Village of the Damned (1960)
Elsa Lanchester and Boris Karloff in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The Monsters.
When on March 4 in 1922 Berlin’s Newspapers announced the premiere of Nosferatu in visionary announcements, everyone used to be thrilled. They’d write “Nosferatu’s Fete” or “The Game of Nosferatu”.
Max came from Munich to Berlin for that celebration and knew that in the Marmorsaal in Berlin Zoologischer Garten everyone would be recorded. There was etiquette that everyone ought to wear a Biedermeier costume. They used to play “Faust” before the film was shown and Max was meant to be in it for a short sequence. He said he “could do everything”. Max was extremely fond and happy about the travel to Czechoslovakia though he also enjoyed being in Wismar for several sequences for which they used the Georgenkirchturm, the Wismarer Wassertor or the Marienkirchhof where I’ve been before and it is really recommendable to visit this place! He enjoyed the walks most definitely! When they used to record scenes with Wangenheim on alone, Max would leave and take walks on his own to explore the nature and hills and landscapes. Not everything was recorded in Wismar, Lübeck and Czechoslovakia though. They also used to record last bits in the Jofa studios and UFA studios here in Babelsberg, right next to my house. Since the movie is in black and white we do not see what make-up they used for Max but I know that he had bloodshot eyes - as so says my vintage Filmscript that I auctioned. Which gives Nosferatu an even more remarkable appearance in my opinion. Dark red eyes, two fangs and the rest toothless. When the film finally finished filming,
Max was extremely glad it was over since he put utterly much effort into this role and had to bear people being afraid of him. Not that he’d mind. He was extremely laid-back; another reason for me to love him. But I can imagine that this role must’ve been a burden to him for some time and he was glad to return to the stage in 1923.
Frankenstein (1931)
“Look! It’s moving. It’s alive. It’s alive… It’s alive, it’s moving, it’s alive, it’s alive, it’s alive, it’s alive, IT’S ALIVE!”
llustration by Frank Kulz of The Bride of Frankenstein for the Universal Exhibitor Book & Universal Weekly (Universal, 1934-1935)
