Dracula - Nosferatu Comparison.

It seems strange too me that while Nosferatu was truer to the tale that both were clearly based upon it is the one who denies its heritage. At the time of course the Bram Stoker Estate was most intent on suing it for the theft of copyright which possibly makes the reason for the denial clear.

These and other social factors influenced the making of the films to a great extent, while 'Nosferatu' was considered scary at the time of its making, most of the enjoyment derived from it by a modern audience is either amusement at the primitiveness of the effects or a vague and slightly misplaced nostalgia for a era of time most never witnessed.

Technology of course allows the audience to be shocked in every more inventive ways until eventually old techniques seem simple and become ineffective. The approach to castles in the film is a good example of this.

'Nosferatu' is of course all soundless so the coach journey features many statements to explain what's happening (held up on card of course). The journey is filmed in daylight so at the beginning the driver announces "it is almost midnight!" This is slightly bizarre as the sky is rather bright but fortunately the effect is aided by the bats which were specially trained to fly in daylight. The coach is of the normal old cavern time with the familiar Semitic figure this time cowled in black driving. The effect of a magically fast journey is created by fast violin music and someone turning the handle on the camera (a hand winder considering the era) faster than normal. The effect is simple and rather jerky but was undoubtedly considered very effective at the time.

'Bram Stokers Dracula' is a completely different type of creation, it is a medley of special effects, clever camera work and smooth acting. The carriage is a huge ornate creation of dark wood and gothic style metal fittings, the driver a monstrous figure of supernatural proportions and abilities. A team of black ominous horses pull the car as it bounces and jerks along a mountaintop. The mountain is a computer generated scene created in dark blues ominous blues and overcast with a deep pregnant sky. The castle overlooking the approach is of Empire State proportions and is built of huge granite blocks. The scenery and building wholly unreal of course and the construction of it is only limited by the imagination of the designers.

Sound is a important part of the movie and is very different to 'Nosferatu'. The soundtrack sounds like it has been create by the Royal Philharmonic though it has probably never been played on an instrument. The biggest change is perhaps in that the sound is not being played in an orchestra pit at the cinema but is part of the movie. This allows speech and subtitles in a way which allows the actors a means of expression which was only partially available to the thespians of the 1920's. They can change the sound and texture of their voices and emphasise in their speech.

In conclusion I can state that the movies are both the same movie but with radically different technologies and social constraints limiting them. The only obvious difference is that 'Bram Stokers Dracula' and authorisation from Bram Stokers Estate while Nosferatu did not. Strangely 'Nosferatu' remained truer to the original tale.