nosferatu
Critical Essay
One brave, surviving sailor goes down to the basement of a ship in search for the cause of an unknown epidemic. Suddenly a number of rats come out from a cargo. Baffled by them, he hesitates and stands still. Then, from beside, a coffin opens and a pale looking man rises straight up. Feared by this abnormal creature standing in front of him, the sailor runs away outside and jumps into the sea. Nosferatu (1922), directed by F.W. Murnau, was the first expressionistic vampire movie. At that time, German filmmakers refused realism, but instead focused on abstract and symbolic aspects to express the idea of social confusion and unrest. Because of its artistic style, Nosferatu not only draws people’s attention by creating fear, it gains a reputation as a horror movie for its artistic style of the images. Murnau’s expressionistic approach of this movie links to a social condition in 1920s and does well in successfully creating suspense.
Each detail of the objects has implications showing the reality of individual’s lives in
1920s. In a scene of the crew entering a captain’s room, the camera cuts from the captain’s room to the sailors’ room. Whereas the sailors’ room has nothing but the cargoes on the floor, the captain’s room is well decorated and seems like a more logical place for a person to live. By contradicting these two different environments, it reflects the suffering of lower class during
World War I and the upper class being unaware of their ideal living conditions A beverage that the captain drinks, for instance, exemplifies the differences among the social groups. People often drink alcohol for celebration and satisfaction. The alcohol in the film appears to be the captain’s fulfillment of life similarly to the people who are upper class. The sailors suffer from an epidemic and the only provision is a swallow of water. By showing the different qualities of beverages that are provided, the film shows the dramatic line between
One brave, surviving sailor goes down to the basement of a ship in search for the cause of an unknown epidemic. Suddenly a number of rats come out from a cargo. Baffled by them, he hesitates and stands still. Then, from beside, a coffin opens and a pale looking man rises straight up. Feared by this abnormal creature standing in front of him, the sailor runs away outside and jumps into the sea. Nosferatu (1922), directed by F.W. Murnau, was the first expressionistic vampire movie. At that time, German filmmakers refused realism, but instead focused on abstract and symbolic aspects to express the idea of social confusion and unrest. Because of its artistic style, Nosferatu not only draws people’s attention by creating fear, it gains a reputation as a horror movie for its artistic style of the images. Murnau’s expressionistic approach of this movie links to a social condition in 1920s and does well in successfully creating suspense.
Each detail of the objects has implications showing the reality of individual’s lives in
1920s. In a scene of the crew entering a captain’s room, the camera cuts from the captain’s room to the sailors’ room. Whereas the sailors’ room has nothing but the cargoes on the floor, the captain’s room is well decorated and seems like a more logical place for a person to live. By contradicting these two different environments, it reflects the suffering of lower class during
World War I and the upper class being unaware of their ideal living conditions A beverage that the captain drinks, for instance, exemplifies the differences among the social groups. People often drink alcohol for celebration and satisfaction. The alcohol in the film appears to be the captain’s fulfillment of life similarly to the people who are upper class. The sailors suffer from an epidemic and the only provision is a swallow of water. By showing the different qualities of beverages that are provided, the film shows the dramatic line between