Sunlit Endings in 1922 “Nosferatu”
Blog Post#9 Film Review
Who would have thought so much tension and drama would have ended up with the morning sunlight wiping away the darkness like the end of a nightmare. The 1992 silent film “Nosferatu” was honestly a great piece of work considering the time it was made as it takes much of its story from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. One large criticism about “Nosferatu” is the anticlimactic ending almost as if it were rushed.
There was a good amount of progression throughout the beginning of the film, most noticeably in Hutter’s travel to Transylvania as the audience picks up on his disbelief in vampirism and superstition. After Hutter accidentally cuts himself while having dinner, Orlock is unable to fight back the urge to have a taste of their own guest’s blood which raises fear in Hutter. There is a noticeable amount of character development in Hutter as the story continues despite Orlock attempting to continue as if nothing has happened, the pesky mosquitoes which he believed to have bit his neck truthfully being Count Orlock who has already sunk their fangs into Hutter.
There is also a change in Ellen, who begins to sleepwalk during the night as her husband, Hutter, is away. The sleepwalking becomes more frequent as she is seen staring out her window or jolting up from the bed and sees a dark figure in possession of Hutter. There is tension on both sides of this couple involving Count Orlock, and the build-up seems to climax once the vampire reaches their home in the middle of the night.
As Ellen rests, the rat-like Count is making a meal of her blood, but there is no moment where he is caught in the action. Orlock is never noticed by the public and has a large advantage over the city, but after sucking the blood of the maiden he is hit by the beams of sunlight trickling over the buildings outside the open window. His movement falters as he stumbles back and forth, gone in a puff of smoke, and the scene switches to Knock who states that his master has died.
It isn’t human force that defeats such a plaguing threat, but nature itself as seen in the last few minutes of the film. As much as the ending feels very anticlimactic, perhaps there is a message considering the forces of nature having the ability to cleanse. However, this is only speculation and is up to interpretation. Could it really be a symbol of light overcoming darkness?