years ago where I watched it in an old chapel with a live pianist and percussionist providing the soundtrack. It was amazing.
I’ll do you one better: I saw it in a chapel with a live *organist*, improvising on the pipe organ
Sounds incredible, just out of curiosity, were there a lot of goths there?
The color tinting was something done in post-production in the silent era. The film print, originally being black- and-white, would literally be immersed in dye baths to make it change to a desired color. Tints were very common during this time and were used to denote time of day, location, mood, etc.
You should surely add Shadow of the Vampire to your list now that you've seen this film.
P.S. "He definitely looks like a Butter." *Hahaha*
Parkay! 😂
You need to watch "Shadow of the Vampire" Brandon. It's a fictional horror movie about the making of Nosferatu, and the premise is that the director hired a real vampire for the movie. Willem Dafoe plays Count Orlock/Dracula, and he got an Oscar nomination for his performance. Trust me, it's a great film!
I second that, it's fantastic, it's funny, it's witty.
Yep! I first saw it back in 2001and it's still one of my favorite films. Dafoe was so funny and yet so creepy at the same time, and Udo Keir was fantastic. A genuine masterpiece, and a must-see for fans of the 1922 movie.
Guaranteed you will like it Brandon and you may be tempted to wait a while but i think it would be better to do it quicker as a follow-up.
Came here to comment that!
I came here to say this
Glad you’re back to doing movie reactions! I’ve missed them. And Nosferatu is a straight classic.
If you want to watch more silent horror movies like this, I highly recommend Häxan, a sort of documentary/essay film about superstitions around witchcraft as well as the director’s study of the Malleus Maleficarium.
Coincidentally Häxan is also turning 100 years old this year!
You're getting your umlauts wrong, it's Häxan.
Håxan would be pronounced more like "Hoxan" and Häxan is more like "Hexan".
And Dr Mabuse The Gambler.
@@sebastiangron5050 Thanks for the correction, I don't know how I got those mixed around lol
The Spanish Flu ran from about 1918 to 1920.
Some other silent movies to see...
"The Phantom of the Opera" 1925 with Lon Cheny. Not only did it feature Cheny's own character design and makeup, and include a legendary reveal, it also had some of the first color sequences in film history.
"Faust" 1926 by Murnau. It is a good telling of the story of a man who sells his soul and also has some good special effects for the era.
"Wings" from 1927. Not a horror movie but it is about WWI fighter pilots and includes groundbreaking camera work like the swing, cameras on planes filming the dogfights, and a travelling shot through a crowded club.
What I find interesting about the early days of the movies is filmmakers creating in a completely new medium. Trying to figure out the best way to tell a story on film. It went from just filming a static play to what we recognized what a movie is today.
Somehow, I watched this at the age of 17 and really liked it. It's a fascinating watch that managed to feel quite ominous. It is little wonder to me why this film has endured despite its outdated elements; this form of film still works extremely effectively on its own merits.
03:16 Fun fact: I used to live a few meters away from that location, in Lübeck. We even went to partys in those old buildings.
The Werner Herzog version is definitely worth watching as well!
NOOOOOOOOOOOO 😠😡😡😡🤬.
Would love to see someone do more silent film reactions. Definitely have to do some Charlie Chaplin movies "City Lights, "Modern Times", and "The Great Dictator". But of course Buster Keaton too "The General", "Sherlock Jr", and "The Cameraman".
For drama movies "Metropolis", "The Wind", "The Passion of Joan of Arc", "Sunrise: The song of two humans", and "Intolerance" I would recommend. Thing is I think all these movies are now copyright free and can be streamed right off of RUclips.
