64 / BD 70 Nosferatu

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Lino
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64 / BD 70 Nosferatu

#1 Post by Lino » Sat Aug 26, 2006 10:57 am

Nosferatu

Image Image Image

An iconic film of the German expressionist cinema, and one of the most famous of all silent movies, F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror continues to haunt — and, indeed, terrify — modern audiences with the unshakable power of its images. By teasing a host of occult atmospherics out of dilapidated set-pieces and innocuous real-world locations alike, Murnau captured on celluloid the deeply-rooted elements of a waking nightmare, and launched the signature "Murnau-style" that would change cinema history forever.

In this first-ever screen adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, a simple real-estate transaction leads an intrepid businessman deep into the superstitious heart of Transylvania. There he encounters the otherworldly Count Orlok — portrayed by the legendary Max Schreck, in a performance the very backstory of which has spawned its own mythology — who soon after embarks upon a cross-continental voyage to take up residence in a distant new land... and establish his ambiguous dominion. As to whether the count's campaign against the plague-wracked populace erupts from satanic decree, erotic compulsion, or the simple impulse of survival — that remains, perhaps, the greatest mystery of all in this film that's like a blackout...

Remade by Werner Herzog in 1979 (and inspiring films as diverse as Abel Ferrara's King of New York and The Addiction, and E. Elias Merhige's Shadow of the Vampire), F. W. Murnau's surreal 1922 cine-fable remains the original and landmark entry in the entire global tradition of "the horror film". The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present, at long last, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror in its definitive restoration, complete with original intertitles and accompanied by the score that played with the film at the time of its initial release.

SPECIAL BLU-RAY, DVD, AND DUAL FORMAT STEELBOOK EDITIONS

• Brand new 1080p high-definition restoration by Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung
• Stereo and 5.1 scores
• Two audio commentaries: one newly recorded by film historian David Kalat; the second by historian R. Dixon Smith and critic Brad Stevens
The Language of Shadows, a 53-minute documentary on Murnau’s early years and the filming of Nosferatu
• New video interview with BFI Film Classics: Nosferatu author Kevin Jackson
• Exclusive video piece taped by and featuring filmmaker Abel Ferrara
• Newly translated optional English subtitles with original German intertitles
• 56-PAGE BOOKLET featuring writing by Gilberto Perez, Albin Grau, Enno Patalas, and Craig Keller; notes on the restoration; and rare archival imagery

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Tommaso
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#2 Post by Tommaso » Sat Aug 26, 2006 11:54 am

It reads like this in English:

"After dubbing Hans Erdmann's original music for Nosferatu, performed by the Radio Symphony Orchestra Saarbrücken conducted by Berndt Heller, the new version of the film (restored by Luciano Berriatua and L'Imagine Retrovata on behalf of the Murnau-Foundation) will undergo extensive digital treatment before being released on DVD. Luciano Berriatua has searched for - and found - the original locations of the film for the 40min. extra documentary, among other things."

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HerrSchreck
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#3 Post by HerrSchreck » Sat Aug 26, 2006 2:14 pm

Luciano Berriatua has searched for - and found - the original locations of the film for the 40min. extra documentary,
Doesn't he know Dave Shepard already did that in his old Image release of NOS?

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skuhn8
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#4 Post by skuhn8 » Sat Aug 26, 2006 3:26 pm

HerrSchreck wrote:Doesnt he know Dave Shepard already did that in his old Image release of NOS?
I suspect this is a fancy way of saying that he watched Shepards doc then?

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Lino
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#5 Post by Lino » Sat Aug 26, 2006 4:28 pm

HerrSchreck wrote:
Luciano Berriatua has searched for - and found - the original locations of the film for the 40min. extra documentary
Doesnt he know Dave Shepard already did that in his old Image release of NOS?
Shrek, as I said above, I don't know how long this has been posted on the F. W. Murnau Foundation website I took the quote from. It can be old news, as far as everyone involved is concerned.

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HerrSchreck
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#6 Post by HerrSchreck » Sun Aug 27, 2006 12:52 am

Lino wrote:Shrek
:shock: :shock: :shock:

Well.... I guess... If you can't settle on a name why spend regard on another's?

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Lino
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#7 Post by Lino » Sun Aug 27, 2006 9:24 am

No need to get your pants on fire, Graf Schreck. I was just feeling lazy and decided to use a nickname instead. I was being friendly too. I hope it didn't sound so "schrecklich"... Kann ich spielen jedoch in Ihrem Schlöss? Bitte? [-o<

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#8 Post by peerpee » Sat Aug 04, 2007 6:38 pm

Taken directly from the new restoration:

Image

rwaits
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#9 Post by rwaits » Sat Aug 04, 2007 7:00 pm

Wow that looks incredible! Very, very exciting! Can't wait to burn my old Kino.

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Luke M
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#10 Post by Luke M » Sat Aug 04, 2007 8:40 pm

That's hot.

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Billy Liar
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#11 Post by Billy Liar » Sat Aug 04, 2007 10:25 pm

My nipples are so errect you could hang your coat on 'em.

MoC, god bless you you.

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Nadsat
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#12 Post by Nadsat » Sun Aug 05, 2007 2:20 am

rwaits wrote:Can't wait to burn my old Kino.
Or my old Image edition.

