Drácula em Veneza

Nosferatu (dir. F. W. Murnau, 1922) is regarded as a masterpiece. To be honest, I enjoyed Werner Herzog's remake (1979) far more - Klaus Kinski's performance in the title role was perfect; repellent and charismatic in equal measure. So I've been looking forward to seeing this hard-to-get-hold-of "sequel" for years.

Oh dear, what a disappointment. This film is a confused mess.

If "Vampire in Venice" were less conventional, it could be Art-house or Surrealist Cinema. And then its fogginess might be to its advantage. But... it just isn't.

Whereas its' predecessors were directed with a spark of genius, "Vampire in Venice" had a history of directorial dithering - and boy does it show. Despite some excellent cinematography, great sets and a (potentially) strong cast, the film is so weakly directed that it falls apart almost immediately. The cast is wasted. The plot is incongruous. The characters are under-developed and their motivations are anyones' guess. The whole is deeply unsatisfying. Of course, Barabara De Rossi is utterly gorgeous, Plummer has some gravitas and Kinski is OK, but without a firm hand at the rudder, we are on a gondola to nowhere.

Only the film's few saving graces allowed me to watch to the end. One for the curious only, I fear.

This not-exactly-a-sequel to Herzog's remake, though with Kinski in the same role (albeit without the distinctive makeup-he apparently just refused to wear it again) is much better produced than the vast majority of 1980s Italian horror movies. The locations, costuming and photography are well above average, making the whole enterprise seem at least halfway to being a truly a quality effort. But despite that, and the fairly prestigious cast, the script runs a narrow gamut between the pedestrian and the messy, with some story continuity so weak you have to wonder if major scenes were left unfilmed, and the whole had to be patched together as well as possible in the editing room. (That wouldn't be surprising, as the producer went through several directors before deciding to take the job himself. Given the resulting production delays, his directorial inexperience, and the inevitable Kinski behavior problems, it seems likely the shoot was heavily compromised.)

Anyway, this movie is a bit of an attractive mess, jumbling together flashbacks, flamenco interludes, sexploitation, several deaths by fang, several others by fence-spike, a brief incongruous "Superman"-esque flying scene, and no coherent fix on the vampire's powers at all. (He seems to command wind, while having no particular problem with crosses or daylight.) Kinski walks though the movie looking aged-rockstar-cool (save when his fangs make him a little too Bugs Bunny-ish), Christopher Plummer (as a Van Helsing type) looks like he can't wait to fire the agent who got him here, but still feels professionally obligated to pretend to take his part seriously. Donald Pleasance simply seems superfluous; even when whipped into a ranting frenzy, he doesn't quite seem germane to the plot, such as it is.. Yorgo Voyagis, who may have been great in Greek cinema for all I know, is wooden once again in an international production. Barbara De Rossi looks very beautiful, which is all her part requires. (Well, that and a whole lot of nudity.)

Sometimes "Nosferatu in Venice" seems like it's aiming for some kind of melancholy pathos, sometimes just for rote thrills and kills (none very effectively done). Throughout the visual presentation has a certain poetical sumptuousness. (Kudos to the location scout-you can tell the film's largely 18th-century interiors are real places, not studio sets.) It doesn't make the leap to actual poetry, though, because the script is such a patch job. It's hard to tell just what the writer-director originally had in mind, because the film definitely has elements of an ambitious vision, but also major signs of having only realized that vision in part. So, not a good movie-but an interesting and watchable failure.

Nosferatu in Venice (1988)

