CARL DREYER'S VAMPYR REVISITED

Back in 2008 I purchased the Criterion Collection's release of Carl Dreyer's 1932 film, VAMPYR. While I have no specific reason, I didn't seem to have the inclination to watch it until recently. I had seen a version of it years ago and remembered that it was a pretty strange movie. I'm glad I finally gave it another view, and yes, it's quite strange, but in a very fascinating way.

Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer (3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), after having made THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (1928), one of the most critically acclaimed films of the silent era, thought he would capitalize on the commercially burgeoning genre of supernatural films (they weren't popularly known as "horror" films quite yet). He decided on using Irish writer, J. Sheridan LeFanu's 1871 book of weird tales, "In A Glass Darkly" for his inspiration. He co-wrote the script with fellow Dane, Christen Jul, and the resulting work bore little resemblance to the book he derived his idea from. Instead, except for a few references (like "Carmilla", the vampire is a woman, albeit an ancient hag), the story seems wholly original.

Completed in 1931, the film's distributor, UFA, perhaps unwisely decided to hold back on its premiere thinking it would be overshadowed by the soon-to-be released DRACULA from Universal. Whether not appearing before it would have had any more significant influence on the history of the vampire film is difficult to assess. In any event, when VAMPYR premiered in Germany, it was largely panned by audiences. Unusual film cuts, tracking camera shots and the general ambiguity of many scenes and images left viewers scratching their heads. The same happened on its premiere in France.

Nevertheless, like many other films from the era, it has become more welcoming by film critics and historians. VAMPYR (aka, THE STRANGE ADVENTURE OF ALLAN/DAVID GRAY) is a singular movie; odd, and in many ways, inexplicable, it is visually captivating despite its ambiguities and its overall effect is heavily dreamlike and atmospheric.

Following are articles and photos from the film.

Original poster concept art.

French film poster.

Rare German lobby cards.

The demise of the vampire's accomplice.

Allan Gray sees his own corpse in a dream sequence,

Article from CLOSEUP, March 1931.

Article from SIGHT AND SOUND, October 1965.