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Michael Kerpan
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#13 Post by Michael Kerpan » Sun Aug 05, 2007 12:01 pm

I thought the Kino DVD (when new) was a revelation -- and a delight. The music may have been problematic -- but image-wise, it made me very happy -- and gave me a far greater appreciation of the film. So, even if I hope it is now superseded, I see little reason to feel hostility to such an honorable older release.

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domino harvey
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#14 Post by domino harvey » Sun Aug 05, 2007 12:23 pm

I can't believe how good that screencap looks.

rwaits
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#15 Post by rwaits » Sun Aug 05, 2007 12:23 pm

To be honest, it was really only the soundtrack I had such a problem with. However, it was a big problem.

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Michael Kerpan
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#16 Post by Michael Kerpan » Sun Aug 05, 2007 12:35 pm

I frankly wonder if any score can do Nosferatu justice. I suspect silence -- or neutral background music -- are the besttt bet (at least for me).

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Person
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#17 Post by Person » Sun Aug 05, 2007 4:04 pm

An ultra-minimal score would seem the only way to go. Harmonium with occassional use of spinet or dulcimer at key moments would be interesting.

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Gropius
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#18 Post by Gropius » Sun Aug 05, 2007 4:47 pm

rwaits wrote:To be honest, it was really only the soundtrack I had such a problem with. However, it was a big problem.
If that's the soundtrack by that vaguely 'Kraut-rock'-ish band (not Faust, who have done live Murnau soundtracks I think),* I rather liked it at points, but there was some inappropriate use of unsubtle sound effects as I recall. At least it had some menace to it, unlike so many of those insipid 'ambient' synthesizer scores that get unjustly stuck on silent films (including some of the hideous work for the Kino Avant-Garde set). There is always the option of putting one's television on 'mute'.

* the name came back to me - it's Art Zoyd.

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Rsdio
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#19 Post by Rsdio » Sun Aug 05, 2007 5:21 pm

Gropius wrote:(not Faust, who have done live Murnau soundtracks I think)
They have, as have The Melvins. I'd love it if one of those was recorded and offered as an alternative alongside the more traditional scores.

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NABOB OF NOWHERE
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#20 Post by NABOB OF NOWHERE » Sun Aug 05, 2007 6:30 pm

Person wrote:An ultra-minimal score would seem the only way to go. Harmonium with occassional use of spinet or dulcimer at key moments would be interesting.
Geoff Smith might very well be the guy for you then. He's done Faust for Hammered dulcimer already and apparently is doing Haxan at the Cambridge Film festival on the 7th.

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#21 Post by mattkc » Sun Aug 05, 2007 6:40 pm

rwaits wrote:To be honest, it was really only the soundtrack I had such a problem with. However, it was a big problem.
Here's a thought, just watch it with the sound off. Which, for me, is generally the preferable way to see a silent film anyway. Of course, if you're seeing it in a cinema you can't turn the volume down though...

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zedz
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#22 Post by zedz » Sun Aug 05, 2007 6:57 pm

A long time ago, I saw a great Nosferatu accompanied by just piano and percussion. I have no idea if those performers are still active, but they created a very sympathetic score.

And I'll get on my personal hobby horse again: watching so-called silent films silent is no substitute: it's a completely different aesthetic experience (as fans of Brakhage or Dorsky will realise) and one never intended by the filmmakers. A bad score may be a betrayal of the movie, but watching it mute is not really any better, so lobbying for appropriate musical accompaniment is absolutely valid.

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NABOB OF NOWHERE
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#23 Post by NABOB OF NOWHERE » Sun Aug 05, 2007 7:18 pm

[quote="zedz"]A long time ago, I saw a great Nosferatu accompanied by just piano and percussion. I have no idea if those performers are still active, but they created a very sympathetic score.

Me too.I don't know if this was the same bunch you saw but they were called the Harmonie Band lead by a guy called, I think, Paul Robinson. They also did a great score for an outdoor Passion of Joan of Arc in St.John's College in Cambridge some time ago.

I've just checked and it was the Petit score done at Cambridge but apparently they are recording a newly composed score for the Dreyer with the Hilliard Ensemble.

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#24 Post by mattkc » Sun Aug 05, 2007 7:32 pm

Seeing a film of the "silent era" silent is historically incorrect, of course. But how on earth is it a bad thing? One can get a better grasp of the rhythms, and you feel each movement and cut more strongly. Soundtracks to silents are always distracting in one way or another; I usually end up just trying to block it out. Of course there are good ones, but even good ones are slightly distracting. It's a different aesthetic experience because you can take in more of the film. This is just my preference, I never said it was the right one.

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#25 Post by mattkc » Sun Aug 05, 2007 7:44 pm

PS: I am a, huge, fan of Brakhage.

By the way, he actually thought silent films should be shown silent - there is the story of when he showed "Napoleon", one that began with Gance giving an introduction, talking in front of the camera. He still insisted on seeing it silent! 10 or so minutes into the actual film, it was clear this was a version cut to a specific soundtrack. After many complaints he finally stood up and said they'll take a vote - almost everyone raised their hand for sound and he stormed out in a rage!

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