A political parable of Germany’s 1960s protest movement, Jonathan is set in an undefined past, when a vampire count ruled a small city and its surrounding lands. The bloodlusty count and his followers target the young, so a group of students plans a revolution, choosing Jonathan as their leader. He ventures to the castle on a reconnaissance mission, but his journey is disrupted by violent obstacles—an amuse-bouche compared to the bloody excesses that await him in the count’s abode. With its gory long takes by Wim Wenders’ regular Robby Müller and images composed like genre paintings, Hans W. Geißendörfer’s portrayal of the vampire ruling class and its demise earned him a German Film Award for Best New Director. – notes from Goethe-Institut

“The first anti-Fascist film of its kind … the most beautiful-looking vampire film I have seen” – Roger Greenspun, The New York Times (1973)