Shadow of the Vampire

There are very few movies nowadays that are about movies themselves. In the film world, there aren't many movies I can recall that actually show the viewer things about movies and making them from producing to creating. In 2000, though, Shadow of the Vampire brought forth a very interesting insight about an interesting movie. It wasn't a documentary but played the role as it portrayed the creating and producing of Nosferatu, a 1922 German Expressionist movie.

The single most thing that I loved about Shadow of the Vampire was its effect to make me think I was actually in the rooms when they were directing and preparing this film. I really did feel like I was right next to them watching it happen and not viewing it through a screen. I think this is due to the people (starring in the film) not really having to act. It didn't seem like any of these actors were acting; it was almost like this was really happening and that was exactly how it happend because I noticed little stress on actually having to act. It was just so real and I think that is really neat and has a very nice effect.

Going along with the things I loved about this film, I think it is very cool that they played the role of documentary and explanation but did it in a non-typical way. It wasn't this boring two hour session with a bunch of interviews and clips from the movie. It was a lot more than this. We actually saw the movie being made and not only that, but we were allowed to see what went on in the group and throughout the movie when the scenes weren't being filmed. Sure, this movie described and explained the process of filming Nosferatu to us but did in a creative way that showed us what went on and didn't merely tell us.

Obviously the movie was centered around Nosferatu and its filming but looking into it, you can get more out of than typical interest and entertainment. I was always interested in how people produced films and the difference between that and directing and down the line of positions. This movie, although centered on the un-ethical things that went on throughout the process of filming, really introduced me to how things happen on the scene of a set for filming a movie. Learning about how an actor knows how to feel, think, look like, and exactly how to act was revealed along with how scenes were actually filmed and how the different responsibilities came together to finish the process. It was really neat that we got to see how they actually did and in many ways, do film.

As for the finding out what was actually happening throughout the creation of Nosferatu was really interesting. I never knew any of this went on until I saw this movie. To be honest, I never even heard of this movie until we watched it in class. This contributes to the storyline being an excellent one. You have to give it up to those who played in this movie and there excellence in portraying the point and much more. They were absolutely excellent, as I mentioned earlier, to the fact where it was almost like they weren't acting but it was natural.

Finally, another neat factor of the movie was its portraying of the German Expressionist period. Going into this movie, this is what I was looking for - some type of explanation as to what went on in the German Expressionist period and how things went about at this time. Although it was modernized, no fault of their own being a movie produced in 2000, I think it showed pretty well what went on in that time period and how things that affected that period affected their own movies. It kind of opened me to be more accepting to German Expressionist movies because as I saw through this movie that what they were doing, at that time period, was excellence and couldn't be that much better, it equals what we see nowadays.

Shadow of the Vampire receives my recommendation for not only an excellent informative movie on the filming of famous movie, Nosferatu, but also a great insight into film and the German Expressionist period. With its great flow and excellence acting, the movie came across in a way that is hard to beat.

-Kevin

Nosferatu

A movie from the German Expressionist Period that I did like, majority wise, was Nosferatu. Although silent and very unnecssairily expanded at some points, the movie had a lot of good quality inside of it. I try to keep reminding myself that these movies were the best that could be made at that time and were excellent for those days, so I attempt to put myself in that position of a viewer and the days of the German Expressionist period.

To get the things that weren't necessairily great out of the way, I'd say your basic answer is the same answer for me. For both German Expressionist movies, I had a hard time keeping myself interested. This is not even fully the fault of the sound missing. I just had a tough time trying to stay interested in the actual story and trying to get something out of it. Again, it took me a while to get on key with the movie and into it fully, but better late than never.

Once again, formulism was very evident in this other German Expressionist movie. You can easily tell that it was a key factor in how the film was portrayed. Along with that came the extensive use of more technique. I assume that I will get this the most of these two movies if anything - a more in depth look at technique and how it affects a movie. What was especially interesting was the use of shawdows in Nosferatu. Being a horror film and having that one big "monster," shawdows really helped give the movie more life. The shawdows play a big part in the story as do all of the technique throughout the film.

The main reason I enjoyed Nosferatu more than The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is the fact that I not only got into Nosferatu more but it was more flowing. It had a better flow to it than The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. While the latter was always being interrupted in a bad way and tone by narration to read and such, Nosferatu didn't seem to have these bad interruptions as the narration to be read came at the right times and gave just enough information but not enough. I think this lies in the director's job to perfect this and to me, Murnau (director of Nosferatu) did a better job than Wiene (director of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari).

So, once again, for a movie that was loved and is commended by many, I can't say it was horrible. Sure, the action, color, sound, and drama is all better nowadays but at the same time, now is 2006 and then was 1922. Even more, I enjoyed this movie because this movie enabled me to enjoy it by unique ways by its tone and its setting.

-Kevin

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

I find it fairly difficult to write about The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari because I found the movie difficult itself. Needless to say, I wasn't a big fan of the movie, and this was not because of the absence of sound. It was the absence of much more that kept me to having this opinion.

