Director F.W Murnau

1922 version

The starting point of this film, World War I, is significant for both producer Albin Grau and director Murnau. Wars leave lasting marks on the mind in various ways; psychological wounds never heal. The choice to use Bram Stoker’s story and especially the way Nosferatu is filmed can be seen as a reflection of the fear of the rise of Nazism, which was already infiltrating Germany at that time. The theme of the fear of the “other,” the early signs of anti-Semitism—these are all things that Murnau subtly addresses and depicts. F.W. Murnau’s filmography spans from 1919 to 1931, the year in which the director died in Los Angeles from a car accident. Murnau’s work remains a reference in European and international cinema.