Decoding Cinema

When Thomas Hutter is exploring Castle Orlok and stumbles upon the catacombs, he sees a stone sarcophagus in a dignified location. Next to it, the soil has been dig out, the stone floor removed, and a pick-axe was left behind.  Craig Lathrop, the producer designer, has confirmed in an interview the pick-axe is part of a backstory (which is based on the “ Dracula ” novel by Bram Stoker, one of the main inspirations for this film ). The soil has been removed and used to fill up the sarcophagus because Count Orlok is preparing for travel , and he, being a strigoi , needs to rest in the earth where he was buried during the day.    And, indeed, there’s a whole backstory here: who filled Orlok’s sarcophagus with dirt? Who packed his sarcophagus to travel? Someone had to put his coffin inside a box and take it to the ship, for him to be able to travel to Wisburg.  And the answer can only be in one of the source materials/inspirations for this film: “ Dracula ” novel by Br...

The importance of Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz to the plot of “ Nosferatu ” (2024) cannot be underestimated. His character not only works as a sort of self-insert Robert Eggers in the narrative , but he’s the one who unravels the puzzle of Nosferatu by revealing the truth about Ellen's "sickness" , and provides her with the language she needs to fully understand herself and her power (death). Von Franz moves in-between the “ Victorian point of view ” of the story (Hardings, Dr. Sievers and Thomas Hutter) and the Supernatural (Ellen, Orlok and Herr Knock):  he’s the character who unites this non-linear and intricate narrative . In an interview to “ Deadline ”, Willem Dafoe , explains his character, Von Franz, an expert on the occult and mysticism , is the only one who truly understands the psychic connection between Count Orlok and Ellen (" her dark bond with the beast "). Professor Von Franz is based on  Professor Abraham Van Helsing character from Bram ...