Great Film overall

An Exercise In Nonsense

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

A sometimes-interesting black and white independent art house cheapie produced by David Lynch that's sort of like a homage to "Dracula's Daughter (1936)". In New York City, another daughter of Bela Lugosi's Dracula (public domain closeups of a bearded Bela from WHITE ZOMBIE are utilized to sub for her Old Man) deals with her own vampirism and hopes to be freed from her curse, since her infamous dad was recently destroyed by Van Helsing (Peter Fonda!). The leading actress is good but Fonda is rather awkward. Of course the film finds it necessary to over-do the lesbian angle. Too many distorted camera shots at times, but worth a look for the heartfelt tribute to old Universal Horror. It's played very serious, at least ... perhaps too serious. ** out of ****

What "West Side Story" did for the oft-told tale of Romeo and Juliet--updating it and setting it on the harsh streets of NYC--Michael Almereyda's 1994 offering, "Nadja," does for the story of Dracula. "I'm not really good for much of anything," Nadja, the 200-year-old daughter of the late count, tells a bar pickup when we first meet her, but as this film proves, the gal IS more than adept at following in daddy's footsteps and procuring a nice blood nosh for herself. During the course of the film, we see Nadja find a new girlfriend (played by the wonderfully named Galaxy Craze), look up her estranged twin brother in the wilds of Brooklyn, and tangle with a descendant of Dr. van Helsing. The film has three main selling points that make it a must-see for fans of modern-day horror. The first is Peter Fonda, portraying van Helsing as a long-haired hippy type in a wonderfully charismatic manner. Then there is the picture's absolutely gorgeous B&W photography, which transforms "Nadja" into a genuine work of art; DOP Jim Denault and his crew are to be commended for a splendid bit of work here. Indeed, the film looks so very impressive that its oft-discussed pixel FX (which are used seemingly at random and only to ratchet up the disorientation factor) struck this viewer as a mere distraction. And then there is Nadja herself, played, appropriately enough, by Romanian actress Elina Lowensohn, a woman with a striking accent, a distinctive way of emphasizing her lines, and a decidedly off-kilter beauty. Elina has been perfectly cast here (and looks terrific in a cowl!). "Nadja" also features bits of well-integrated humor (as when Nadja refers to her dad as a "night bird"), and although its story line is a bit too dependent on (double) coincidence, it remains enthralling nonetheless; a significant contribution to the Dracula legend.

shot in black and white, this film has an eloquent beauty. I love it. It's the ultimate vampire film since vampire journals. Peter Fonda gives it a lasting performance, as well as Lynch's cameo, which makes the film its eerie mood. all in all it kicks ass! What appealed to me was the girl on girl action in the film, very beautiful. This film is similar to 'the hunger' its that awesome. I enjoyed every bite to the jugular vein after another. and on and on. The film wasn't frontin(g) at all. damn it's got to be on DVD. it's hot. The plot was that of momento and sin city. her lips were red as roses. sink your fangs into this morsel, you won't regret it. some movies shot in black and white are classic, but nadja isn't only classic it's just damn sexy!bloody kisses, Jade

As I just said in my Summary, this is just a comment to comment on the comments that have been made about the movie. This is not the typical vampire movie. It's NOT action packed. It is filmed in black and white using techniques that are meant to mimic an older movie while adding a touch of modern film-making at the same time. You can see a bit of Lynch's influence in the way that Michael Almereyda directs the camera.The actors in the movie don't do their absolute best but do a very good job. And Elina Löwensohn's eyes really are hypnotic. They are truly the eyes of a real Dracula descendant. The real female Dracula would need to have those eyes and facial expressions. Casting her was a very good decision.In my opinion it's a good movie that is meant to disappoint normal vampire-movie buffs. Keep an open mind and remember that this is a real horror movie(like the older films. There are no screaming adolescents waiting to be killed in a very stupid way). It's not a terror or action movie. Now, ten years after it was released I give it an 8 out of 10