A sexual satyr in Venice: Paganini with fangs
Klaus Kinski was an exceptional actor who had the rare gift that he could turn a mediocre, even bad movie, through his sheer presence into a spectacle. His often very short but poignant performances in various B- and Thrash-movies are evidence enough.However, according to director Werner Herzog, during the shooting of the final scene of "Cobra Verde", Kinski muttered something along the line of 'I'm spent. I'm empty. I'm not there anymore'. Surely, the great actor would pass away a few years later, but not before starring in a number of films that would only confirm that statement. Kinskis own "Paganini" and "Nosferatu in Venice" would stand testament to that.
Don't be fooled by the title. Werner Herzogs "Nosferatu" and "Nosferatu in Venice" have only one thing in common: Klaus Kinski playing a vampire. Don't expect any of Herzogs magic; Kinski is decades away from the majestic portrayal of a melancholic Count Dracula. Rather, Kinski was already immersed in his role as Paganini, which he had been virtually obsessed with. His Vampire in Venice is Paganini with fangs, a sexual satyr for who blood and copulation is synonym. Of course, analyzing the vampire mythology, this is technically not incorrect, but given Kinskis own (often proclaimed) hyper-sexuality, it makes the film seem sleazy and the viewer feeling like a voyeur.
That is not to say that the movie is without atmosphere. Venice and its lagoons lend themselves perfectly well for a dark, mystic vampire melodrama and the soundtrack is excellent, only adding to its charm. But why call it "Nosferatu"? (Don't bother answering, it's a rhetoric question).
Hence, this is one of the rare Kinski films where the actor doesn't enrich the picture but his participation is actually the main flaw.
Still, the last 10 years haven't been kind to fans of vampire films; unless you're not through puberty, it's unlike you be able to enjoy the modern "Twighlight"-vampires and in the light of that, "Nosferatu in Venice" is an acceptable, though flawed and often disjointed, Gothic horror-story. 6 points from 10.
score 6/10
t_atzmueller 24 February 2013
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2758576/35527
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