The filters are the show the difference between day and night because in black and white it’s obvious they shot all Nosferatu scenes during daylight so the blue tint is at night the yellow tint is during the day
Shadow of the Vampire is one of my favorite movies of all time and sadly it isn’t anywhere on streaming so…..in recent years people seem to be forgetting about it. Dafoe and Malkovich are incredible in it…and Dafoe deserves every accolade he has ever gotten for it. The concept is absolutely genius. Despite the dark humor in it…it is equally terrifying!
ruclips.net/video/5Xl0l0gtK6g/видео.html 👌
A lot of silent films don’t have a particular soundtrack going for it, most copy’s of them use random music depending on the version, so there could be a version that is less joyous ost wise
most showings at those times would have had (different) live piano music by local "cinema piano players", and at most could have had some sheet music distributed with the movie to serve as guideline for those local pianists who mostly improvised.
Actually this is the version with the original soundtrack composed by Hans Erdmann for the premiere in March 1922
Occassionally for some silent movies, which were made for special prestige, an original score was composed to be played at the premiere and in selected greater movie theaters as well, which could afford to employ an own orchestra.
( With the introduction of sound in movies by 1929/30 all these movie theater musicians would loose their jobs over night.)
For 'Nosferatu - Eine Symphony des Grauens' Hans Erdmann ( 1882 - 1942 ) was comissioned to compose the music for the premiere at the Marble Hall in the Zoo of Berlin on March, the 04th., 1922.
For the premiere he provided an arrangement for big orchestra, the one to be heard here.
But he also arranged some orchestrations for smaller ensembles.
This music of Erdmann was rediscovered and restored in the eighties of the last century and is also the one to be heard in this edition of 'Nosferatu'.
This edition of the movie
was done on basis of a new movie
restoration by the 'Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung' and released by Transit-Film /
( UfA - Universum Film ) in 2007.
The music was newly recorded by the Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester, Saarbrücken, Germany, under the direction of music restorator, Berndt Heller.
This is also the symphony orchestra of my hometown, and I'm happy that by that my hometown had a considerable part in restoring this classic movie as closely as possible to the original and how it probably could have be seen ( and heard ) at its premiere in 1922.
But since the seventies several composers and bands have tried their own scores for 'Nosferatu' .
One of the first for instance was the one by Hans Posegga, another prolific German film composer, who wrote a score, that was heavily based on pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach.
In 2003 José Maria Sánchez-Verdú from Spain wrote another score for live screenings.
In 2015 Matthew Aucoin composed a score for a live screening in Los Angeles.
To name just a few.
But as said this score here is the original one, which was played at the premiere in 1922.
Hi Brandon,
as you liked Nosferatu, try some other classic movies from that era: "The cabinet of Dr. Caligari" from 1920 and "Metropolis" from 1927. I'm sure you'll find them very interesting, too.
Now you’re ready to watch Shadow of the Vampire, a bizarre horror film about the making of Nosferatu starring John Malkovich as Murnau, and Willem Dafoe as Max Schreck. The central conceit is that Schreck was actually a vampire.
Edited to add: also, Werner Herzog remade Nosferatu in 1979, with Klaus Kinski as the vampire. It’s a visual feast, and Kinski is amazing in it.
i saw this at a silent movie theatre a few months ago, they had a really old man playing the organ and (i think) it was projected on film. the experience was legit magical
You owe it to yourself to explore the work of Fritz Lang. He was the one of the most important filmmakers in cinema who popularized the most integral genres in the cinematic medium; sci-fi (1927's Metropolis), fantasy (1924's Die Nibelungen), crime (1922's Dr. Mabuse the Gambler), spy (1928's Spione) and the serial killer film (1931's M).
I believe that those genres would not become what they are today had it not been for Lang and his films, and if you decide to dig deeper, you may see that as well.
Your film geekery just went up 1000 XP. 🙌🏻
Dudeeeee! Let’s do more of these. Appreciate you setting a trend.
Love to see it
I’d also recommend phantom carriage. I think I saw that you purchased it in a haul video?
YES! Phantom Carriage is a must!
And The Best Years Of Our Lives.
I also suggest Sunrise (1927), my favorite from F.W. Murnau.
