(#6) A Few Copies Survived The Purge And One Came To The US, Where ‘Dracula’ Was Already In The Public Domain
While most copies of Nosferatu were wiped out, a few were spared. One made it to US shores, where Dracula was already in the public domain. Bram Stoker never filed for copyright in America, so the film was legal in the United States.
More copies were made, and over time, Nosferatu became a horror classic - much to Florence Stoker's dismay. She continued to round up any copies she could to prevent the spread of the film in Europe, but she couldn't stop it from catching on. So, she decided to beat Nosferatu in a different way.
(#3) 'Nosferatu' Diverged From Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula' In A Few Key Ways
Though based on Stoker's Dracula, Nosferatu differs from its source material in a few key ways. When Count Dracula became Count Orlok, his bites no longer turned his prey into new vampires, but simply ended their lives. And whereas Stoker's Dracula is only weakened by sunlight, Count Orlok is disintegrated by it.
In this sense, Nosferatu had a greater impact on future vampire lore than Dracula, as the nature of vampire bites and vampires' lethal vulnerability to sunlight would be shared by such films and TV series as Interview with the Vampire, True Blood, and Salem's Lot. These series feature handsome and beguiling vampires, which is more akin to Dracula than Nosferatu. However, other works of fiction play with the idea that, as a vampire reaches extreme old age, they bear greater resemblance to Orlok than they do Dracula. This is seen in films like Blade II, What We Do in the Shadows, and Dracula Untold.
(#1) Prana Films, The Company That Produced 'Nosferatu,' Was Cofounded By A European Occultist
In 1921, businessman Enrico Dieckmann and partner Albin Grau founded Prana Films. Grau was a member of the Fraternitas Saturni, a sect that practiced many of Aleister Crowley's teachings. Both men were keen on producing films to promote occult ideas, and Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror was to be their first. Grau was also the film's production artist, and his beliefs influenced the expressionistic look and overall spirit of the film.
However, the filmmakers never got permission for their loose version of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Ultimately, they declared bankruptcy in order to avoid litigation for copyright infringement from the author's widow, Florence Balcombe Stoker.
(#4) Bram Stoker’s Widow, Florence Balcombe Stoker, Immediately Sued Prana Films For Copyright Infringement
The plots of Nosferatu and Dracula are basically the same: An English clerk goes to meet a new, mysterious client in Eastern Europe, leaving his wife behind, only to learn that his client is a fiendish vampire who intends to prey on his wife. The word "nosferatu" is even referenced in Dracula, being an Eastern European term (thought to be Romanian in origin) for the undead.
Nosferatu's filmmakers might have gotten away with making their film had its marketing not declared it to be "freely adapted" from Dracula. Prana never sought permission to use the story in the first place. After its release, someone sent Stoker's widow, Florence Balcombe Stoker, the promotional materials and program from the Berlin premiere to let her know it existed.
Balcombe, who was the literary executor of her husband's work, lived off of a small amount of royalties from the novel and was furious that there was an unauthorized version of her late husband's work out there. She immediatly sued for copyright infringement, and Prana claimed bankruptcy to avoid the suit.
(#8) Hollywood’s ‘Dracula’ Starring Bela Lugosi Didn't Come Out Until 1931, Nine Years After ‘Nosferatu’
The first horror film talkie, Dracula, was a departure from Nosferatu and had Florence Stoker's blessing. Based on the stage play, it featured Bela Lugosi, who originated the role on Broadway. Behind the scenes, Lugosi played middleman between Universal and Florence Stoker to get her to lower her price for the novel's rights. After two months of negotiations, Stoker agreed to reduce her asking price from $200,000 to $60,000.
The Dracula film soon became a smash hit. When Lugosi's character hit the screen, he was not only the embodiment of evil, but also an object of desire. The Count made him a superstar overnight.
(#5) A Judge Ordered Every Copy Of ‘Nosferatu’ And Its Original Negative To Be Destroyed
With Prana in bankruptcy, there was no way Florence Balcombe Stoker would ever collect any money, but she stuck with the lawsuit nonetheless. The next best thing she could do was ensure the film would never be seen. With the help of a judge, she nearly succeeded in getting her wish.
The judge ordered that all copies of the film and its negative were to be seized and burned. Nosferatu nearly became a forever-lost silent film classic - but fate had other plans.
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Who would not like these cold and beautiful vampire characters? The vampire characters appeared in various fiction books and even some lore and historical records hundreds of years ago. Vampires movies have bewitched audiences for a long time. Nosferatu is an old silent German horror film about vampires, it was an adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, but that was unauthorized and unofficial. Although the writer of the novel won the lawsuit, the film was still released.
Nosferatu is an influential vampiric cinematic masterpiece. There is some information about Nosferatu history, you can find 10 entries on this page, the movie blatantly defied copyright laws to become illegal.
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