The circumstances behind the production of certain films are occasionally more entertaining to hear about than viewing the feature itself. This is unfortunately the case for the completely mental 1988 Italian supernatural horror film Nosferatu In Venice. Originally conceived as a sequel to the Werner Herzog-Klaus Kinski highly regarded 1979 horror film Nosferatu The Vampyre, the effort nearly a decade later felt doomed from the very beginning. The biggest issue this production faced was securing the notoriously volatile Klaus Kinski (L’important c’est d’aimer) during a period in which he was most determined to watch the world burn. The waning days of his life found the German performer incapable of listening to direction and boundary pushing in ways that probably should have gotten him locked up. This production was not just troubled, it was incomplete. After six weeks of shooting, the film was only half completed due to various filming obstacles, and rather than try to control an uncontrollable performer and go over budget, the producers simply tried to cobble together what they had into a film. The result is a mess, but it is an intriguing mess you have to see for yourself.
The film begins promisingly with British Professor Paris Catalano (Christopher Plummer, The Sound Of Music) arriving in Venice in hopes of tracking down the whereabouts of the infamous Nosferatu (Klaus Kinski), who was last seen in 1786. If you need someone to give gravitas to a Van Helsing-esque figure, Plummer is more than up to the task. The professor has been summoned by the young Princess Helietta Canins (Barbara De Rossi), who believes that the vampire may be entombed at her family estate. There are off-hand remarks about Helietta bearing a striking resemblance to Nosferatu’s long-lost love, but this is mostly dismissed and for some reason the family decides to have an old-fashioned seance which rouses the old vampire from his sleep. A very animated Donald Pleasence (Halloween) as Father Don Alvise warned them against messing about with such acts, but people cannot resist the dark arts. Now we have a melancholy Nosferatu moping around Venice adding a few deaths to this name and other nondescript acts.
The most apparent way in which you can tell that Kinski could not care less about his performance is from his appearance. This time around he refused to shave his head or wear fake fangs, which basically leaves Kinski in vaguely frilly clothes. Nosferatu kills some holy men and other people who get in his way, and he creeps on some women at night – it is not surprising that some of the few scenes Kinski agreed to participate in were the sex scenes. Things technically happen within this film, but you would be hard-pressed to coherently explain what exactly happens and why. The story is a jumble of half-completed ideas, yet it is not completely without merit. What the film lacks in plot, it does achieve in general atmosphere. Kinski radiates such an unsettling vibe that even Nosferatu walking around a city becomes strangely menacing, especially with the heroic feats of cinematography employed by Antonio Nardi. There is evidence that a good film could have been produced if Kinski had behaved. The impeccable production design, the practical locations and the performances are all quite lovely when judged on their own terms. There is just too much missing to make a successful film. Nosferatu In Venice is a misfire, but it is the type of film that begs for your attention to see what it is for yourself.
Video Quality
Nosferatu In Venice comes to Blu-Ray with a new digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 derived from a 2K scan of the original camera negative. The presentation is not without its share of dust and debris, but the new scan looks quite excellent throughout most of the runtime. There were no overwhelming instances of print damage outside of some hairs that showed up over the credits. Overall clarity and detail is magnificent with some of the production design showcasing some newly discovered nuance. The picture holds up fairly well in long shots, and colors are well saturated in a visually splendid way. Skin tones are natural and consistent with subtle facial features easily noticeable in closeup. Black levels hold up well with virtually nothing in the way of crush and only some occasional loss of shadow detail. There does not appear to be any amount of digital noise due to compression limitations or other such nuisances. The film is very grain heavy and some of the optical dissolves can look a bit rough in the brief instances they appear. This new presentation is of very high quality from beginning to end and should please any fans of the material.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray disc comes with a remastered DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track in English and Italian with optional English subtitles. Most of the performers supplied their real voices for the English track, and that appeared to be the most consistently natural of the two tracks. The score utilized within the feature sounds pretty good throughout the duration of the film, but some of the cues can sound a bit thin and brash. There are moments where it threatens to overwhelm the dialogue, but the track maintains a good balance so that dialogue comes through clearly. Environmental sounds and background chatter are rendered well alongside everything else. There does not seem to be any majorly noticeable instances of age-related wear and tear, but some brief snippets reverberate with a bit of an echo. Severin Films has given this film as stable of an audio presentation as possible given the source conditions.
Special Features
- Creation Is Violent: An excellent new 82-minute documentary on Klaus Kinski’s final years documenting his erratic and volatile personality as told through anecdotes by those who were on the set and had to deal with him. This is honestly better than the feature film and is worthy of the price of the disc itself. There is so much juicy information that fans will devour with glee.
- Creation Is Violent Outtakes: Additional stories not included in the documentary are included here.
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- Nothing Bad Can Happen (8:12)
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- Gypsies Should Be Played By Real Gypsies! (2:28)
- Trailer: The two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Nosferatu In Venice is not a great movie, but it is a fascinating misfire that begs to be seen if only for the sight of Klaus Kinski in a downward spiral. The creepy atmosphere that emanates from this film almost feels like an accident, something positive in an experience not filled with many bright spots. While the movie may be far from a classic, the real appeal of this new disc for some will probably be the substantial new documentary chronicling the waning years of Klaus Kinski. Severin Films has released a Blu-Ray featuring a solid A/V presentation for the feature and a necessary supplemental package that makes the whole release worth it. The inclusion of the supplemental features is substantial enough to earn this one a recommendation for those curious about the performer. Recommended
Nosferatu In Venice is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Severin Films has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