The actor who played Nosferatu was Max Schreck and he was surprisingly handsome making this terrifying film even more amazing.
For the ninetieth anniversary (so, ten years ago), I got a chance to see this in a theater with a live orchestra providing the music. It was a terrific experience befitting such an iconic film.
There's another silent film by Fritz Lang called Die Nibelungen that might be worth checking out. Extremely impressive for a film made in 1924.
As was Dr Mabuse. Frau Im Mond (Woman in the Moon) is also worthwhile (it invented the rocket countdown). And others like Spiones (Spys), but I didn't. Fritz Lang's 30's and 40's American films have some standouts, too.
@@brettcoster4781 I do love The Big Heat (1953), first film I saw Lee Marvin in. I've seen the Dr Mabuse trilogy, Secrets Beyond The Door, M and Metropolis (my favourite from Fritz Lang).
If you even kind of enjoyed this movie, you HAVE to watch The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. It's the other German expressionistic horror masterpiece of the 20s and in my opinion even better than Nosferatu. If you don't know anything about Caligari, I 100% guarantee you that it will blow your mind.
And the somnambulist in Dr. Caligari is played by Conrad Veidt, who played Colonel Strasser in Casablanca! Small world.
@@Divamarja_CA Yep. And he also played the titular role in The Man Who Laugh which inspired the character of the Joker
What about Metropolis?
@@primevaltimes Not a horror, but also an absolute masterpiece and my personal pick for the greatest movie ever made
Tim Burton must have loved Caligari. The set designs scream Burton.
German silent movies in the 1920's were among the most innovative and creative of their time, especially with directors like Murnau or Lang.
When I first saw this film as a little boy in the 70's, I was terrified of Nosferatu and hide under the covers.
It was shot in Wismar/Germany.
There's another film starring William Dafoe. A film about the shooting of Nosferatu. Shadow of the Vampire!
And don’t forget the Classic „The Fearless Vampire Killers“ by Roman Polanski.
I've seen Nosferatu in the cinema with live accompaniment by an organist, who played both music and sound effects. It was wonderful!
This sounds phenomenal
Interesting to know that the Exorcist was made almost 50 years after this film and now, it's been almost 50 years since the Exorcist was made. 2 of my favorite horror films.
Please watch Cabinet of Dr. Caligari next! I always watch them together as a silent horror double feature. You'll get to see where Tim Burton bit all his style from.
I have seen this movie in a theater twice with live music from a group called The Invincible Czars. They go around providing music to silent films. In addition to Nosferatu I've seen them do Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde(1920) and The Phantom of the Opera(1925) so far. It makes a world of difference.
So here's a suggestion. Maybe not immediately after this one but... you should also watch the 1979 remake by Werner Herzog. It's a beautiful, atmospheric movie with haunting music by Popol Vuh and lots of amazing shots, beautiful scenery, really good use of color and staging and is I'd say one of the few situations where a remake is much better than the original.
Or you could go for an adaptation much closer to the books and watch Bram Stoker's Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola which is also brilliantly shot and is a loveletter to traditional filmmaking with everything in the movie being in-camera... this and the 1979 Nosferatu are my two favorite takes on Dracula ever.
Would be fun to see Brandon try and figure out how Coppola did some of those effects. Also, Herzog's film is genius.
After I've read that all of Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula special effects and film making techniques were in-camera I was blown away, couldn't believe it
The soundtrack alone, tsinrsakaro
saw this movie on it's 100th anniversary, our local symphony did the music live. was an amazing experience
I legit laughed at “butter”. That was great man 🤣🤌.
Lots of creepy shots too 👀
My hat is off to you. As somebody wrote below, seeing a reaction to a pre-1960s movie is rare and you did fine by it. Film history is so very rich but on You Tube I see the same 50 or so movies being watched. It's a shame, really. Well done!
