Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Story: Christen Jul and Carl Theodor Dreyer
Music by: Wolfgang Zeller
Based on a book by Sheridan Le Fanu
Germany | 1932
73 Minutes | Black & White
Starring: Julian West, Maurice Schutz,
Rena Mandel, Sybille Schmitz, Jan Hieronimko
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Vampyr, loosely based on a short story by Sheridan Le Fanu (who also influenced Bram Stoker's Dracula), concerns a young occult student's investigation into the strange happenings at a certain remote castle outside of Paris. We're deep in vampire country, and we know it, but make no mistake: this is unlike any "vampire" film you've ever seen. It's more psychological, more spiritual, and more realistic than any of today's offerings. It's worth lies in the suggested, the unseen reality, where ancient forces loiter in the shadows. The artfully woven narrative never tires or diffuses, and I wouldn't even say it builds: the film retains a visceral power as that of a clever one-act play, where new developments feed the stage of the psyche and linger there until the conclusion of the matter.
Our young occult student Allan Grey, upon arriving at the estate, is visited that night by the inn-keeper with strange words. The inn-keeper leaves a book for Mr. Grey's perusal, an ancient text concerning vampires. Slowly, this unseen curse assaults the castle's inhabitants, leaving clues as to it's true origins. On a personal note, I've known an Allan Grey. He was my friend Jacob Faust, whom my brother made a film with before Jacob's tragic demise (a wrongful death at the hands of the police). Jacob was that investigator. He was that truth-seeker and God-fearing student of strange and secret phenomena. And while watching the film, it became increasingly apparent that the spirit of Jacob's journey is a universal one. It is a morbid and vexing saga, the legend of Faust penetrating occult-stories like Vampyr with sobering spiritual reality.
Vampyr employs many impressive cinematic tricks which are superior to any CGI rendering I've experienced. As transparent ghosts and dreamers haunt the platform of the estate, reality becomes detached and permeable. Wolfgang Zeller's score is an ever-present mood-informer, unraveling like a lyrical scroll. The skill of the film's players creates a rich human experience: evildoers commit dark acts, as the faithful fall victim to the unperceived. A young woman in particular, whom Allan Grey seems to fancy, falls under the curse, producing a cinematic tension that awaits resolve. Allan, who now understands the warnings of the vampire book, must act soon - although our delight is in the journey he takes to get there.
Our young occult student Allan Grey, upon arriving at the estate, is visited that night by the inn-keeper with strange words. The inn-keeper leaves a book for Mr. Grey's perusal, an ancient text concerning vampires. Slowly, this unseen curse assaults the castle's inhabitants, leaving clues as to it's true origins. On a personal note, I've known an Allan Grey. He was my friend Jacob Faust, whom my brother made a film with before Jacob's tragic demise (a wrongful death at the hands of the police). Jacob was that investigator. He was that truth-seeker and God-fearing student of strange and secret phenomena. And while watching the film, it became increasingly apparent that the spirit of Jacob's journey is a universal one. It is a morbid and vexing saga, the legend of Faust penetrating occult-stories like Vampyr with sobering spiritual reality.
Vampyr employs many impressive cinematic tricks which are superior to any CGI rendering I've experienced. As transparent ghosts and dreamers haunt the platform of the estate, reality becomes detached and permeable. Wolfgang Zeller's score is an ever-present mood-informer, unraveling like a lyrical scroll. The skill of the film's players creates a rich human experience: evildoers commit dark acts, as the faithful fall victim to the unperceived. A young woman in particular, whom Allan Grey seems to fancy, falls under the curse, producing a cinematic tension that awaits resolve. Allan, who now understands the warnings of the vampire book, must act soon - although our delight is in the journey he takes to get there.
In summary:
I. Director Dreyer harnesses the Vampire legend with ease, producing a film of amazing visual and psychological power.
II. The subjects play their roles with genuine transparency. We believe everything they do, and why they do it.
III. The flow of the story is consistent, persistant, and poetic.
IV. The cinematography is spellbinding, rich, and memorable.
V. The film will be remembered as a legendary vampire rendering, a superior work that accomplishes supernatural realism.
10 / 10 on the NORS [Night Owl Richter Scale]
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An amazing Barbera for the price, Cla´ is full-bodied with notes of plum and violet. Barbera comes from Italy's famous Piedmont region. Pair with Scharffen Berger chocolate:
A German-style connoisseur's chocolate, I first fell in love with Scharffen Berger from eating the chocoholic twist at Amy's Bread, which contains copious chunks of this bliss. Get it at Whole Foods.
-•* OR *•-
Maker's Mark Bourbon Whiskey (on the rocks)
Smooth and obtainable, Maker's Mark will be fun to sip contemplatively as you watch the action unfold.
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