Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens
(or Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror (Terror))
Directed by F.W. Murnau
Starred Max Schreck (schreck is fear in German) as Graf Orlok (the funny looking bald one with the messed up front teeth).
It was the first filmed version of the novel Dracula with the names changed when Bram Stoker's wife charged his novel was being filmed without proper permission ie. Harker became Hutter.
Details are here.
Quote:
Quoted from article:
Much has been made of actor Max Schreck's contribution to Nosferatu. His unworldy thin rodent-like features, exaggerated by makeup and high-shouldered wardrobe, leave even the casual film viewer with the most unsettling feelings. If ever an actor was born to play a role, Max Schreck was born to play Dracula. In concert with Schreck, director F.W. Murnau brought easily the eeriest Dracula to the motion picture screen. It is no accident that several of the shots of Orlok the vampire are among the most visually striking in cinema history: the shot of Orlok walking through the doorway into Hutter's bedroom, the shot of Orlok rising from his coffin on the seafaring ship, the low-angle shot from the ship's hold looking up at Orlok walking on the deck above, the shot of the shadow of Orlok walking up the stairway to Ellen's bedroom door, the shot of Orlok feasting on Ellen's blood only to realize that dawn has arrived. On and on the list of influential visuals goes.
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Hope this is helpful!
Mark