Nosferatu

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I have heard of Nosferatu before and knew it was a vampire story but I never knew the word itself meant vampire in archaic Romanian. When I found out about this assignment I was psyked. I love watching movies and movies with vampires = a good time for me.

steohoen(hot vampires)

I didn’t know this version was going to be silent archaic movie though. Bram Stoker wrote a book called “Dracula” and while watching this silent film that’s the only thing I could think of. How similar it was to “Dracula.” There was no suspense whatsoever for me.  I knew when he was goings to tie his sheets together to lower himself in the count’s coffin chambers and when he was going to chase the count. No surprises.

The music in this film was a disappointment to me as well. When this film was made in sure there was a pianist at the scene when they were filming it to set the mood ( just like when they filmed the silent films in Singing in the Rain) but never did I think it would be music that was so off. The music didn’t cause fear, or suspense or anything. It was joyful at times when it should have been fearful. It was fearful at times when it should have been humorous. Totally off base.

The biggest disappointment to me in this movies was the ending. I knew it was coming but I was hoping the director did some changes to the classic “Dracula” script. Vampires should not die that easily. Yes they are mythical creatures but shouldn’t that made it so much harder to be killed? This puzzled me. I am extremely excited now to see it live. I am hoping seeing it with real live people will change my mind about majority of the movie.

vamp(sorry for the gore)

Cheng Dong – Nosferatu Mood Diary

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Ever since the beginning I had somewhat resented watching the film Nosferatu. Being born into an age of special visual and sound effects, I really have a hard time appreciating the art pieces from the soundless era.

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The film successfully met my expectation to be a boring work. The horror movie from decades ago failed to give me the shock that contemporary works do. Perhaps the people of Nosfertu’s era considered it a horror movie due to the newness of movies at the time, but it really can’t count as a good work at all from a contemporary view.

boring

 

 

 

 

 

The point work commemorating in the piece is definitely its music. Despite the fact that the storyline was somewhat boring for me, I found the music to be quite well placed. The music nicely fit with the atmosphere of the story at its different scenes. The tense moments when the vampire is confronted, the sweet moments between two lovers, and the sad moments of death were all nicely portrayed by the changes in tone of music.

music

Nosferatu Mood Diary: I wasn’t scared.

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Before watching Nosferatu, I had no idea who or what he was. The first time I heard of him was in a reference from Spongebob Squarepants. As a child, Nosferatu was extremely scary  character in Spongebob because of how real he looked compared to the other cartoons. Even though he smiles in the cartoon, it seems disfigured and out of place.

When I watched the black and white film, I was not scared at all. Rather like most horror movies, I was frustrated with Jonathan’s actions. I didn’t understand the logic in Jonathan’s actions when he travels to Nosferatu’s home. Whenever he mentions Nosferatu, the people around him would be afraid and refuse to assist him in his endeavors. I thought their reactions are sufficient evidence that Nosferatu’s home is not a safe place and he should avoid it at all costs. But he continues to be ignorant to the point that he brings Nosferatu back to his own town.

ignorance

 

If Jonathan didn’t want his wife to read the book about Nosferatu, he should have disposed of it instead of leaving it lying around. As a viewer, I notice the foolishness of Jonathan’s actions, but I have to acknowledge at that moment in time he was following Knock’s instructions. I don’t blame Jonathan’s initial actions to leave his town, but I do think his ignorance leads to the death of many. In this case, ignorance is not bliss.

The part I found the strangest  is Nosferatu’s window scene when he is looking at Jonathan’s wife. It felt strange to me because many horror genres make references to dark windows with various figures in them. I wasn’t creeped out by Nosferatu at the window, but by the setting he appears in. Similar scenes in other films create a feeling of mystery and fear. The figures in the window are usually menacing and pose a threat to the characters.

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I’m curious to know if Nosferatu set the norm for the use of windows in horror films. Since it was an early film and this was one of the most iconic scenes. It is possible Nosferatu set a standard. I’ll admit this part was a little scary relative to the rest of the film. Overall, the film was not scary because of the evolution of horror in the past couple of decades. We are accustomed to a different feeling of horror now. Our form of horror is much more fast paced and graphic than Nosferatu is. Our cultures view vampires in a different light now. Vampires are distanced from the idea of horror. Because of these differences, most of us were not scared by the film.

Citations:
zxBlackoutz. “Spongebob – Nosferatu.” Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube, 5 Apr. 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.

ThaTruth. “Ignorant Parental Guidance…” PricelessTruth. 20 June 2012. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. jpeg.