I find that the biggest barriers for people in terms of enjoying old silent movies tends to be less the subtitles and silence, more the style of acting, which regardless of situation, largely tended to be = because of the lack of dialogue, highly demonstrative, both in terms of physicality and facial expressions.
Thanks for reacting to this silent film. One of my favorite 100+ year-old films is Young Romance (1915). In a New York department store, Nellie of notions and Tom of hardware don’t know one another, but they have similar desires to see what it would be like to be a person of wealth and status. They travel separately to the same upscale beach resort in Maine, pretending to be persons of wealth. Before long they encounter a mustache-twirling villain, and the plot thickens. It’s worth observing that the role of the gum-chewing girlfriend of the leading lady goes back well before the talkies.
Great adaptation of Dracula. I spent one Halloween weekend watching 5 Dracula adaptations:
Nosferatu(1922)
Dracula(1931)
Horror of Dracula(1958)
Nosferatu(1979)
Bram Stoker's Dracula(1992)
All unique takes on the Dracula story.
The original Bram Stoker novel comes highly recommended.
I remember my dad taking me to see this at the Oriental in Milwaukee back when I was five or six. There was a percussion trio with I think one of the guys from Mission of Burma doing the soundtrack. By far the most terrified I have ever been by an old, silent movie, enough to rival a lot of more modern horror movies I’ve seen since. Spectacularly-aged film.
Silent movies were sometimes accompanied by an orchestra, but usually only for big premiere events. The majority of theaters would've had a much more scaled down accompaniment, most frequently a single pianist or organ player. It wasn't uncommon, either, for a theater to have no musicians hired, leaving the film to play in silence.
this movie is considered the second horror movie I believe with the first being the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari 1919. this is also the OG of getting copyright claimed as all but one of the film reels was destroyed by the rights owner to Dracula, and this movie invented vampires dying in sunlight, originally they are just very weak during the day
Love that you reacted to this movie! I think it's pretty much required viewing for horror heads. If you liked this one, you should see Häxan (1922). It's a Swedish silent film about witches and witchcraft, and I think it's creepier than Nosferatu.
Yes, some scholars would say that there are two "plagues" in Dracula, Bram Stoker's book. One is tuberculosis. This is also linked with lust/seduction. Tuberculosis was notorious for taking out whole families one by one, or one's most intimate relations. It also left rosy cheeked corpses as if the dead were just sleeping. The other "plague" was immigration. Let's face it, xenophobia or fear of the "other" is one of the pillars of horror. In this case, immigrants from eastern Europe (euphemism?) were blamed for the spread of diseases like tuberculosis.
If I recall correctly, in the book Dracula could turn into bats, rats, wolves and fog. I may be missing a few things. I'ma go watch more of your reviews now!
Brandon! As a massive fan of silent cinema, seeing the notification for this video made me so happy! I know reacting to silent films is a risk since not a lot of people are interested in them, but if you ever want to watch more silent movies that I think would absolutely appeal to your subscribers, I would recommend the following!
- (1) ANY silent comedy from Buster Keaton (my favorites are OUR HOSPITALITY, and the 45-minute-long SHERLOCK JR.), or maybe even SAFETY LAST! starring Harold Lloyd. They're full of insane, Tom Cruise-level stunt work.
- (2) If you want more fantasy/horror, METROPOLIS is the godfather of sci-fi! But I'd absolutely vouch for FAUST, the Christmas Carol-esque THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE, and the "essay film" about witchcraft called HAXAN.
- (3) If you want high drama that's also just technically masterful, I would 100% recommend SUNRISE: A SONG OF TWO HUMANS (also directed by Nosferatu's FW Murnau!), THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, and THE CROWD.
Whether or not you react to more silent films on your channel, I hope you get to watch more of them on your own time anyway! Silent cinema is a wonderful and still underappreciated era that deserves even more love!
Harold Lloyd, one of my faves!
