Bram Stoker’s Dracula
I wonder if Bram Stoker had any idea the kind of frenzy he would create when he wrote Dracula in 1897. More than 200 movies have been made that feature Dracula. From Nosferatu in 1922, to the 2004 film Van Helsing, Bram Stoker’s character has remained relevant through the decades. One recent film adaptation of this classic novel is Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
The movie begins with the story of Vlad the Impaler, who is based on the 15th century Prince of Wallachia. Vlad leaves to fight in the Crusades, and upon his return finds that his wife killed herself upon hearing news of Vlad’s death. Vlad feels cheated by God and vows that he will return after his own death to terrorize the living, until his grief is redeemed. This portion of the film is narrative license on the part of the screenwriter. I believe it was included to evoke sympathy for Dracula. However, considering his evil deeds throughout the movie, whatever sympathy I had for the character at that point quickly dissipated.
After learning this bit of history about Dracula, the movie jumps 400 years ahead to London in the late 1800’s. We are introduced to the young lawyer Jonathan Harker, played by Keanu Reeves. Upon the mysterious death of the last lawyer to work with Count Dracula, Harker is sent to Transylvania to finalize the Count’s purchase of land in London. Harker is upset at having to leave so quickly, as he was supposed to wed his fiancée, Mina Murray. However, he knows that it was an honor to be chosen for the job, so he cannot refuse. His trip takes an eerie turn when he is met by the Count’s coach. The driver is a very large man who has claws for hands. Harker is terrified, yet tries to remain professional and calm as he is invited in to the Count’s macabre castle. From this point, the viewer knows that things are not going to be business as usual for Jonathan Harker, Attorney at Law.
Gary Oldman, as Count Dracula, is brilliant. His facial expressions, body language, and voice all evoke the feeling that something is definitely not right with the Count. From the way he dresses to the way he talks, it is apparent to Harker that something is amiss the minute he meets Dracula. Indeed, Dracula is a creepy figure, living in solitude in his castle, waiting for the return of his dead wife. His years of waiting are finally rewarded when he sees a picture of Mina. Mina looks exactly like the Count’s dead wife.
From that moment, the Count knows he must have her. He directs Harker to write letters to his firm, family, and Mina, letting them know that his business with the Count will take some time and that he will not be home for at least a month. Harker knows his fate is sealed when he hands the letters over to the Count. He is a prisoner, but has no idea why. The Count keeps Harker weak by having a trio of seductive, hungry female vampires feed on him.
Knowing that Harker cannot escape, the Count takes off for London. On his sea trip, he transforms into the young version of himself. Mina meets the Count and eventually falls under his spell. Eventually, Mina begins having memories of her past life with the Count. It is not explained if the Count plants these thoughts in Mina’s head, or she really is his dead wife reincarnated. This is also a departure from the novel, and one that again seeks to show the Count in a sympathetic light. It is hard not to feel a twinge of happiness for the Count as he seeks to reclaim his lost love. However, Mina is engaged to Harker, who unbeknownst to her is being held captive by the same Count she is falling in love with.
Just in time, Mina receives a note that Harker is extremely ill and has been taken in by a Convent for his convalescence. She immediately books passage for Romania and once there, she and Harker are married. The Count is heartbroken with the loss of Mina, so what does he do? He drinks from her best friend Lucy, taking her as his bride. I was confounded by this part of the movie. The Count has waited four hundred years for the return of his love and gives up when she leaves to marry Harker. He is a vampire, certainly if he wanted Mina, he could have her. Instead, he does the one thing that he knows will hurt her deeply. In fact, when Mina finds out that the Count caused Lucy’s death, she flies into a rage. However, the Count has such a hold over her that she can’t stay angry at him for long. In fact, she asks him to drink from her. Of course, he does and then opens his vein to give Mina his blood. He stops himself before she ingests too much blood, but the damage is done. Mina will never be the same.
From this point forward, the characters travel back and forth between London and Translyvania in an attempt to find the Count and kill him. He seems to outsmart them at every turn, until Harker is able to surprise the Count and slits his throat and one of their companions drives a stake into his heart. The Count begs Mina to put him out of his misery, so she pushes the stake the rest of the way through is body and then cuts off his head. The movie ends here, which is a disappointment to me. It seems rather abrupt to end the movie at this point. What happens to Mina? Does she recover? Do she and Jonathan live a long, happy life together? If you’ve read the book, you know the answer to these questions. To my disappointment, they were left unanswered in the film.
At times, the movie seemed choppy, and there were certain plot points that were never fully developed. It felt as if Coppola was trying too hard to create a climatic arc that traveled through the entire movie. Each scene was over the top in some way, and eventually it began to be too much. I didn’t fall into the world he created, which is key to my enjoyment of a movie.
I also think the attempt to make Count Dracula a more sympathetic figure falls flat. A) He’s Dracula; he’s not supposed to be a sympathetic character and B) his actions completely negated any compassion I had for the tragic loss of his wife. In addition, the fact that he could change from old to young and morph into a bat, a cat, and a wolf left me shaking my head. Why didn’t he stay in his youthful form all the time? If he could go out in the sun, why did he stay in his castle when he could have lived in London and had his pick of both beautiful women and victims?
For all of the things I don’t like about the movie, it was visually stunning. From the eeriness and gloom of the Count’s castle, to the beauty of 19th century London, the screen comes to life in a palate of colors that makes the movie worth watching. The costume and makeup department also deserve kudos for their excellent work. The Count looks completely creepy, from his weird, bouffant hair, to his pale, wrinkled skin and his flowing red cloak. Finally, the score perfectly set up the Gothic feel of the film.
My final verdict on the film is 2.5 out of 5 fangs. I think that anyone who loves the vampire genre should see this movie.
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