Robert Eggers‘ ‘Nosferatu‘ is the second remake of F.W. Murnau’s famous film made over 100 years ago. I haven’t counted a sequel, a CGI remix of the original film, musicals or cartoons inspired by the same character. What could a film about Nosferatu bring in 2024? Why yet another remake of a silent film masterpiece, especially after the first remake was directed by Francis Ford Coppola? I entered the cinema hoping that Robert Eggers (who also wrote the screenplay alongside Bram Stoker and the author of Murnau’s film) would have convincing answers. My expectations were only partially met.
Eggers‘ version follows the narrative line of Murnau’s film quite faithfully. Secondary characters are added and certain situations are developed, including a scene at the Transylvanian inn where the young real estate agent Thomas Hutter stops, which gives the opportunity to hear Romanian spoken. The main change, however, is the character of Professor Albin Aberhart von Franz, a doctor and expert in alchemy, magic and other esoteric disciplines. Played by Willem Dafoe, one of those actors who, for me, can do no wrong, he becomes the key to the plot, the one who discovers the dark mystery of the mysterious illness of Ellen Hutter, the main heroine, and the remedy that will break the curse and stop the plague that had struck the imaginary German city where the story begins and ends. This remedy, however, involves a supreme personal sacrifice, which here receives a sexualized version, because, well, we are in the 21st century. The images of the city hit by the plague resonate with contemporary anxieties related to pandemics, even if the vehicle of global propagation in the film – a sailing ship at sea – is not plausible to have been used from landlocked Transylvania.
I like Eggers‘ style, creativity, ambition and extremism. That does not mean that he succeeds in everything he does, in my opinion. The formidable ‘The Lighthouse’ was followed by ‘The Northman’, which was a horrible experience for me. Now, with this remake of ‘Nosferatu‘, the disappointment is only partial. The idea of female sacrifice is the central axis of the plot, helped by the very interesting interpretation of Lily-Rose Depp, who alternates the intensity of feelings with the lethargy of moments of anguish and depression. I’m not so convinced that the exaggerated convulsions to which the character (and the actress) are subjected were appropriate, but I understand the idea of a failed exorcism. In general, in Eggers‘ world, the premises include the acceptance of magic, esoteric sciences and everything that Gothic novels bring amplified with cinematic horror means. The visual style of his films is already recognizable, the result of his continuous collaboration with the cinematographer Jarin Blaschke. We already know that an Eggers film has a high chance of including cold, rain and snow, dark colors, many night scenes lit by torches. Added to these are the special effects – some simple and expressive (Nosferatu’s hands imported from Murnau), others amplified by digital effects such as the physiognomy and body of Count Orlok, played with courage and aplomb by Bill Skarsgård. The problem is that all these elements can be appreciated individually, but they do not connect in a story that brings something new (especially for those who have seen Murnau’s film) or creates emotion. Even the character of Ellen failed to gain my empathy. For me, this version of ‘Nosferatu‘ is yet another rewriting of a legend that had me glued to my seat the first time I saw it, but which no longer has the same effect on the third. That does not mean that I will not wait for the next Robert Eggers film and will not seek to see it as soon as it is available. With the same high expectations.