Nosferatu was a horror film based on the popular novel "Dracula" by Bram Stoker. The film was shot and developed by the Prana Film Company in Germany in 1921 and was released in theaters in 1922. The film was very popular in the 1920's and became a worldwide success. However, Stroker did not give the developers authorization to do the adaptation of the novel and thus sued Prana Film. The judge then ruled that all copies of the film be destroyed. However, one copy of the film survived and the movie is now seen as a legendary!
It was not until Dr. Martin's class when I realized this connection! It amazes me that over 80 years after the film was released, a kid's cartoon pays tribute to a movie character that a lot of us never knew about. Another point in class that I thought was interesting was that the actor that played Nosferatu, Max Schreck, did not use a mask, a lot makeup or anything to make him look scary. He naturally looked odd and had scary teeth! That is what I call natural talent!
Tyler! This is awesome! (Worth $15 million dollas). I think think is great, you tying in with Spongebob- because who can't relate to Spongebob? I too feel like i've gained some valuable insight on things that was once confused about as a kid watching movies or television. To keep going with your thought process, when we talked about Lon Chaney, I recalled the scene from Disney's Halloweentown when she says, "you mean like Lon Chaney in the Egyptian Book of the Dead?!"
ReplyDeleteVery cool Tyla!
I remember this episode as well and did not understanding the reference of Nosferatu. This makes me think why the writers would add this because they had to know kids our age (and most adults as well) would not get the connection. Perhaps it was an inside joke between the writers and their history of cinematography. Nice job on remembering this episode. Very cool to see.
ReplyDeleteThats one of the reasons I liked cartoons like Spongebob. They had class with their humor every once in a while that left many people confused, but was absolutely awesome to the people who knew it. I had no idea that that film was almost erased from existance. If that had been completely destroyed I feel that a chunk of history would have vanished leading to less diversity and style in the classic horror genre. I enjoyed this post very much!
ReplyDeleteI love that episode! I think it's the one about the "Hash Slinging Slasher". Watching Nosferatu and reading Stoker's novel, it's funny to see the similarities. Although, Nosferatu changed a few plot points and some character names. The film is creepy in its own way and is a fun entry into early horror. Not sure why the writer's included that reference. Maybe it was an inside joke, or maybe they just wanted to include something with a classic horror element, considering that was the tone of the episode. By the way, Nosferatu is also on Netflix!
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