@@markrowe1979 I can't help but be biased in favor of Harold and Buster over Charlie Chaplin. I feel like action movies wouldn't be where they are today without them!
i was also coming here to strongly recommend the passion of joan of arc. i don't know how it would play as a reaction given that there's not a lot of "action" but it's one of the films that everyone should see and one of the few films where i felt like I was a different person after i watched it (admittedly i was 18/19, so pretty impressionable, but it legitimately is that good.)
@@jessharvell1022 I'd agree with your 18/19-year-old self! I'm 28 and I only watched it earlier this year, and I still felt changed afterward. One of the best performances ever captured on film!
some questions that you raised in your reaction: color tinting was a pretty commonly employed technique in this period of filmmaking. it was added during the printmaking process by running the black and white print through a dye bath. dark blue tinting was generally used to indicate when scenes were taking place at night, when they were obviously shot in full daylight, akin to the later technique of day-for-night, i.e. shooting in daylight with a dark filter on the camera lens to suggest a nighttime setting. yellow tinting would be used to suggest bright daylight or morning sun; red or orange might be used to suggest dawning light or scenes set in firelight or lamplight; etc. tinting might also be used to suggest the emotional tenor of a scene, such as red for a depiction of violence or extreme anger, or pale blue for a love scene, and so on. re musical accompaniment, studios would prepare scores for films, sometimes composed expressly for the film (such as the original 1927 orchestral score for fritz lang's film "metropolis," which was recorded for the major restoration of that film that was undertaken about 15 years ago) or compiled from existing music, chosen to suit the mood and emotion of the various scenes of the narrative. large, prestigious theaters would likely have a substantial pit orchestra, while smaller theaters might have a small instrumental ensemble or piano accompaniment. this was also the age of the great theater pipe organs, which had capabilities of suggesting an entire orchestra via the various ranks of pipes as well as a battery of percussion instruments and sound effect devices such as car horns, train whistles,, police sirens, etc, all operated from the organ console.
Dude, silent film is a mother lode. I personally am obsessed with the films of Buster Keaton, which are surprisingly modern, and endlessly inventive, both in story and in filmmaking. Sherlock Jr., The General, The Navigator, Our Hospitality and Steamboat Bill Jr are the flat out masterpieces, IMO, but you can’t go,wrong with Buster. One that is often overlooked is The Man Who Laughs from 1928, a Hollywood film by the great German expressionist director Paul Leni, with a masterful performance by Conrad Veidt, famous for playing Major Strasser In Casablanca. If you’ve ever wondered where The Joker came from, it’s from the character Veidt plays.
I only watched a handful of Movies that are older than this one:
- Destiny (1921), directed by Fritz Lang
- The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), directed by Robert Wiene
- Intolerance (1916), directed by D.W. Griffith
- Trip to the Moon (1902), directed by Georges Melies
I think I watched a number of other Short Films by Melies as part of a TV-Special once, but I can't remember which ones exactly. But anyway, the Silent Era is a Treasure Trove.
This is a stunning movie that puts many a modern filmmaker to shame. And can I just say I am always very impressed with Greta Schroeder's performance as Ellen, she makes one care more than anyone else in this movie. You might also enjoy The Phantom of the Opera with Lon Chaney from 1925.
The castle used for the exterior shots is
called Orava castle which is located in
north of Slovakia.
I play in a Radiohead cover band and we've performed during a showing of this film, as a sort of alternate soundtrack to it. Pretty bonkers experience.
Fantastic reaction as always man.
Would love to see you react to the 70s remake by Werner Herzog. One of the best remakes ever
Thanks for sharing this amazing reaction Brandon. I would also like to recommend the 1979 version of Nosferatu, made by another badass, legendary german director Werner Herzog, and it is a legit masterpiece. Beautifully shot, creepy, nightmarish, erotic with a unique vibe of another era of german filmmaking. The Count played by Klaus Kinski, one of the craziest and most obsessed actors of the time, who was long time best friend and "archenemy" of the director at the same time. Hutter (changed to Harker) played by the young Bruno Ganz, who is most known to our generation by his portrayal of Hitler in Downfall - and Lucy is played by the very talented and gorgeous Isabelle Adjani, who was an arthouse scream queen at that time (anyone who loves 70s and 80s indie/art horrors check her out also in the Tenant-1976, and Possession-1981).