Mor, Mayatrakul. “Improvisation No.8 – Morakot Cherdchoo-ngarm ‘The Dark Window.'” Soundcloud. 7 Jan. 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. jpeg.

 

 

Mood Diary Nosferatu

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I wasn’t scared by Nosferatu, I should probably start there. Rather, it was really more of a sense of sympathy and respect that I felt throughout most of the movie, mixed of course with a sense of bewilderment. On the one hand, the movie seemed to be trying to desperately to be funny to the point that I couldn’t help but feel bad at their failure. I mean there were really very few emotions that the movie was trying to evoke besides fear. No particular love scene or funny moments. Yet, the movie’s attempt at frightening me came off like one of those little Chihuahuas that bark like they are a german shepherd; it wasn’t effective, at all.stock-photo-12891584-front-view-of-angry-chihuahua-growling-standingStill, when I put myself in the shoes of someone from the 1920’s I felt much more respect for the movie. The producers of the movie’s had nearly none of the tools available today, no color, no dialogue, certainly no digital effects, and probably most inhibiting, no predecessors. For the frontier that this movie was, I thought it did a pretty admirable job of scaring an audience that would have been experiencing a new kind of entertainment. They made excellent use of costumes. Many of the the masks and scenery could rival today’s blockbusters.

Unknown-2

But I did feel as if the handicaps helped the movie in some ways. The lack of dialogue, or sound in general really allowed me as a viewer to emphasize what was on the screen. For instance, the abrupt and drastic body language really came across during the movie, perhaps because it was mute or perhaps because they did exaggerate it. Either way, the character’s nonverbal communication really drove the archetypes that the characters represented. At the same time the movie’s lack of color definitely contributed to the dark and depressing atmosphere that surrounded much of the movie. It reminded me of the film I did based on my interpretation of the Metamorphosis. In my film Jason Woo and I opted to put our film in black and white for precisely the same reason, to emphasize the feeling of depression and hopelessness that we associate with black and white.

Still, Even though I didn’t love the movie, I still think that it is worthy of being watched and studied. If for no other reason, Nefaratu is important because it is arguably ground zero for the very large horror movie genre that has developed today. Nefaratu is integral in understanding the way horror films, or even films in general have evolved since their clearly humble beginnings. Sometimes, it can be pretty rewarding to see how far we’ve come.

St. Paul and Park Row buildings, 1900     Unknown-1

Nosferatu Mood Diary

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When I found out we had to watch a movie for class, I was pretty excited, and that excitement didn’t decrease once I found out the movie was silent (believe it or not). I was really curious as to what it would be like since I’ve never seen a silent film before. Also, I have this really frustrating OCD habit where, if I don’t hear what a character is saying, I have to rewind that part over and over until I hear it correctly. But no verbal dialogue = no problem. So Nosferatu and I started out on good terms.

As I watched the film, I realized that the fact that the movie was silent was even better than I had originally thought – it was actually what made it bearable. In this day and age we all know what vampires are, and even some of their habits – they sleep in coffins during the day, use their fangs to bite victim’s necks, live in Transylvania, etc. However, the audience of this movie was definitely from a very different time, without this previously known image and all of its associations. The fact that the Count slept in a coffin was nothing new or even remotely interesting to 21st century me, while it would have captivated an audience in the 1920s and even scared them. To captivate a modern audience, or at least try, a vampire story has to add deeper, newer, and more shocking layers to the original concept (think Twilight if you haven’t already).

So I think the music and exaggerated facial gestures of this silent movie is what made it good for me- the presentation was something new, even though the plot wasn’t at all (and even though the scary vampire that was supposed to terrorize everybody he met walked slower than a zombie).

The best part about the silent film was the music! I loved the music narrating the entire movie. It was somehow so descriptive in the same way a written script would have been. It kept me emotionally attached to the goings on of the plot – when a certain piece would play, I would know whether the scene would be happy or “scary” and would set my mood accordingly for the next few minutes. Sometimes, in a moment where you would expect a character to laugh or cry (for example, Nina when she sees all the dead bodies being carried through the street), the instrumental in the song literally sounded like somebody laughing or crying. It was really well done. The facial expressions made by the characters had a similar effect; the acting was radically different from today’s times. Because there was no dialogue, every motion and expression had to be carried out to an unrealistic extreme in order to get the point across. This would be “bad” acting now since we have the technology to make films with sound, but back then it was a positive feature necessary to the viewer’s understanding and attention.