I understand this was a movie of the "German Expressionism" period and that money played a big factor, or rather, the absence of money, but the key was to make an interesting film while using formulism, a technique that allows things to look like a fantasy. There is no doubt this film used technique and that formulism was very evident in it. This formulismn affect is what makes this movie a great source of film technique. That is about the only thing that really kept me interested. I enjoyed seeing more use of technique, especially knowing that this movie along with other movies from this period were the movies that introduced these techniques to the movie world. There were excessive times when technique, which was new to people back then, was used to portray a point perfectly in the movie. As well, it helped me follow the story because I found myself confused sometimes.

The whole movie wasn't bad although a lot of it wasn't that great to me, but there were neat things I found pretty interesting. I like how each scene was given the most attention. Since it wasn't a flowing movie and was interrupted by the narration a lot, each scene seemed like the director, Robert Wiene, spent a lot of time perfecting. It wasn't just these three or four scenes that blew away the movie and toppled over everything else. Another thing I almost found really awesome about The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was the fact that it was made allowing the audience to have a personal interpretation. Made within this era, as expressionism and impressionism played big parts, the movie created a sense where the viewer was able to view the movie and interpret in any way they wanted to. What I found difficult about this was the fact that I couldn't seem to make use of that. I tried, but I really couldn't get anything from this movie. So, although the option was there and I attempted to fulfill it, I never really could.

Even though in the beginning it took some time for me to get into the movie, I did start towards the end. The storyline was very deceiving sometimes and I went crazy everytime the story took a loop and I couldn't figure out what was going on. Realizing what happend now, I think if I watched it again I might be able to realize more things about it instead of always worrying about the generalization of the movie. I did like the ending a lot because I like movies that keep you wondering. It was pretty cool how we are left with the question of whether or not Dr. Caligari is back.

Without a doubt, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari made an impact of cinema and film. It introduced the German Expressionism era, which introduced film technique and many other things to the cinema world. Although it wasn't my favorite, I can't not respect the accomplishments it has put forth. From critic praise to winning awards, this movie has captured many eyes. The things that have come from this movie are endless, ranging from technique to the intro to horror movies. There is a way to dislike the movie but no way to disrespect it.

-Kevin

Don't Look Now

If it weren't for Buffalo '66 and Garden State, I'd say Don't Look Now was the best movie we have seen this year. It surely does join the two in the category though. This was an excellent movie from beginning to end. There was not a part of the movie that I wasn't into but nor was there a spot when I actually knew exactly what was going on, but this only added to the film being an excellent one. I'm very glad we decided to watch the whole movie and not just the beginning because I really did gain quite a bit from it.

First, though, about the movie. If you know me, you know I love a movie with great actors that really fulfill a character's personality. Don't Look Now had just that in it. That's the first thumbs up for Nicolas Roeg, the director. He had an excellent group of people that helped the viewer see things from each person's point of view. Although this really confused me at times, it was a great thing to concentrate on in the film. Another thing I have to give a thumbs up to him for is how the atmosphere is portrayed in the movie. I love how it completely fits the storyline. If you watch closely, it is never really bright and sunny but most of the time everything seemed to be overcast and muggy. I thought this added to the overall effect of the movie in a great way.

The story itself, or the storyline, is one heck of a quality in this movie. Without a doubt, this is the movie with the best and most original storyline I have seen this year. At this point right now, I'm not sure I truly understand everything but that is the beauty. The movie still has me thinking and wondering. I contribute this to the movie being a ripple effect. It seemed to start off with this one central theme and story and then branched to another, which then branched to another, and the pattern continued all through the movie up to the point where we finally meet the red-hooded figure face-to-face. There was so much going on and so much occuring at once that I really did get tryly lost but I found it fun trying to get back in the know of what was going on in the movie at that certain place and time.

Besides what I thought about Don't Look Now, I gained much from the experience. Even though a given, it is extremely important to mention about the technique used in this film. It had to be some of the best I have ever seen. The mise en scene was incredible and the camera usage was excellent. The lighting in conjunction with the atmosphere was very well done. Along with the numerous amounts of mise en scene, the shots taken were the best. The new technique we were introduced to, match cuts, are an awesome thing and really portrays a lot. I wish more directors would use it because they really guided me through many parts I was lost in. Once again, Mr. Roeg gets another thumbs up.

Another thing I got out of this movie was to see how fear really does affect our lives. Whether we experience death or not, Don't Look Now really displays some of our weaknesses in fear within life that we always seem to deny. We see clearly how people, who in this case because of death, experience fear and how they handle it. In the movie, one lets this fear take over his life while the other trys to improve on the fear that is attempting to take over her life. It is amazing how some of that really relates and reflects some people, even those self-proclaimed "fearless ones."

I truly enjoyed the movie as it combined everything I search for in a film. From the technique and the cast to the storyline and the atmosphere, Don't Look Now probably beats out the majority of American Hollywood films nowadays.

-Kevin