Nosferatu the Vampyre (5 Stars)

This is another example of an excellent film that I've left unwatched on my shelf for more than eight years. It's possible that I only watched it once before today. I could only vaguely remember it.

Not long ago I said that a second film based on a book is a new version, not a remake. This film proves me wrong. It's based on Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula", but it also follows Friedrich Murnau's film "Nosferatu" so closely that it can be argued whether it's based more on the book or the film.

Werner Herzog's 1979 film copies the 1922 version, but it also adds scenes from the book that were missing in the film. It also restores the names that Murnau changed to conceal the fact that he was adapting Bram Stoker's book without having been granted the rights.

Which version is better? That's a question that I can't answer. How can you compare a black and white silent movie with a modern film? It's like asking whether a motorbike is better than a bicycle. It depends on your personal preferences, and many people would like to have both. All I can say is that the new version features two outstanding actors, Klaus Kinski and Bruno Ganz. Either of them by himself would make this film worth seeing, but having them together makes the film brilliant.

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