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Shadow of the Vampire
Universal // R
List Price: $26.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
I've seen fewer movies theatrically in 2001 than in any year I can recall offhand. Since Dick Clark and a crowd of thousands whooped as a large, gaudy ball dropped in New York City, my movie-going exploits have been limited to "The Gift", the re-release of "A Hard Day's Night", and "Josie And The Pussycats" (twice; yes, I'm a sad, lonely little boy). If not for a horrific accident at a Hardee's -- namely, the fact that I'm an idiot and left a ticket sitting on the table after feasting on a Monster burger -- I'd be able to add "Shadow of the Vampire" to that tiny little list as well. I may have missed out on seeing this fictional retelling of the making of "Nosferatu" splashing across the silver screen, but no such mishaps kept me from viewing "Shadow of the Vampires" several months later on DVD.
In "Shadow of the Vampire", it dawns upon obsessed director F.W. Murnau (John Malkovich) that perhaps the best way to bring cinema verité to a vampire film would be to cast a genuine undead bloodsucker (the always-impressive Willem Dafoe) as the lead. Passed off as a method actor, Max Schreck's chaotic presence threatens the thinly-veiled "Dracula" adaptation on numerous occassions as the nosferatu begins feeding on the cast and crew, played by such notables as career-vamp Udo Kier, Catherine McCormack, Eddie Izzard, Cary Elwes, and Aden Gillett. The premise had me giddy as soon as I first heard it, and, perhaps not surprising considering the talent involved, "Shadow of the Vampire" delivers an intriguing, engaging story with incredible cinematography and an excellent cast. No, there just aren't enough positive adjectives in the English language for me to lavish upon "Shadow of the Vampire", a wonderful dark comedy which has been given a stunning DVD presentation from Universal.
Video: "Shadow of the Vampire" is presented at its theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and is, of course, enhanced for widescreen televisions. A must for a film with as many dark scenes as this, shadow detail, black levels, and contrast are all excellent. Even in the darkest scenes, the image never degenerates into a murky, artifact-choked mess. Print flaws are nowhere to be found, and the unique palette used throughout the film seems accurate and natural. This is a beautiful film and an exceptionally well-done transfer.
Audio: "Shadow of the Vampire" sports both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS soundtracks. As I'm still stranded in a barren, DTS-less horrific existence, I can't really do any accurate comparisons between the two tracks. The DD mix is very atmospheric, not offering much in the way of 'whiz-bang' effects, as is appropriate for the film. That's not to say occassional impressive sound effects are non-existent -- one scene with Max attacking a bat stands out as an auditory highlight. Surrounds are used frequently but in a more subdued manner than some DVD viewers may be accustomed to hearing. Though the audio on "Shadow of the Vampire" isn't of the showcase-variety, it's certainly a solid effort and complements the film quite well.
Supplements: "Shadow of the Vampires" features all of the usual suspects -- a brief and entirely uninteresting featurette, a trailer, cast/crew bios, production notes, recommendations (including trailers for "Gods and Monsters" and "The Red Violin"), a DVD newsletter, and production notes, but worry not -- Universal has piled on quite a bit more interesting content, all without the need to splash some '[insert hyperbole here] Edition' banner over the cover art. Director E. Elias Merhige is the focus of the supplements, as he contributes an enthusiastic feature-length commentary, the trailer for his debut, "Begotten", and a 7-minute long interview that listeners of the commentary can safely skip. Saturn Films co-founder and producer Nicolas Cage is also featured in an interview running around the same length and discusses the business side of the production, while Willem Dafoe's significantly shorter chat focuses on his character and his preparation for the role. I was hoping for something a little meatier with Dafoe, given the excellent (and lengthy) interview in "Fangoria" a few months back. Dafoe turns up again, though, in the two photo montages on the disc. The first takes a look at make-up application, and the second is a compilation of production stills and assorted photos taken on-set.
Conclusion: If the excessively positive review weren't enough indication, I'm giving "Shadow of the Vampire" the highest recommendation I can. The disc is resting comfortably on my shelf between "Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD" and "She's All That" (and what fine company that is), and "Shadow of the Vampire" deserves a prominent spot in your collection too.
In "Shadow of the Vampire", it dawns upon obsessed director F.W. Murnau (John Malkovich) that perhaps the best way to bring cinema verité to a vampire film would be to cast a genuine undead bloodsucker (the always-impressive Willem Dafoe) as the lead. Passed off as a method actor, Max Schreck's chaotic presence threatens the thinly-veiled "Dracula" adaptation on numerous occassions as the nosferatu begins feeding on the cast and crew, played by such notables as career-vamp Udo Kier, Catherine McCormack, Eddie Izzard, Cary Elwes, and Aden Gillett. The premise had me giddy as soon as I first heard it, and, perhaps not surprising considering the talent involved, "Shadow of the Vampire" delivers an intriguing, engaging story with incredible cinematography and an excellent cast. No, there just aren't enough positive adjectives in the English language for me to lavish upon "Shadow of the Vampire", a wonderful dark comedy which has been given a stunning DVD presentation from Universal.
Video: "Shadow of the Vampire" is presented at its theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and is, of course, enhanced for widescreen televisions. A must for a film with as many dark scenes as this, shadow detail, black levels, and contrast are all excellent. Even in the darkest scenes, the image never degenerates into a murky, artifact-choked mess. Print flaws are nowhere to be found, and the unique palette used throughout the film seems accurate and natural. This is a beautiful film and an exceptionally well-done transfer.
Audio: "Shadow of the Vampire" sports both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS soundtracks. As I'm still stranded in a barren, DTS-less horrific existence, I can't really do any accurate comparisons between the two tracks. The DD mix is very atmospheric, not offering much in the way of 'whiz-bang' effects, as is appropriate for the film. That's not to say occassional impressive sound effects are non-existent -- one scene with Max attacking a bat stands out as an auditory highlight. Surrounds are used frequently but in a more subdued manner than some DVD viewers may be accustomed to hearing. Though the audio on "Shadow of the Vampire" isn't of the showcase-variety, it's certainly a solid effort and complements the film quite well.
Supplements: "Shadow of the Vampires" features all of the usual suspects -- a brief and entirely uninteresting featurette, a trailer, cast/crew bios, production notes, recommendations (including trailers for "Gods and Monsters" and "The Red Violin"), a DVD newsletter, and production notes, but worry not -- Universal has piled on quite a bit more interesting content, all without the need to splash some '[insert hyperbole here] Edition' banner over the cover art. Director E. Elias Merhige is the focus of the supplements, as he contributes an enthusiastic feature-length commentary, the trailer for his debut, "Begotten", and a 7-minute long interview that listeners of the commentary can safely skip. Saturn Films co-founder and producer Nicolas Cage is also featured in an interview running around the same length and discusses the business side of the production, while Willem Dafoe's significantly shorter chat focuses on his character and his preparation for the role. I was hoping for something a little meatier with Dafoe, given the excellent (and lengthy) interview in "Fangoria" a few months back. Dafoe turns up again, though, in the two photo montages on the disc. The first takes a look at make-up application, and the second is a compilation of production stills and assorted photos taken on-set.
Conclusion: If the excessively positive review weren't enough indication, I'm giving "Shadow of the Vampire" the highest recommendation I can. The disc is resting comfortably on my shelf between "Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD" and "She's All That" (and what fine company that is), and "Shadow of the Vampire" deserves a prominent spot in your collection too.
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