NOSFERATU (REMASTERED EDITION) - BLU-RAY

NOSFERATU: A Symphony of Horrors (Blu-ray)
A Film by F W Murnau

F W Murnau's horror classic was the first screen adaption of Bram Stoker's Dracula. As potent and disturbing now as ever, it paved the way for the future of gothic cinema.

Max Schreck's Count Orlok - bald, bat-eared and rabbit-toothed - is at one terrifying and pitiable. His need for blood, for living warmth, is palpable to the point of agony. Featuring some of the most iconic images in cinema, Murnau's interpretation of this great vampire tale has been much imitated, not least by Werner Herzog, whose Nosferatu the Vampyre is an admiring tribute. Nosferatu is newly remastered and accompanied by James Bernard's acclaimed score.

Special features

• Newly remastered and presented in High Definition
• Christopher Frayling on Nosferatu (Lynne Wake, 2001 24 mins): a video essay on Nosferatu and Murnau's background and influences
• Le Vampire (Jean Painlevé, 1945, 9 mins): Painlevé's study of the South American vampire bat, an allegory of the Nazism that was sweeping through Europe at the time
• The Mistletoe Bough (Percy Stow, 1904, 8 mins): the oldest film version of a classic Christmas ghost story recently restored by the BFI, featuring a new score by Saint Etienne's Pete Wiggs
• Image Gallery, featuring some of Albin Grau's original production drawings, stills and designs for publicity materials
• Fully illustrated booklet featuring film credits, film notes by David Kalat and an essay on Albin Grau and Nosferatu's occultist origins by Brian J Robb

Germany | 1922 | black and white, and tinted | silent with English intertitles | 89 minutes | original aspect ratio 1.33:1 | 2.0 stereo PCM (48k/24-bit) and 5.1 DTS-HD master audio | Cert PG (some scenes may be unsuitable for young children) | Region B

Review

The film is in awe of its material --Roger Ebert