One of the most influential movies ever made, Nosferatu celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. An unsettling film, its outdated special effects and inconsistent frame rate actually serve to make it feel more alien and frightening. It evokes a genuine sense of dread, which is the genre's peculiar raison d'être. In addition to this, it is the themes of Nosferatu that have made it endure. In particular, the film explores (unconsciously or otherwise) the Catholic idea of the central sources of temptation. As the holy fathers of the Council of Trent proclaimed, "... let those who think themselves to stand, take heed lest they fall, ... for, knowing that they are born again unto a hope of glory, but not as yet unto glory, they ought to fear for the combat which yet remains with the flesh, with the world, with the devil (emphasis added)."
The World
"The world" denotes an opposition to God in favor of the "spirit of the world" which is under the dominion of Satan. It is the preferring of empty, passing values to what is eternal. This can be seen in the film in the form of greed, as when Hutter agrees to go to Transylvania for the allure of filthy lucre. "You could earn a lot of money ..." his boss, Knock, tells him as he sinisterly suggests that Hutter offer the Count the house across the street from Hutter's home. Hutter is initially thrilled with the opportunity. Against his better judgment, he shrugs off the warnings he receives from the Transylvanian people living around the count's castle of a diabolical evil residing there. By the time he realizes his mistake it is too late, he has fallen into the vampire's power.
The Flesh
A less pronounced theme in the film then in the novel "the flesh" denotes our disordered sensual passions, especially that of lust. In the novel, Dracula's victims are inexplicably drawn to him in a way reminiscent of carnal desire. In the film, Hutter's wife Ellen is continually drawn towards Orlock, sleepwalking on to her balcony at night in anticipation of his arrival. The central motive for Hutter's escape is to protect her chastity, having heard Orlock's veiled suggestions of his designs toward her.
The Devil
The most prominent of the of these films, the devil, is personified by Orlock himself. It is mostly through the allure of the world and the flesh that the demons extend their power over the hearts of men, but there are some who, in the words of G. K. Chesterton, wish to "sup on horrors." Knock is such a one. In the scene wherein he is introduced he can be seen examining a scroll filled with occult symbols. His suggestion that Hutter offer the count the house opposite his own is filled with thinly veiled sinister intentions.
The dominion of the devil is often synonymous with the dominion of death, the unavoidable consequence of Adam's sin. Images of coffins and gravestones permeate the picture, creating an atmosphere of oppression and dread. This idea is especially manifest in the films climax. The vampire's arrival in Hutter's village provokes fears of a plague and the people begin to be ruled by this fear. Knock is put away for insanity but eagerly awaits the arrival of the count, convinced that his "master" will reward for his foul deeds. Eventually this catches up with him, as the fear of the villagers metastasizes into a mad frenzy and the once peaceful townsfolk turn into an angry mob out for Knock's blood. Here we see a conformity to the spirit of the world that defies even natural reason.
Thus far, we have seen how the evil of the vampire is brought to Hutter's town as a result (directly or indirectly) of sin. Now we come to another major theme which distinguishes from many more contemporary horror films: hope. Many modern horror films emphasize the impotence of man in the face of diabolical forces. In John Carpenter's seminal Halloween, Laurie survives Michael Myers assault but the ultimate defeat of "the shape" is not forthcoming. After being shot six times Michael mysteriously vanishes, living on to kill another day. In this paradigm, the forces of evil may only be defeated temporarily, there is no hope a final victory over them. It is reflective of the pre-Christian world of pagan darkness.
Not so Nosferatu. Though many of the more explicitly Catholic elements of the novel are muted in the film, it is surely no accident that the vampires defeat mirrors the triumph of Christ on Calvary. Ellen discovers a passage in a book which speaks of the only way of defeating the monster; a "sinless maiden" must "give him her blood willingly." Like Christ, she offers herself as a pure, sacrificial victim in order to see the evil defeated. In the films last moments, when all seems lost and Orlock feasts on the blood of Ellen, the sun rises and the Count, heedless of the approaching danger, is destroyed.
The above quoted passage from the Council of Trent, after warning the faithful of the dangers of these three temptations, goes on to say that "they cannot be victorious, unless they be with God's grace." Ellen is powerless on her own and must place herself in the hands of some transcendent power. Once she does this, the defeat of evil is as sure as the rising of the sun. Christ is risen. The prince of this world is cast out and, though the world still labors under his dominion, we have only to await the second coming of Our Blessed Lord and so "the victory", in the immortal words of St. Maximilian Kolbe, "is already ours."
Maranatha!
No comments:
Post a Comment