So I just watched Nosferatu. I've seen Aguirre, and loved it, so I had huge expectations for this one. I also decided to rent Murnau's original Nosferatu (which I hadn't seen before). So that was okay, like all the silent cinema I've watched, it's more out of obligation than pleasure.
But anyway, I sat down tonight with a nice meal, and the lights off, and put in Herzog's version. At first I was struck by the beauty of the cinematography. Then, as it progressed, it was Kinski's onscreen presence. But as I got to the 3/4 mark of the movie, I started to say to myself that maybe I shouldn't have watched them both in the same day, seeing as how Herzog stuck so close to the Murnau version, and I've already seen Coppola's Dracula, so the story was not surprising me. Slowly I was becoming disappointed.
But then came the shot of Jonathan's wife wandering through the city square, and all the people dancing and dining madly in the open. And from here on, without giving any spoilers, Herzog took it to a new level. And now I'm so very happy that I watched the original this morning. See, I'm used to vampire movies with tons of blood and action, and so while being disappointed with the original, it got me in the right mindset for this version. And as the last couple minutes set in, a wave of emotions hit: first victory, then sadness, then absurdity, then finally, stark and brutal realization of an even greater horror! Those of you who've seen the film will know what I mean. Incredible, incredible ending. Staggering.
More sombre and contemplative and creepy, than frightening. And that's the point. This is a viewing experience that's gonna stick with me for awhile.
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary: the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.
When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.
