Nosferatu was one of the first horror films ever made. Released in 1922 it was filmed in black and white and is a silent film. the film has a very Gothic, eerie feel to it and it acted as the template for many ensuing horror films. Its story revolves around Stockers Dracula novel, so much so that Stockers widow tried to get a court ruling to have all copies of the film destroyed, she obviously wasn't successful. however the film defiantly was, many people hold it in high esteem as one of the greatest Gothic horrors ever made and the film is unquestionably one of the most influential films of the silent era. so much so that a remake was made in 1979.
The film starts with an array of credits after which the words "Act 1" appear on the screen, This idea of separate acts reinforces the age of the film, showing that it has been put together like a stage show.
Because the film is silent, text and speech are shown on the screen, the first instance of this happening is "Nosferatu does this word not sound like the deathbird calling your name at midnight?" the text goes on to hint at what the film is about, whereupon an establishing shot of a church is shown. the shot is quite impressive considering the low quality of the camera.
in the shots that follow you can see that factors to do with Mise en scene were heavily thought about because the costumes reflect the time period and personality's of the characters, the women in the opening scene shows this through here dress and she is also playing with a cat which conveys her happy personality. These kind of features are particularly important in Nosferatu because they can't be conveyed via sound. Because of the period the film is from one might think that filming techniques were less developed and ideas like mise en scene were less thought about. However because the film is silent it focuses more on facial epressions and other elements of Mise en scene more because it cannot convey things via sound so other outlets have to be used.
The full Nosferatu film including the opening sequence can be found on Youtube.
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The film starts with an array of credits after which the words "Act 1" appear on the screen, This idea of separate acts reinforces the age of the film, showing that it has been put together like a stage show.
Because the film is silent, text and speech are shown on the screen, the first instance of this happening is "Nosferatu does this word not sound like the deathbird calling your name at midnight?" the text goes on to hint at what the film is about, whereupon an establishing shot of a church is shown. the shot is quite impressive considering the low quality of the camera.
in the shots that follow you can see that factors to do with Mise en scene were heavily thought about because the costumes reflect the time period and personality's of the characters, the women in the opening scene shows this through here dress and she is also playing with a cat which conveys her happy personality. These kind of features are particularly important in Nosferatu because they can't be conveyed via sound. Because of the period the film is from one might think that filming techniques were less developed and ideas like mise en scene were less thought about. However because the film is silent it focuses more on facial epressions and other elements of Mise en scene more because it cannot convey things via sound so other outlets have to be used.
The full Nosferatu film including the opening sequence can be found on Youtube.
Good analysis Freddie but you need to sort out the layout and titling of the task
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