On a personal level, Nosferatu reminded me of a not so great memory from when I was much younger, which put a damper on an already depressing story. For years as a little kid I was never able to sleep. Sometimes it was because of nightmares and sometimes I was just scared for no reason. Regardless, I would wait up all night sometimes- hiding under my blankets, staring at the clock, and waiting for morning to come. I hated the nighttime, because for some reason the darkness alone brought along fear, while in the morning I felt much better and was able to sleep without any problem at all. So when the words “As the sun rose, Harker felt himself freed from the oppressions of the night” flashed onto the screen (after he spends a night at the Count’s home), this childhood habit is the first thing I thought of. Which was kind of sad. 

Overall, I think I like the idea of a silent film more than I like this movie itself. While Nosferatu did inspire me to try watching other movies in the same format, I wasn’t thrilled with the plot and the gloomy way it made me feel. It wasn’t a scary movie in the way we think of that term now- none of the imagery made me jump or scream, and I wasn’t in any sort of suspense as I watched it. But the smaller details, such as the image of rats pouring out of coffins, had this darkness to it that was on a much subtler and deeper level. There are different types of scary.

 

This Show’s as Big as His Career

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When artists become famous, some of their works receive more attention than others. Similar to the article that Jacklyn did about Indiana and his infamous artwork LOVE, the article I chose talks about Mike Kelley: his career recognition and creations. Written by Holland Cotter, This Show’s as Big as His Career shows an European artist’s work in a New York setting.

Despite Kelley’s success as an artist, becoming an artist wasn’t his original plan. Growing up in the suburbs of Detroit in 1954, Kelley aspired to become a writer; however, Kelley soon gave up on becoming a writer due to his lack of confidence. Although Kelley’s family did not approve of his choice, Kelley was able to pursue becoming an artist thanks to his willing personality. Kelley attended University of Michigan, Ann Arbor as his undergraduate school and attended California Institute of the Arts, Los Angeles County (CalArts) as his graduate school. The artworks Kelley created during his time at CalArts was one of his earliest works found.

Kelley’s artworks were influenced by his past and his refusal to authority. One concept that Kelley incorporated into many of his artworks is home. Home to Kelley was not just Detroit. In one of his artworks, “Educational Complex”, Kelley designed models of all of the schools he went to throughout his life. Home was also an utopia to Kelley. In his creation “Kandor Project”, Kelley sculpted a setting of Kryptonite city, Superman’s homeland. Unfortunately, this was one artwork that Kelley was unable to finish before his death.

Holland Cotter believes this presentation, 40,000 square feet, of Mike Kelley, which is held at MoMA PS1, is one that Kelley deserves due to his dedication to the arts. Before his unfortunate suicide last year, Kelley devoted thirty years out of his short 57 years to creating artworks of many different mediums portraying current themes. For example, some of the methods of art he used was performance, painting, sculpture, video, sound art, and writing.

The presentation of Kelley at MoMA PS1 was planned by Ann Goldstein and constructed by Connie Butler and Peter Eleey. The author mentions that he would have preferred if the show was at the MoMA, but also states how it made sense to place it there. MoMA PS1 will exhibit Mike Kelley until February 2.

Although artists such as Indiana and Kelley are getting recognized for their works after their deaths, I am glad that these artists are becoming discovered. However, does their death elevate the price placed on their artworks?

Nosferatu Mood Diary – Kevin Parakkattu

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Although I wasn’t necessarily frightened, I was thoroughly entertained with the Nosferatu movie. I was immediatly hooked as soon as Knock aka “Doc Brown”, sends Hutter to Transylvania to visit a new client.

 

 

When Hutter was at the inn, I thought of teenage smoking. Wiser people are trying to tell someone not to do something because they know from experience that such things kill. Although cigarettes are far different from Dracula, they share the quality of being something that is lured in and eventually kills you. Hutter, like a typical teenager, does not listen to other people and continues to do what they think is right.

When I first saw Count Orlok, I thought of a shrine of Arnold made by Helga in the show “Hey Arnold!”. His pale skin combined with his motionless eyes struck a nerve to this childhood scene. However, I do recall being scared at the shrine also when I first saw it on television. Perhaps, my biggest fear in life is a giant football headed shrine?

My favorite scene was after the caption said “Only a woman can break his spell”. The moments after this caption were action packed and finally got to the point of the performance. When Orlok is finally defeated, I couldn’t but feel joy. To be quite honest, I didn’t care much for Ellen and I was more glad that Dracula is finally dead. This scene reminded me of Aladdin and how Jasmine seduces Jafar to eventually defeat him. Unlike a classic Disney film, Nosferatu ended realistically, with the heroine dying. Either way, I drew a comparison between Ellen and Jasmine.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie and would recommend to any of my friends interested in cult classic horror films.

