Nosferatu (1922) - silent film with Violoncello

Nosferatu - A Symphony of Horror

While a contemporary, opulent remake was released in cinemas in 2024, curdling the blood of a new generation in the face of the "nameless, fundamental evil of the world" in the form of the undead vampire, cellist Peter Hudler took on the original – Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's 1922 silent film "Nosferatu" – a classic of expressionist cinema of the 1920s, the first vampire film in history, and a gripping testimony to the sociocultural conditions in Weimar Republic Germany with undeniable parallels to today's world.

"A chilly draft from doomsday." (Bela Balazs)

The story is based on the plot of Bram Stoker's "Dracula," with only the names and locations changed. Dracula is Count Orlok – impressively portrayed with uncanny eeriness by Max Schreck – who travels from distant Transylvania to Germany in 1838 because he has fallen – of course, madly in love – with Ellen, the wife of the real estate agent Hutter. He brings with him in his coffin luggage the plague, the uncontrollably spreading disease, perhaps Murnau's allusion to the Spanish flu. As a tyrannical figure who takes what he wants and "sucks" people dry with absolute, arbitrary power, Nosferatu can be seen as a premonition of coming authoritarian forms of rule in a time of pandemic, chaos, economic crisis, and disorientation.

But above all, this film is a masterpiece of Expressionism, an artistic movement of the early 20th century that uses extreme distortion to express an inner emotional reality rather than merely depicting outward appearances. High-contrast lighting, distorted stage sets, and the actors' deliberately exaggerated gestural style characterize this art form, which originates from painting and theater (Max Reinhardt), and which has influenced the filmmaking of many generations to come.

Special effects that were revolutionary for its time, the incredibly concise structure of the story with its contemporary relevance, atmospheric images, and the masterful embodiment of the vampire Orlok make the film a fascinatingly disturbing experience even today!

In Murnau's Nosferatu, the tyrant is defeated by the power of love: The object of his desire – Ellen – sacrifices herself, gives herself to him, and keeps him with her until the rooster crows in the morning and Nosferatu, the ghost of the night, is destroyed by the rays of the rising sun.

Fun Fact - The film itself was originally supposed to be destroyed, as Bram Stoker's widow successfully sued the company founded specifically for this production for copyright infringement, which promptly led to the company going bankrupt. However, not all copies of the film could be destroyed – practically an undead creature itself – and so Nosferatu can still send pleasurable shivers down our spines today.

Music and Silent Film

In principle, film came with music. Wherever film went, at the beginning of the 20th century, in early vaudeville and fairgrounds, music already existed, and it was combined with film. It took 32 years before film could be called a "talkie," but music could always be heard – so films were never truly silent! The musical accompaniment could vary from performance to performance – piano, cinema organ, and often even huge orchestras provided the background music, skillfully adapting to the different performance venues.

"Film music must tell the story; it doesn't necessarily have to simultaneously tell what we're already seeing. It can also work contrapuntally, it can also contextualize, and it can interpret the film, especially emotionally."

(Richard Siedhoff)

Peter Hudler lets his cello guide us alone—and live—through the eerily beautiful expressionist world of Nosferatu, the Phantom of the Night—with echoes of German Romanticism, Musical Expressionism, Transylvanian folklore, and above all: with such a beautiful neck!

A film from the collection of the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation (www.murnau-stiftung.de) in Wiesbaden.