Nosferatu

Acting in silent films will obviously not be the same as acting for a film with sound. Emotions and actions must be made clearer, and intentions shown broadly. There must be, however, a balance between exaggeration and believability. There are examples of both types of acting in Nosferatu - overly exaggerated, and balanced.

Hutter, the main character, exaggerates to the point of comedy. His reactions, especially those that should be nuanced, are far too great to be taken seriously. Even a mundane act like waking up takes a theatrical turn when Hutter emotes. Nosferatu finds a decent balance between emoting and subtleness. The fact that he is not human allows the audience to take some of his more outlandish actions in stride. Hutter's wife shows the best acting in the film for any main character; her reactions are generally normal for people in real life, and she is the most believable character.