Nosferatu.

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Nosferato. Just the name alone comes off with a negative tone.  I wasn’t very eager to watch the film, specifically because of how old it is.  The new generations (myself included unfortunately) din’t fully appreciate older/soundless movies.  But I was utterly surprised to find that I actually enjoyed the movie.

On a side note, I did have an idea of what Nosferuato looked like only from an early Spongebob episode where he is seen flicking on and off the lights (you all know what I’m talking about).

vampire

Anyway, was I scared? No, not at all.  But I wasn’t scared of “The Exorcist” either and I still thought that was an exceptional scary movie too.  For the time period, in 1922, I think people were definitely scared out of their minds when they saw this film.

Even with the lack of words, the music tells the story just as well.  The eerie music is present throughout and the clashing chords just hit home with the audience.  Nosferatu looks and acts more animalistic than human which I think is just plain good acting.

vampire 2

This is on my list of some of my all-time horror movies!

 

Nosferatu Mood Diary

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I read Nosferatu by Bram Stoker when I was in tenth grade and it was easily my favorite piece we read all year. I enjoyed so much of the writing style, how the story was presented in first person with an effective usage of diaries and the retelling of the events was awesome. The movie that I watched I got generally the same sense of perspective, with the usage of words like “I” when the characters were relaying what is happening. I enjoyed that greatly but one thing I did not like about the movie was the fact it was a silent film. The reason I did not like the silent aspect of the film is not because I am uncultured and need them to speak, but because I am not used to such dramatic expressions to convey their feelings and emotions. I am used to looking at a film and studying the finer points of acting, the subtlety of their eyes, the movement of their hands. In comparison, to have a scene where the actor sits like this for a few seconds that kind of freaks me out.This Face

I don’t even know what the actor was trying to portray. Is this intense happiness or psychopathy? Is he going to murder her or hug her?

Ok thank god

Alright good its just a hug. But can you see why I think that this cannot be taken seriously at points? How can I put myself in their shoes and truly fear for them as if it were myself(something I always try to do in scary movies to amplify the thrill) when I can’t even imagine myself making the silly faces they constantly make. I can’t put myself in the situation and it is causing a major disconnect for me personally by having thee film be silent, ergo, silly.

There are many scenes in the movie and the book that I recall as being particularly disturbing. My personal favorite scene from the movie was when the count first revealed himself. He is so creepy and eerie it makes me physically uncomfortable to watch. I did not accurately imagine how creepy the count would be when reading the novel, when I read the novel I thought he looked somewhat normal and just a little pale. However in the movie he is so ridiculously scary looking and acting I can barely look at him when he is on screen. I am pretty sure his face when John cut himself accidentally with the knife when they first met will haunt me for life.

However, in the book, the scene that stuck with me was the ship scene. Although they did a great job in the movie of presenting the scene, when I read it originally my mind went crazy imagining the devastation and pure fear that must have been felt by the sailors; I feel the movie didn’t necessarily do it justice. The movie showed the scene, exactly how it was written, but I still feel it was enough. They didn’t accurately capture the pure fear I had when I was reading the book.

All in all I really liked the movie, the acting was sub-par at times, (due to the over reactions) and  and the music was not exactly my taste, but it did freak me out at times and it told the story very effectively with very primitive tools.

Nosferatu Mood Diary

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Within the first few minutes of the movie, I realized that I was watching a silent film.  And in my naivety and twenty first century mindset, I expected a high quality, modern film like The Artist.  Every thing that I saw afterwards, was automatically tied to the film.  Like in The Artist, the music played a huge role in the film.  I enjoyed the impact of the score and how it added to the “scariness” of the film.

  It helped set the mood and added to the impact of the film.  In congruence with all silent films, the exaggeration in expression was apparent.  I though it was odd that this trend continued into the make up and costumes that were used. This reminded me of “the absurd” we discussed so heavily with Gogol’s The Nose. The huge exaggeration in the Count’s eyebrows, ears, and hands shows the overt visual display of the absurd.  For some reason, though it was supposed to be scary, I found the film oddly comical at times.  Through its exaggerated acting and the absurdity, the film was so unbelievable and entertaining.

I also enjoyed looking at the film in a historical context.  The time period of the film’s creation is often known for its darkness.  Expressionism’s focus on meaning and expression versus reality indicates the mindset of the time.  I thought that the film was especially interesting in the development on expressionism.  It was extremely dark in its meaning and I thought it was interesting to see how German culture of the time effected the film.  Though it wasn’t like The Artist, I enjoyed Nosferatu and thought it was an interesting movie.