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Shadow of the Vampire
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Synopsis
The torturous production of the classic 1922 vampire film Nosferatu is recreated in this stylized account of director F.W. Murnau and his obsession with creating realistic horror by any means necessary -- even if those means include actual bloodletting. The film begins as Murnau (John Malkovich) is ready to take his unauthorized interpretation of the Bram Stoker tale on location in Czechoslovakia. There, the director has arranged for his cast and crew to live in the same castle in which they will shoot their parts, as they all wait for their co-star, Max Schreck (Willem Dafoe) -- Murnau's choice to play Count Orlok -- to arrive. Their leader has warned them that Schreck is a student of the Stanislovsky method of performance and will not respond to them out-of-character. Nothing, however, can prepare them for the real thing: when the actor arrives, he's already in full Gothic regalia, asserting that he is indeed a vampire. Schreck makes good on his claims by terrorizing the cast and crew, attacking Murnau's original cinematographer (Wolfgang Muller) and plucking bats out of the air for midnight snacks. Director E. Elias Merhige previously made his name with his experimental theater productions and with his horrific film school thesis, Begotten. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Cast

Willem Dafoe Max Schreck
Cary Elwes Fritz Wagner
Udo Kier Albin Grau
John Malkovich FW. Murnau
Ronan Vibert Wolfgang Muller
Catherine McCormack Greta Schroeder
Eddie Izzard Gustav Von Wangerheim

Production Crew

Carl Proctor Casting
Jimmy De Brabant Co-producer
Dan Jones Composer (Music Score)
Caroline de Vivaise Costume Designer
E. Elias Merhige Director
Chris Wyatt Editor
Paul Brooks Executive Producer
Anni Buchanan Hair Styles
Amber Sibley Key Make-up
Anni Buchanan Makeup
Jeff Levine Producer
Nicolas Cage Producer
Assheton Gorton Production Designer
Steven Katz Screenwriter
Nigel Heath Sound Editor
Carlo Thoss Sound/Sound Designer
Year: 2000
Runtime: 93
Country: UK
MPAA Rating: R
for sexuality, drug content, violence and langauge
Category: Feature

Genre
Drama
Horror

Produced by
BBC
Delux Productions
Longshot Productions
Saturn Films

Release
January 26, 2001 (USA)
by Lions Gate Films