Nosferatu Analysis

F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu was a powerful commentary on disease and lust for its time. The character of Count Orlok himself was a metaphor for most evils such as disease, lust, and death. Towards the end of the film, people began to get sick from a disease that originated from Transylvania. What also causes widespread epidemics is that people unknowingly carry them into their home countries. Paranoia of the disease is also a crucial element of the film. The film’s innovative use of shadows and lighting also add more depth and suspense to the film and adds on to the commentary and social themes of the film. The iconic scene where Orlok went up the staircase and you saw nothing but his shadow stuck out to audiences all around for good reason.

The entire character of Count Orlok is a representation of evil in

many ways. Orlok’s appearance is very similar to that of a rat with is a disease spreading animal. Both Orlok and a rat have long fingers, big ears, and sharp teeth. Murnau furthers to comparison by making Orlok sleep in a coffin in the crypt when Hutter discovers him and by also having the rats in coffins while the boat is headed towards town. Both Orlok and the rats carry death along with them as the rats infected people with the plague and Orlok carried the death-symbolizing rats all the way to his new home. Orlok also moves very slowly like a spider or a serpent. Along with his behaviors and physical appearance being similar to dirty animals, Orlok is later revealed to be known as “Nosferatu”. Nosferatu is often described as “the shadow of the deathbird” throughout the course of the film. Additionally, Orlok appears in the center for most of the shots that he is in and it shows that he is taking charge of the scene and also having immense fear. Also, Orlok’s appearance on a low angle shot while he is on board the ship also displays his power over everyone else.

Orlok can also be viewed as a sexual predator. Examples of this throughout the film would be when he suggest to Hutter that “they should stay together longer” and when Hutter wakes up the next morning, he notices the bite marks on his neck meaning that Orlok took advantage of him while he was asleep. Another moment would be when Orlok wakes up from his coffin on the boat. The way he gets up from the coffin is similar to a male’s arousal.

Murnau additionally uses many background objects such as arches and windows to add on to his imagery. For example, Orlok walks under multiple arch shaped entries in the film. This could be phallic imagery. But it can also aim more attention towards Orlok as it closes in towards him as he is already in the center of the frame as it adds more intensity to the scene. Murnau additionally uses fast motion when Orlok is putting all of the coffins on top of the horses. The fast motion is added suspense and it shows that time is running out for the people. When Orlok puts the last coffin on top and lays inside of it, Murnau uses stop motion to put the cover over Orlok.

But just Orlok alone cannot have caused the widespread epidemic seen in the finale of the film. The main protagonist Hutter shares some of the responsibility as well. Hutter was sent out to see Orlok in order to sell a house for his real estate job. It was too late for Hutter as he found out Orlok was really “Nosferatu” after Orlok signed the papers to get the new home. Not only did Hutter play a crucial role in bringing Orlok to spread the virus but his boss Knock had a large role as well. Orlok’s master plan was to spread a disease in that town and his means of getting there was by moving there so he needed to see write to Knock in order to get a new home and he also used Hutter to sign the contract so that the house would become his own. While on his way to the town, Orlok possessed Knock. What is also suspicious about Knock is that he also bears resemblance to a rat with his filthy teeth. Expressionist makeup was used on both Knock and Orlok to exaggerate their evils that will be brought towards the finale of the film. Knock wasn’t the master of this plan but Orlok was as Knock referred to him multiple times throughout the finale as “master”. Without taking advantage of the two characters, Orlok probably would not have been able to succeed with his plan or get far at all.

One of the messages F.W. Murnau shows in his film is that we unknowingly bring disease into our own communities when travelling into unknown locations. We should take extra precautions when travelling into the unknown in case if danger lurks there. In the 1920’s which is the same decade Nosferatu came out, there wasn’t nearly as many precautions and warnings about hidden diseases. Before the film was released, the Earth faces multiple epidemics like The Black Death in Europe in the 14th Century which wiped out many people. In today’s era of medicine and technology, a disease like the one displayed in Nosferatu can be easily contained. In the 1920’s technology was very limited and it would take a long time for them to clear up the disease. Hutter was warned by multiple people about the Count but he still went into the castle in order to do his job. At the bar when he mentions that he was on his way to Count Orlok’s castle, everyone looked at him in fear and the bartender tried to convince him not to saying that there are werewolves roaming in the forest at those hours. Those warnings would have saved Hutter from finding the “disease” and spreading it to his town.

Hutter did not suspect that Orlok was a disease spreading creature because of how he presented himself. Orlok hid his true nature by wearing his fancy hat and jacket instead of his trademark black coat. This means that disease can be well hidden and not always obvious.Orlok himself also foreshadowed that he would be up to no good. Two examples of this in the course of the film would be when Hutter cut himself with the knife as Orlok described the blood on his thumb as “precious blood” and when Orlok was signing the papers, Hutter moved them over revealing a picture of his wife with Orlok saying that his wife has a “lovely neck”. The “lovely neck” comments also expands on Orlok’s lust as he stared at Ellen’s picture for a while after finding it. Hutter also had marks on his neck the morning before Orlok’s signing which is another possible foreshadowing of Orlok. Additionally, the people that got sick “appeared to have the same strange wounds on their necks” which clearly shows that Orlok is responsible for spreading the disease.

Orlok’s reign of terror on the town is additionally foreshadowed in a scene where Professor Bulwer showed the class a carnivorous plant. After a shot of a plant capturing a fly, an intertitle comes up and says “Like a vampire, no?”. It was also foreshadowed in a shot where a spider was eating its prey in Knock’s cell.

Another thing about Nosferatu is the paranoia that occurs from fears of disease.

An example of this paranoia would be Ellen’s nightmare. The text during the scene said “her soul heard the call of the deathbird”. This is not only paranoia and anxiety, but it is also a foreshadowing of the finale of the film as Nosferatu arrives into town spreading death and later dies because of Ellen. Nosferatu’s one weakness in the entire film is described as “an innocent maiden” sacrificing her own

blood.

Ellen’s sacrifice also goes into one of the main themes of the film.

The theme of lust corrupting people. Nosferatu’s lust for blood brought him to his own demise during the plague that he began. The white dress Ellen wore in the sequence can be a representation for purity and innocence while Orlok was the complete opposite of those along with him wearing a black outfit. With those elements the scene also represents light versus darkness as the “darkness” was taking the blood of the “light”. As the metaphoric light and darkness were battling each other, a literal force of light came and destroyed the darkness. The rising sun put a stop to both the disease and

Nosferatu.