** (out of 4)

Klaus Kinski returns to the role of Nosferatu in this Italian film that was originally suppose to be a follow-up to Herzog's 1979 film. After various production issues including two director's being fired, the film ended up pretty much being 100% on its own with the only connection to the earlier film being Kinski. In the film, vampire hunter Paris Catalano (Christopher Plummer) travels to Venice, the last known location of the vampire Nosferatu (Kinski). Catalano tries to locate the whereabouts of the vampire who he believes has a desire to finally die. This is a rather interesting failure that has a lot going for it but it's obvious the production issues caused a lot of problems especially during the first part of the movie. The film starts off very ambitious as it centers on the Plummer character in current times but we then have several flashbacks to the earlier days of Nosferatu and how he became who he is. This was an interesting idea but it never really works for several reasons and one of them is a bizarre rock score that doesn't fit anything we see. Another reason these flashbacks never work is because at times it's hard to follow what exactly is going on and why certain flashbacks might be happening. Then, around the fifty-minute mark, something strange happens and the film actually turns extremely entertaining as Nosferatu finds himself in current times and falling in love with a young black lady who might just hold the key to his eventual death. Yes, Kinski drove several directors away from the film and this is partly to blame of the uneven film but you also have to give him credit because he turns in a great performance. He has his long blonde hair flowing and there's no chalk make-up so we get to see this Nosferatu in a very human-like state and the actor makes us feel sorry for this person who simply won't die. I found Kinski really intense throughout the film and this certainly spills over for several entertaining scenes but I think the romantic side works the best. Plummer is also pretty good in his rather thankless role and we even get Donald Pleasence in a role but he's pretty much wasted. Barbara De Rossi and Anne Knecht are both good as the ladies in the pack. Augusto Caminito, Mario Caiano, Luigi Cozzi and Maurizio Lucidi all did some work on the film but it was Caminito who ended up shooting the majority of the film. Even Kinski was apparently in charge of directing his scenes so who knows what was really going on with this production. It's certainly a very troubled movie but at the same time there's just so much here that does work in the end. We get some rather strong atmosphere and being 1988 and from Italy, there's much more sex, nudity and blood than normal, which is a plus. I doubt art house fans are going to enjoy this thing but if you're a horror fan and like Kinski then it would be worth your time to check this out. It's certainly not going to replace the Herzog film but it's an interesting little movie.

In VAMPIRE IN VENICE, Professor Paris Catalano (Christopher Plummer) is obsessed with tracking down the infamous blood-drinker of the title (Klaus Kinski). When Catalano finds a strange family in Venice, who were originally from Transylvania, he believes he's hit pay dirt.

This leads to the backstory being told, while Donald Pleasence makes an appearance.

When a medium is called in, resulting in a seance, the so-called "Prince of Putridity" returns! Death and doom are the result!

Kinski is quite convincing and threatening in his undead role. His interesting facial features have always made him the perfect villain, whether in horror or crime thrillers. He pulls off being pure eeevil with ease! Plummer is doggedly heroic as the Van Helsing-like Catalano.

While not a bad movie, it does tend to drag on interminably in spots...

This Nosferatu a Venezia 1988 deals with Professor París Catalano : Cristopher Plummer is looking for the disgustingly terrible count Dracula who long time disappeared at a 1786 carnival in Venice . Ultimately , Catalano follows the tracks in a Venetian palace , as Dracula suddenly shows up while looks for a lover : Barbara Del Rossi to suck . Then Professor Catalano and Dr Barneval : Yorgo Voyagis go after him through a deadly chase , as they discover by means of a medium season that Nosferatu/Dracula is seeking the eternal death along with an immortal love .

This is a thrilling mystery and a chilling psycho-drama of lust . This Italian film is a sort of sequel to Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre 1979 though very inferior to excellent film directed by Herzog that at the same time was a modern remake to 1922 silent classic Nosferatu by W. R. Murnau . This Nosferatu a Venize 1988 is a captivating and strange experience with scary images , imaginative sets and gorgeous photography from a very foggy Venice . It is a really atmospheric film with scary and creepy frames , though extremely disjointed, including a lot of flaws , failures and gaps . It features the great klaus Kisnki as the rodent-like Dracula/Nosferatu , though without make-up, only protruding teeth, as he puts his usual grim faces , gestures and rare gesticulation . When Kinski played this Nosferatu he was at his best period , having played for Werner Herzog important films as Firzcarraldo, Woyzeck , Cobra Verde , Aguirre Wrath of God . Co-stars Christopher Plummer as the astute professor who visits Venice to investigatigate the last known appearance of the vampire and he attempts to put a final to his life once and for all . Kinski and Plummer are well accompanied by a good cast as Barbara De Rossi, Yorgo Voyagis , Mickey Knox , brief appearance by Donald Pleasence and beautiful Elvire Audray who some years later committed suicide .

It packs glamorous and brilliant cinematography by Tonino Nardi, filmed , of course , on location in Venice , Veneto, Italy . As well as senstive and mysterious musical score by Luigi Ceccarelli and the great Vangelis in his ordinary style . The motion picture was regularly directed , it seem to be the shooting was an extreme chaos allegedly due to continuous interruptions, and requirements of a demanding Kinski , and with various directors as Mario Caiano , Maurizio Lucidi , Luigi Cozzi , even Klaus Kinski filmed some scenes , and eventually producer Augusto Caminito completed. Rating : 5.5/10 .Average but acceptable and passable .