Now Robert Eggers is making his own version of Nosferatu, and I am really thrilled and hyped about it. But before you hit the screens to see that one, check out first the 1979 version. Probably is even worth a reaction video from you Brandon, as a follow up to this one.
Cheers, and keep up with your work and good taste for classics.😉
Need to get back to movies, I can't watch your TV reactions as I haven't seen most of the series myself yet, but your movie reactions are always insightful and enjoyable to watch.
The first train filmed made people run away from the screen because they thought the train was going to hit them in the theatre. I can't even imagine the pure terror people felt watching this.
Me and my best friend watched this movie for the first time on the VERY DAY it turnend 100 years old!
I am 100% on bord for reactions to old/older movies! Hopefully, the community is, too!
Been a while since the last Movie reaction..
Good to have you hitting them again buddy,
I like the longer vids..
Well, now that you've watched this, you have to watch The Cabinet of Dr Caligari
It's amazing for such an old film
Best movie reaction channel! You deserve much more views and subscribers
I know you have watched older movies before but I was incredibly surprised to see this on my subscriptions list. I'm so happy that a reactor is watching a silent movie, probably the oldest movie I have seen any channel watch and one that I love at that! Thank you and great reaction!
Some other absolute must-see horror flicks from the silent era:
-The Haunted Castle (1896)
-A Trip to the Moon (1902)
-L’Inferno (1911)
-The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
-The Phantom Carriage (1921)
-Häxan (1922)
-The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)
-The Phantom of the Opera (1925 version, not the shorter 1929 rerelease)
-Metropolis (complete version, 1927)
-The Man Who Laughs (1928)
Great film and it’s cool to see you react to this Brandon. Hope you’re doing well man!
The vampire in the mini-series of Stephen King's Salem's Lot was modeled on this character. As a followup, might I suggest Shadow of the Vampire. It's a movie about the making of Nosferatu starring Willem Dafoe as the actor who played Nosferatu.
This one still holds up! If you want another creepy silent movie, also from 1922, Häxan (The Witch) is a really great watch! Might be hard to find though
häxan is indeed incredible and is part of the criterion collection now so a blu-ray shouldn't be too hard to find.
Heck yes. Halloween came early this year. Great reaction as usual!
Welcome to German expressionist cinema. I hope you continue your journey into this most fascinating period of cinematic history. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, as recommended by more than a few folks here, is another great one. You watch that film and you see that Tim Burton took a lot from that film and applied it to films like Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice. The other film I recommend is Metropolis.. it could easily be considered the first SciFi film ever made.
You said it, Brandon: this movie is perfect evidence that story is king. (And also: storytelling!)). You did this movie GREAT!!! I LOVE silent movies, some of the best movies I've ever seen are from that era, including three from the director of this movie (F.W. Murnau): "Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans", hands down, one of the best ever. Also "Faust" and "The Last Laugh". For other silent stuff: Douglas Fairbanks (Sr.) and Buster Keaton: both will BLOW YOUR MIND with the stunts (and the stories and performances) in their movies. Keaton is hilarious: "One Week" is only twenty minutes and totally iconic. HIghly recommend that. Also "The General" and "Sherlock Jr." And superheroes and action movies BEGIN with Fairbanks' "The Mark Of Zorro", which kicked off a string of classic action films. He's the original and the best of them all, the first "King of Hollywood". Anyways, THANK YOU, and I hope you hit more silents from time to time!
