Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979)

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writer:

Werner Herzog (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

17 January 1979 (France)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

Jonathan and Lucy live in Wismar and the Count wants a house there. Varna is a port on the Black Sea, close to Dracula's castle.

Plot Keywords:

Dracula | Vampire | Castle | Blood | Cross

Awards:

4 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Klaus Kinski	...	Count Dracula
Isabelle Adjani	...	Lucy Harker
Bruno Ganz	...	Jonathan Harker
Roland Topor	...	Renfield
Walter Ladengast	...	Dr. Van Helsing
Dan van Husen	...	Warden
Jan Groth	...	Harbormaster
Carsten Bodinus	...	Schrader
Martje Grohmann	...	Mina
Rijk de Gooyer	...	Town official (as Ryk de Gooyer)
Clemens Scheitz	...	Clerk
Lo van Hensbergen
John Leddy	...	Coachman
Margiet van Hartingsveld	...	Vrouw
Tim Beekman	...	Coffinbearer
Jacques Dufilho	...	Captain
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Attila Árpa	...	Violinist Boy (uncredited)
Michael Edols	...	Lord of the manor (uncredited)
Stefan Husar	...	(uncredited)
Norbert Losch	...	(uncredited)
Johan te Slaa	...	(uncredited)
Beverly Walker	...	Nun (uncredited)

Directed by
Werner Herzog

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Werner Herzog		writer
Bram Stoker		novel "Dracula" (uncredited)

Produced by
Werner Herzog	....	producer
Walter Saxer	....	executive producer
Michael Gruskoff	....	producer (uncredited)
Daniel Toscan du Plantier	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Popol Vuh

Cinematography by
Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein

Film Editing by
Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus

Production Design by
Henning von Gierke

Costume Design by
Gisela Storch

Makeup Department
Dominique Colladant	....	makeup artist
Reiko Kruk	....	makeup artist
Ludovic Paris	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Rudolf Wolf	....	production manager: Czechoslovakia

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Remmelt Remmelts	....	assistant director
Mirko Tichacek	....	assistant director

Art Department
Ulrich Bergfelder	....	property master

Sound Department
Jean Fontaine	....	sound assistant
Harald Maury	....	sound

Special Effects by
Cornelius Siegel	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Claude Chiarini	....	still photographer (as Dr. Claude Chiarini)
Mike Gast	....	second camera (as Michael Gast)
Martin Gerbl	....	gaffer
Anton Urban	....	lighting technician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ann Poppel	....	assistant costume designer

Music Department
Vokal-Ensemble Gordela	....	musician

Other crew
Joschi Arpa	....	location manager
Michael Gruskoff	....	presenter
Anja Schmidt-Zäringer	....	script girl

Production Companies

• Werner Herzog Filmproduktion (as Werner Herzog Filmproduktion, München)
• Gaumont (as Gaumont S.A., Paris)
• Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) (German version)

Distributors

• Werner Herzog Filmproduktion (1979) (worldwide) (all media) (rights)
• 20th Century Fox of Germany (1979) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Gaumont (1979) (France) (theatrical) (French version)
• 20th Century Fox Italia (1979) (Italy) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1985) (Japan) (theatrical) (English short version)
• 518 Media (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Cinema Ten Corporation (1985) (Japan) (theatrical) (English short version)
• City Film (1979) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Hemispheric Pictures (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Ipma (2005) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Národní Filmový Archiv (NFA) (2009) (Czech Republic) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1979) (USA) (theatrical) (English short version)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD) (as part of the Werner Herzog filmbox)
• Altomedia. Co. Ltd. (Korea) (DVD)
• Altomedia. Co. Ltd. (Korea) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD) (includes both German and English language versions)
• Crown Video (19??) (USA) (VHS)
• Jef Films International (2004) (USA) (VHS)
• Ripley's Home Video (2004) (Italy) (DVD)
• Ripley's Home Video (2005) (Italy) (DVD) (boxed set)
• Roan Group, The (laserdisc)
• Shochiku CBS/Fox Video (SCF) (????) (Japan) (VHS) (English short version)
• Tohokushinsha Film (2001) (Japan) (DVD) (German version)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Nosferatu the Vampyre (UK) (USA)
Nosferatu - fantôme de la nuit (France)
Nosferatu: Phantom of the Night (International: English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

107 min | USA:96 min (English version)

Country:

West Germany | France

Language:

German

Colour:

Colour (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Spain:13 | Italy:VM14 (original rating) | Netherlands:16 (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Argentina:16 | Australia:PG | Denmark:16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:PG | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Werner Herzog Filmproduktion

Trivia:

The scene where Nosferatu arrives in the city required thousands of grey rats. Real grey rats were unavailable and therefore white ones were painted grey and used instead.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Harker rides his horse to the Count's town, his horse has a white bandage on its left front leg that appears and disappears repeatedly from one shot to the next. Although the journey to the town took 4 weeks to complete, it is highly unlikely that the horse would get injured, heal, and then get injured in the same spot again.

Quotes:

Count Dracula: [Hearing howling] Listen...
[More howling]
Count Dracula: Listen. The children of the night make their music.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook (1991)

Soundtrack:

Der Ruf der Rohrflöte

Beautiful

Herzog deserves hats off, any academy award for best director. A film so beautiful should be more well known. The atmosphere is stuck with you from the beginning with the chants and the screams. The characters fit the film perfectly, besides the librarian guy. The colors were great, the shots were planned out great. The simplicity of a shadow was made so mesmerizing. I felt chills all around my body after watching this film. It had a touch with all those shadows and the shot with the vampires hand going down. Not only the best vampire movie EVER but a fantastic film, period. All I can say is Herzog did a wonderful job with this one.