The 1922 silent film Nosferatu, excellently captures the essence of Bram Stoker’s Dracula through the use of exaggeration motions coupled dramatic music that perpetuates a very nervous mood that keeps the audience on edge at all times. Due to the film’s silent nature, the actors must use hyperbolic motions like arm movements and facial expressions in order to tell the story. Additionally, the Counts character design was very unique allowing the audience to know exactly what character to pay attention to and be weary of. The overall mood was suspenseful at almost all parts of the film. I was particularly impressed with how lighting and color was used to create certain moods. Despite this being a very old film, it was able to tell the story of Dracula without the need of any special effects, simply excellent use of lighting can change the entire mood. I found Nosferatu to be an excellent adaptation of Dracula and was an intriguing watch the entire way through.
