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Originally posted by von chaney
are you kidding??
just walking around in make up, it was the silent era!! what did you want him to do??
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No, I'm not kidding. I do find it interesting the actual quality of the film sometimes seems to be secondary in your consideration to the facts behind the film. For example, Lugosi deserves no credit for his performance because he really talked that way; but all praise must go to Max Shreck for stalking around in bald head and rat teeth because... well, because it's a silent movie, so what do you expect?
I'll tell you what I expect: a performance. For a point of comparison, Lon Chaney gives a brilliant one in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA -- and he's not only hidden by makeup but by a mask as well!
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[B ]let's look at the bigger picture here.
nosferatu IS a great film, made so by the story, the acting (yes i say acting) the impressive make up and the superlative use of light and shadow to create a dark, brooding atmosphere.[/B]
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I may be willing to give the film some credit for atmosphere, but not for the story. I think it's an impossible challenge to write a plot synopsis that would come close to justifying the film's feature length. There are a handful of memorable moments (the ship, nosferatu rising from the coffin, the sun turning him into a puff of smoke), but mostly nothing happens for very long stretches of time. The film could easily be cut down to under an hour -- and in fact has been, for 16mm prints, whichi s the first way I ever saw the film. Unfortunately for me, the running time has gotten longer every time I've seen it since.