Dracula-the Errie silent version made in Germany.by mikemikegigi

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August 15, 2009: When I saw this vesion of Dracula,it frightened the wool out of me.This is how a horror movie should be made.thank god I did not have any snacks with me while I was watching this or else I would have one big mess one my hands.

This review was written about the DVD Black & White / Stereo edition.

I Also Recommend: Gojira/Godzilla, King of the Monsters.

Nosferatu: The Ultimate DVD Edition (Kino International)by Justin_Smith

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March 06, 2009: Nosferatu is a masterpiece of horror cinema by the gifted German film director F.W. Murnau. Until recently, we have only been able to enjoy this classic in a variety of less than adequate releases on VHS and DVD. Fortunately, Kino International has released a restored version of Nosferatu, provided by the F.W. Murnau Foundation. This restored version of Nosferatu looks great. We can now see every detail on the faces of each actor and Max Schreck still looks terrifying as Count Orlok. Not only have the scenes been restored to clarity, but the original color tinting has also be restored to the film. As a result we now see scenes of daylight and candlelight in yellow, scenes of night in bluish-green, and even a few scenes in a faded red.

Along with the amazing clarity of the film, we are also presented with Hans Erdmann's original 1922 score, now available in 5.1 Stereo Surround or 2.0 Stereo. There is also a choice between the original German intertitles (with English subtitles) or English intertitles.

The Ultimate DVD Edition is a two-disc set. The first disc contains Nosferatu with the original German intertitles and the second disc contains Nosferatu with the English intertitles, and the special features.

The special features include a 52 minute documentary about Nosferatu and the early career of F.W. Murnau, titled The Language of Shadows: The Early Years and Nosferatu. The documentary is very informative, it includes still images from F.W. Murnau's first seven films, which are all considered lost. There is a bit of background about Murnau's childhood and years in the military, provided by his niece. We are also shown many of the great drawings that were used to design Count Orlok and his surroundings. There is an extensive look at the comparison of the shooting locations, both then and now. We are even shown on a map how close these areas are to each other. There is an interesting segment about F.W. Murnau's possible ties with the occult (however, it seems to be more hype than substance. In reality, it was Murnau's producer, Albin Grau, who was heavily involved with the occult). There is also a breakdown of the shooting schedule and a collection of paintings that influenced the set design in some of the scenes. The interviews are all in German with English subtitles, but the narration is in English. Over all it is an interesting and informative documentary.

There is a 3 minute documentary titled, Nosferatu: An Historic Film Meets Digital Restoration. Although it is short, it is quite informative. They show you step by step how the film goes from a damaged original print to a restored version of the film. It is in German with English subtitles. The information goes by rather quickly, so you may want to watch it a second time to really grasp all of the information.

Also on the special features, are clips from other F.W. Murnau films. They range in length from approximately 2 minutes to 11 minutes. The films included are: Journey Into the Night (1920), The Haunted Castle (1921), Phantom (1922), The Finances of the Grand Duke (1924), The Last Laugh (1924), Tartuffe (1925), Faust (1926), and Tabu (1931).

The scene comparison is a nice feature. It contains an excerpt from Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula. It begins with Jonathon Harker first arriving at Dracula's castle and continues until the end of his first night in the castle. There is also a excerpt from the script of Nosferatu, showing the...

This review was written about the DVD Remastered edition.

I Also Recommend: Nosferatu, The Vampire, Shadow of the Vampire, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Faust - Eine deutsche Volkssage, The New Annotated Dracula.