The werewolf in the beginning could have actually been referring to dracula. In the book he takes the form of a wolf many times. In the book dracula is truly op
I grew up watching this. One of my all time favorites. Wish more people reacted to it.
what a classic, Murnau is maybe the best and most influential director of the silent era. If you want to continue with some silent films, I really recommend his later movies Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans and The Last Laugh, both of which are all-time favorites of mine. I also recommend Metropolis and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari if you're looking for some more influential silent German expressionism/horrors.
This was something I was not expecting at all, and it was dope af!
Well, I can't believe what I'm seeing! A young RUclips viewer watching a SILENT black-and-white movie from the previous century? Yes, silent movies have "dialogue cards" when pantomime fails.;) Silent films were tinted certain colors to evoke the atmosphere before color movie film was available. I had seen Silent films in full monochrome before, but when I saw the tinted version of "Nosferatu," on Turner Classic Movies, it heightened the mood.
Finally someone reacts to this! Another reason you’re the best!
Thank you for this man
My first time seeing any Nosferatu was on an Are You Afraid of the Dark episode, some of those episodes really freaked me out as a kid but I couldn’t get enough!
this movie is also featured in
Shadow of the Vampire a fictional "Making of" story
:Are you Afraid of the Dark?" used the film in one episode
Nosferatu The Vampyre 1979
other noteworthy films
dracula 1931
Man of a Thousand Faces 1957 the story of how Lon Chaney made his films
as well as The Phantom Of The Opera 1925 and The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923
and Frankenstein 1910
battleship potemkin 1925
The Golem 1915
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari 1920
Horror of Dracula 1958
Bram Stoker's Dracula 1992
Metropolis (1927)
and for Christmas A Little Girl Who Did Not Believe in Santa Claus (1907)
Each strip of film was physically dyed to the color that Murnau the director wanted.
Always enjoy how many unique movie choices you watch, really hope we get to see more old movies with you, like some of the classics (Stuff like Wolfman, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein, Dracula etc.). I saw a comment below recommended The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in the vein of these kind of old movies, and I second it!
If you're interested in other older movies, then there's also: Gaslight (1944), Dead of the Night (1945), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), Night of the Living Dead (1968) and The Last Man on Earth (1964)
Edit: Fun fact about the last one, it's an adaptation of the novel I Am Legend , which in 2007 got another adaptation featuring Will Smith
Hard to imagine we went from the monstera of Nosferatu to the gliter boys of Twilight in only 86 years.
Lmao that joke in the intro was very well done! 👍
No way! I hear Robert Eggars doing a reimagining of this movie
I think it was cancelled
With Danny Devito as Count Orlock? Please?
From the same period there is what is considered the first proper horror movie (1920) and a landmark that had huge influence on the horror and noir film and also considered the crown jewel of German cinematic expressionism of the 1920's, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
Good reaction and kudos for selecting it...
Colours are originally printed on the film, yellow daytime and blue nightime
Keep this Vampire Train rolling! Dracula 1931 starring Bela Lugosi; Dracula or The Horror of Dracula 1958 starring Christopher Lee; Bram Stoker's: Dracula 1992 starring Gary Oldman
Lets goooo!
that's a cool idea for a series!
I haven't seen that movie but watching your reactions are always so fun!!
1:55 Notice that the letter is exactly the same as the capital "H" in "Here is its story" above, so the name is "Hutter."
5:15 Back in the day, there was some hand coloration. This, of course, would have to be done on each individual copy.
5:54 It depended on the size of the venue. For smaller theatres, there was just a single piano player, but larger performances might have a full orchestra.
I strongly recommend that you watch Metropolis, preferably in the most recent, restored version.
After this, you may get some fun out of watching the "Shadow of the Vampire" which is a fiction about the making of this movie where Max Schreck is so scary because he's an _actual_ vampire.
You're spot on with some of your thought on symbolism. The original vampire scares (much like witch hunts before) were often to do with actual calamities, such as a plague. Also the aspect of sin and sexual desire is totally something that Bram Stoker added to the vampire myth. That spawned the vampire as the charismatic tempter.