The film takes place near Vienna in 1932, near the end of
Freud’s life (and just before Hitler’s rise to power). Freud (Karl Fischer)
employs a talented young artist named Viktor (Dominic Oley) to paint his
patients’ dreams. Viktor’s sketchbook contains some interesting and unusual
work, which surprises and upsets his girlfriend, Lucy (Cornelia Ivancan). While
doing a portrait of Lucy, Viktor changes her appearance to make her more
appealing, more exciting, which vexes her, and so he gives the portrait to
Freud. When Count Geza (Tobias Moretti) sees the painting, he believes it
depicts his long-lost love, Nadila, the only woman who made his life bearable,
and decides he must have Lucy.
Meanwhile Countess Elsa von Kozsnom (Jeannette Hain) has
troubles of her own. She is upset that she can’t admire her own appearance, and
takes out her frustration on both people and mirrors. But really it is her
marital problems that trouble her. There is a wonderful scene where the Count
and Countess are in the backseat of their car, seeming like any normal troubled
couple. She asks him if he finds her attractive. “You haven’t said anything
today,” she says. He replies: “But I tell you every night. Every single
night.” She worries that she’s losing her looks, losing her man. Though
their squabbles seem ordinary, they probably take on more weight when
considering the couple’s immortality. Just imagine having the same problems for
eternity! Like any married man, the Count has fantasies of murdering his wife.
And like any married woman, the Countess berates him for not closing her coffin
properly.
This film employs most of the traditional vampire
devices, such as lack of reflection, having to be invited into a home, aversion
to garlic and so on. But it uses them in such a way that their familiarity
works on another level; that is, the fact that we’re all quite used to these
things works well with the idea that the Count and Countess are both tired of
their existence. These devices have become all-too-ordinary to them as well as
to us, and so we actually sympathize with these murderous characters. This
movie actually has a sweet humor to it, as well as many comical touches, such
as the expiration date on the dream pills.
Interestingly, the Count could probably really use some
therapy in dealing with his obsessive and compulsive need to count things. Karl
Fischer is wonderful as Freud, by the way. I love his relaxed manner. Nothing
fazes him. When Viktor despairs that Lucy is turning into a vampire and he is
desperate for her to be normal again, Freud asks, “But what’s normal,
Viktor?” I also need to mention David Bennent, who plays Radul, the Count’s
servant. He turns in a great supporting performance. I love when he hands the
Count a bottle, telling him, “Sixty percent virgin, forty percent nightclub
dancer.” The entire cast is excellent, actually, especially Jeannette Hain
as the Countess. The film is, in some ways, about appearance and identity, and
Hain does a fantastic job with those themes.
Special Features
The DVD contains a behind-the-scenes featurette, which
includes an interview with the director, David Ruehm (actually, in this
featurette, his name is spelled Ruhm, which is different from the
spelling on the DVD case and the film’s credits), who talks about the original
idea for the film and about the tight schedule and the preparation needed.
There are also interviews with cast members Tobias Moretti, Jeannette Hain,
David Bennent, Cornelia Ivancan and Dominic Oley.
The special features also include outtakes and
behind-the-scenes footage set to music, as well as two trailers.
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