Carl Theodor Dreyer's Vampyr is surely one of the strangest of the classic horror films.
We briefly discussed how this strangeness represents what Paul Schrader has called "the transcendental style in cinema"; that is, a tendency to see through representations (that often do not advance the central plot) to a Mystery of Being that denies the ultimate reality of material things.
The strangeness also represents lyricism or even what some people call poetic style--again, a concentration upon elements of composition, camera effects, characterization, and even plot that rejects the principle that film should create a coherent, focused presentation that tells a story, and instead promotes mood, atmosphere, tone.
Given this emphasis on atmosphere, many film critics would say that Vampyr offers an example of cinematic impressionism -- in contrast to the expressionism we associate without many other classics of horror and the uncanny: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari or the 1931 James Whale Frankenstein. (American horror classics were influenced by the many German silent films on uncanny themes, but also reflect the exportation of German film culture to Hollywood with an influx of refugees from Nazism in the early 1930s).
Another way to characterize Uncanny Style in Vampyr:
Obscurity - Consider what appears deliberately indistinct and unclear -- visually and aurally, but also in the conceptual elements of cinema (plot developments, setting, characters' roles in the story . . . ). What is dark, washed-out, missing?
Intensification - Consider what is exaggerated, overdone.
Narrative Instability - Consider how the basic story information is conveyed. Do we know whose point of view we are perceiving, and when the point of view shifts? Do we know what is "real" in the story and what is "fantasy" or "hallucination"?
--These issues are discussed to some extent in the reading on Vampyr by S. S. Prawer.
If you do choose to offer a comment on Vampyr in advance of discussion on Wednesday, Oct 30 -- it's not required -- you might follow one or more of these topics.
Post your response here as a comment, or if you wish, as a separate blog post.
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ReplyDeleteVampyr, a story of a haunted world and the dark and evil things that dwell there. The film’s narrative and astounding special effects portray Death as the paramount vampire.
ReplyDeleteThe storyline is not the only thing that scares the viewer in this film. Director Carl Theodor Dreyer uses odd camera angles, lighting effects and a limited and cleverly controlled audio to lead the viewer through a world that resembles a dream zone crossing the boundaries of reality and the supernatural.
While the story is quite simple and well explained throughout the film, there are many elements that do otherwise. Camera angles, for example, make the film hard to follow in a linear pattern. Scenes become more and more confusing due to the director’s camera manipulation. The viewer follows Allan Gray through the entire film but the director does not make it an easy task. He switches perspective, angles and even forces the viewer into claustrophobic places to achieve a visual instability that provokes unease and fright. The ominous creepiness is emphasized by foggy photography, symbols of death, many insoluble supernatural events.
Sound, or the lack thereof, evokes a quite similar feeling of anxiety as the camera use does. Vampyr, one of the first sound-films, shot without sound then added during the editing process, had an increase effect to the nightmarish atmosphere. The limited and short spoken-lines become a testament to the actors’ dramaturgic ability. With the director’s prowess and the actors imposing presence and remarkably grim facial expressions draws the viewer in, close to their personal space and their psyche. Vampyr is an odd film to respond to, so many things are left answered. Perhaps that is one of the many qualities that make the film a brilliant an uncanny work of art.
just a quick reflection, I thought a lot about how sound and silence become this uncanny thing. the movie made me think of that because there were so many dramatic sounds that lead to nothing like when the main character was laying in bed and then the old man walks in the door but the moment that lead up to him walking in and reviling himself to us was the uncanny part or scary part. I think that maybe its our brains that lead us to the uncanny and not the actual events. because someone coming in a door is not uncanny at all its how we interrupt it. Also these days everyone has ipods radios just sound everywhere you go I think people would go crazy if all this shit just shut down on us and we were left with silence. the silence in the movie guided one through the movie. I suppose this isnt about the uncanny at all and just my mind going.
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