VampyrA fleeting shadow flits across the dimly lit room. Is it a mere trick of the flickering candlelight, or something more? Carl Theodor Dreyer's Vampyr is one of cinema's earliest vampire movies, one which possesses a creepy, even trance-like aura, and evokes the supernatural content of its plot through subtle, menacing intimations. As described in the introductory exposition, it is the story of a young scholar named Allan Gray (Nicolas de Gunzburg), who journeys to the village of Courtempierre, only to discover that there is a mysterious air about the place, one which proves to be the result of the malevolent forces of darkness.
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Vampyr was a turning point for Danish filmmaker Dreyer, who had worked primarily in silent films before, and the silent film expressionism carries over into this one. Shadowy totemic images of death cast their gloom over the stage, from the black silhouette of a skull in the opening credits to the looming scythe carried on the back of a villager. Dreyer presents his story with a deliberately washed out, soft focus look, which gives the film a dreamlike quality; this is key, because as the early title informs, Allan Gray will soon find himself stricken by the devilish influence, and his perception of reality and fantasy will also blur. Vampyr was originally filmed in multiple languages; however, as time has claimed the original negative of the film, the version that exists today is assembled from what remains. In essence, it is itself something of an undead construction, resurrected from the vestiges. Allan Gray is principally an observer of the events which unfold in the village, a chronicler of this macabre story; coincidentally, he bears a passing resemblance to H. P. Lovecraft. His first strange encounter comes with the arrival of an old man who prophesies his own death, and imparts unto the young man a package. When this man is later slain by a shadowy apparition armed with an equally shadowy rifle, Allan Gray opens the package to discover a book which discloses at length the nature of vampires. Although dialogue is spoken in Vampyr, is is infrequent, and most exposition comes in the form of titles like those at the beginning of the film. After Allan Gray begins to read the book bequeathed to him, pages from the tome take over. The passages from the book mirror the events that unfold in the story, as it pertains to the man's daughter, Léone (Sybille Schmitz), who has been stricken with an illness later discovered to be vampirism.
Vampyr was largely influenced by the collection of gothic horror stories by Sheridan Le Fanu, "In a Glass Darkly", especially the story titled "Carmilla", a vampire story which predates Bram Stoker's "Dracula". As such, while there are some recognizable tropes which would later become commonplace in vampire lore, Vampyr remains largely free from the eventual cliches, and haunts the viewer by virtue of its chilling ambiance. The musical score in Vampyr is filled with sinister strings, skulking woodwinds, and rumbling percussion, capturing Allan Gray's anxiety and fear. The shadows which serve the lords of darkness dance and amble of their own apparent accord, and draw Allan Gray to the homestead of the old man to bear witness to his murder. Allan's prior encounter with a circumspect doctor proves to be his first introduction to the black conspiracy at work in Courtempierre, as he and his elderly ally are involved in a heinous plot which is at the root of the vampiric outbreak, the legacy of the late heretic, Marguerite Chopin. When Allan offers up his blood ostensibly to save Léone at the behest of the suspicious doctor, he has an out of body experience. Just as with the displaced shadows, the special effects to portray Allan's preternatural experience may seem dated by today's standards, but are remarkably effective in their simplicity. Allan's dreamlike fugue is also akin to second sight, as his astral projection leads him to discover where the doctor has taken Léone's abducted sister, Giséle (Rena Mandel), and where he witnesses his own burial by the coven of devil worshipers. But for Allan's observation, save for his rescue of Giséle, he is largely uninvolved in the destruction of the unholy curse over the town; the most direct action in stopping the vampire and her cohort comes from the efforts of a servant in the old man's homestead. In a way, Allan is like a shadow himself, as though he were stricken with a curse not unlike Léone, giving the audience who identifies with him a sense of powerlessness in the face of evil, augmenting the predatory menace of the forces of darkness. In this, Vampyr is more than a movie about vampires; it is a film about the danger of evil and its capacity to deprive us of our very souls.
Recommended for: Fans of a chilling and formative vampire film, which always carries an unshakable fear and gloom throughout the piece. It is also a work of transition between the silent movie era and into that of "talking" pictures, a bridge between worlds, so to speak.
Vampyr was largely influenced by the collection of gothic horror stories by Sheridan Le Fanu, "In a Glass Darkly", especially the story titled "Carmilla", a vampire story which predates Bram Stoker's "Dracula". As such, while there are some recognizable tropes which would later become commonplace in vampire lore, Vampyr remains largely free from the eventual cliches, and haunts the viewer by virtue of its chilling ambiance. The musical score in Vampyr is filled with sinister strings, skulking woodwinds, and rumbling percussion, capturing Allan Gray's anxiety and fear. The shadows which serve the lords of darkness dance and amble of their own apparent accord, and draw Allan Gray to the homestead of the old man to bear witness to his murder. Allan's prior encounter with a circumspect doctor proves to be his first introduction to the black conspiracy at work in Courtempierre, as he and his elderly ally are involved in a heinous plot which is at the root of the vampiric outbreak, the legacy of the late heretic, Marguerite Chopin. When Allan offers up his blood ostensibly to save Léone at the behest of the suspicious doctor, he has an out of body experience. Just as with the displaced shadows, the special effects to portray Allan's preternatural experience may seem dated by today's standards, but are remarkably effective in their simplicity. Allan's dreamlike fugue is also akin to second sight, as his astral projection leads him to discover where the doctor has taken Léone's abducted sister, Giséle (Rena Mandel), and where he witnesses his own burial by the coven of devil worshipers. But for Allan's observation, save for his rescue of Giséle, he is largely uninvolved in the destruction of the unholy curse over the town; the most direct action in stopping the vampire and her cohort comes from the efforts of a servant in the old man's homestead. In a way, Allan is like a shadow himself, as though he were stricken with a curse not unlike Léone, giving the audience who identifies with him a sense of powerlessness in the face of evil, augmenting the predatory menace of the forces of darkness. In this, Vampyr is more than a movie about vampires; it is a film about the danger of evil and its capacity to deprive us of our very souls.
Recommended for: Fans of a chilling and formative vampire film, which always carries an unshakable fear and gloom throughout the piece. It is also a work of transition between the silent movie era and into that of "talking" pictures, a bridge between worlds, so to speak.