I was a bit disappointed in this. I had seen a few of visuals that are sometimes shown because "Count Orlok" is so bizarre-looking, so I finally decided to check this famous German silent film out and see what all the fuss was about. Well, it was much ado about nothing, frankly.
Yes, Max Schreck as the Orlok-Dracula was fascinating to view. No one has ever quite duplicated his strange facial features in over 80 years of film-making, makeup or no makeup. That was worth some of the price of the rental, but the story wasn't. It just dragged too much and the other characters weren't much.
I did learn a few things, however, about Bram Stoker's Dracula tale that I don't believe I have heard in other Dracula movies, such as how many and why coffins of dirt accompanied the Dracula on his voyage. That, and a few other tidbits, were interesting, as were the different colored tints on the some of the scenes.
But, story-wise, it's a bit too dated and too slow for today's tastes, I'm afraid. Also, 84 minutes of a fairly-strong pounding of organ music can get to be a little much. Silent film purists will not like that last statement, as they seem to revere these scores, but, hey, all I can say is: "bite me!"
Yes, Max Schreck as the Orlok-Dracula was fascinating to view. No one has ever quite duplicated his strange facial features in over 80 years of film-making, makeup or no makeup. That was worth some of the price of the rental, but the story wasn't. It just dragged too much and the other characters weren't much.
I did learn a few things, however, about Bram Stoker's Dracula tale that I don't believe I have heard in other Dracula movies, such as how many and why coffins of dirt accompanied the Dracula on his voyage. That, and a few other tidbits, were interesting, as were the different colored tints on the some of the scenes.
But, story-wise, it's a bit too dated and too slow for today's tastes, I'm afraid. Also, 84 minutes of a fairly-strong pounding of organ music can get to be a little much. Silent film purists will not like that last statement, as they seem to revere these scores, but, hey, all I can say is: "bite me!"