I know this is a belated review, the DVD has been available for sometime. If you haven’t rented or bought this DVD I highly recommend it for your library. With a cast like John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe how could it go wrong? This movie is a dark commentary on ego gone wrong, a festivity of self. Done with sly dry comedic tones that do not overpower the ending, which is blatant and stark. You think it is dark humor, then you realize you have been sucked deep into a morality tale.

Malkovich as F.W. Munrau, the director of what has been labeled the first Dracula movie, titled Nosferatu, drives his character relentless in is performance. He lets us see a Munrau that is selfish and totally blinded by his vision of Brahm Stoker’s novel. He is willing to sacrifice anything or anyone for his art. This is the kind of character Malkovich thrives in. He actually ad-libbed several monologues where Munrau rambles on in metaphorical comparisons of life and art. He is masterful.

Yet, it is Willem Defoe who steals the screen playing the vampire Max Shrek with gleeful mavolence. Enticed by Munrau with the promise of his leading lady as a reward, Shrek agrees to play the part of Count Orlock in Murau’s film. There are somber moments of reflection that Defoe portrays in solitary scenes quoting Tennyson that draws sympathy as well as revulsion. The makeup is excellent and Defoe uses it totally to his advantage, using it almost as a second skin it becomes part of his performance with his long, gnarled nails and his rat-toothed fangs. It is obvious that Defoe had fun with this role. It is also obvious why it landed him an Oscar nomination.

This is E. Elias Merhige’s first feature film, having been discovered in the Cannes Film Festival for his film the Begotten. His use of sepia tones and shadows accent and frame the actors to where the backgrounds become as much as part of the performance as the actors do. He will likely produce more films of controversy and merit I have no doubt.

Nicholas Cage produced this film through Saturn Films, his brain child. Hopefully there will be more of this caliber from his studios. Cage apparently is a fan of the dark and gothic as he relates in an interview on the DVD. The film is short, a total of 1hr33mins. Even in that short span, the film conveys a lot of material that would appeal to film buffs of the silent era as well as horror fans. Although not historically accurate, it is a great addition to the Nosferatu mythos and film lore.