Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Directed By: Francis Ford Coppola

Movie Trailer

Released: November 1992

Rated R

Cast:
Gary Oldman: Dracula
Anthony Hopkins: Van Helsing
Keanu Reeves: Jonathan Harker
Winona Ryder: Mina
Richard E. Grant: Dr. Jack Seward
Cary Elwes: Lord Arthur Holmwood.
Bill Campbell: Quincy P. Morris
Sadie Frost: Lucy
Tom Waits: Renfield

Dracula.  He is arguably the most recognizable and iconic movie monster of all time.  Originally played by Bela Lugosi in the original 1931 film, Dracula, the character has been played by many different actors.  From Christopher Lee to Leslie Nielson, Dracula has seen many incarnations throughout the years.  However, most of the time, he’s portrayed as pure evil.  Even the most recent “Dracula” made the character out to be a total monster.  In 1992, Francis Ford Coppola unleashed his vision of Bram Stoker’s character on audiences world-wide.  You would never expect a filmmaker of Coppola’s caliber to give us one of the most memorable interpretations of Dracula ever.  It seems unusual for a director that gave us the Godfather movies and Apocalypse Now, would give us a straight-up horror movie.  In actuality, he really didn’t.  It’s actually a clever combination of different genres, but it is a horror movie at its heart.

Based on Bram Stoker’s story of the same name, Dracula tells the story of a man, Prince Vlad(Gary Oldman), who after going to war returns to find his beloved wife dead after Turks shot an arrow containing a deceptive message that Vlad had died in battle.  Vlad’s wife threw herself out of the window.  Cursing and renouncing God, Vlad becomes something more than man, a creature of the night.  Four centuries later, young accountant Jonathan Harker(Keanu Reeves)is given an assignment to secure the purchase of Carfax Abbey by the mysterious Count Dracula.  This assignment was originally supposed to be handled by Harker’s predecessor, Renfield(Tom Waits), but Renfield returned from Transylvania appearing to be insane.  Leaving his bride-to-be, Mina(Winona Ryder), embarks on journey to Dracula’s castle in Transylvania where he witnesses some very bizarre things.  Arriving at the castle and welcomed by the Count himself, Harker discovers that Dracula is more than he appears to be.  Dracula see’s Mina’s picture and it is the spitting image of Dracula’s dead wife.  So, naturally Dracula wants to take Mina as his bride.

The story of Dracula has been told so many different, but it’s never felt entirely compelling, at least not until Francis Ford Coppola’s film.  It’s a great story, with a powerful character that’s actually based on an actual historical figure: Vlad Tepes III, or “The Impaler” if you will.  Coppola’s film portrays Vlad as a man of God who wages war against the Ottoman Empire to defend the rest of Europe.  Of all the actors to portray Dracula, Gary Oldman stands out as one of the finest examples.  While the character he plays is definitely ruthless, he’s not without his own code of honor.  This is Gary Oldman’s show, through and through.  Oldman is one of those actors who can truly disappear into a role, and you wouldn’t be able to recognize.  Gary Oldman has played Sid Vicious, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Ludwig Von Beethoven.  There is no denying his talents as an actor, but Dracula is one of his best roles in my opinion.  He gives the character a very creepy, yet dignified stature as a man who felt betrayed by God and became something different.  He also gives the character a sense of tragedy and actually ends up making the character feel more human than the rest of the characters in the story.  Gary Oldman isn’t the only one who can steal the show.  Anthony Hopkins portrays the eccentric, yet dedicated Professor Abraham Van Helsing, who infamously battles the eponymous vampire.  Hopkins, like Oldman, is one of the most captivating actors I’ve ever seen.  While you can tell he does take the material seriously, Hopkins is clearly having a good time with the character even during times of tragedy.  Most of the other actors do a good job, the exception being Keanu Reeves, but I’ll deal with him later.  Winona Ryder is beautiful and elegant as Mina, and Ryder just inhabits the role.  Richard E. Grant is fantastic as the intelligent and sometimes clumsy Dr. Seward.  Cary Elwes brings a very upright stature as a nobleman from England and is Lucy’s fiance.  Sadie Frost is stunning.  The character of Lucy is supposed to be very seductive and attractive and Frost just nails it, even when she’s turning into a vampire.  Bill Campbell plays Quincy P. Morris, the only American character of the bunch, and he gives the character a very convincing southern accent and stature.  Tom Waits does a fantastic job playing the lunatic Renfield.  The character has completely lost his mind.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a very unique and visually stunning film to look at.  It has a very dark and gothic vibe throughout the picture.  From Dracula’s castle to Carfax Abbey, there’s a very distinct look that makes the whole movie feel….otherworldly, despite it being it a period piece.  The costume designs are extraordinary, especially Dracula’s wardrobe.  While he’s out in the public during the day, he’s wearing a very distinct and extravagant suit that’s appropriate for a prince.  Likewise, the dresses that Mina wears are simply stunning and befitting a woman in her position.  Most of the outfits are appropriately Victorian Era.  The atmosphere of the film is one of foreboding and dread.  There’s a lot of fog throughout and when you combine that with the set design, it’s unusually creepy.  The visual effects are wild.  There is not a single trace of CG, anywhere.  It’s mostly done practically.  You see a lot of miniatures including the trains and vista shots around Dracula’s castle.  The opening sequence of the film where Vlad goes to fight a war is very unique.  It all done in a silhouette style.  It’s bizarre and yet very appropriate given the tone of the film.  The film does get violent, and there’s plenty of blood flowing.  Given that this is a vampire movie, one should not be surprised at the amount of carnage that the film displays.  It’s not outright gory, but it’s still pretty brutal at times.  All the blood and violence is done practically and on screen.  Granted, this was before CG really became mainstream, but still: The lack of CG in Bram Stoker’s Dracula is nothing to sneer at.  It is a major achievement.  The music by Wojciech Kilar just simply sells the film as a gothic horror movie.  It’s grand and eerie at the same time.

Now, we come to the one and only real weak link of the film: Keanu Reeves.  I don’t hate Keanu Reeves.  I really don’t.  Given the right material, he’s absolutely fantastic to watch.  He has a very laid-back quality about that really suits some his other roles.  But not here.  Reeves is simply WRONG for the role of Jonathan Harker.  The character requires a particular sense of stature and emotion, and Keanu Reeves just doesn’t have it.  He was great in the Bill & Ted movies, because those served his surfer-boy attitude.  Here, you can tell that he’s holding back from saying, “woah.”  And that accent of his: He just butchers it.  He’s not convincing at all, and when stacked up against the other great actors in this film, he is simply outclassed in every way.  Like I said, I don’t hate Reeves, I just don’t think that he’s cut out for certain parts that he’s been offered.  Coppola’s casting of Reeves is simply incomprehensible.  I realize that he needed a young actor to play the part, but he could have gone with somebody else.  Obviously, Reeves went on to have a pretty decent career, so Dracula may have helped him a bit.  Thankfully, Keanu’s performance didn’t damage Bram Stoker’s Dracula as a whole so everything ended up working out for everyone in the long run.

Bram Stoker’s character was clearly inspired by Vlad The Impaler and some of the notorious acts that he committed, and Francis Ford Coppola incorporated some of that into the film.  The opening sequence is kind of a prologue detaling the character’s fall from grace.  The whole film is about Dracula’s transformation from man to monster.  Yet, throughout the film there are times when you see the character seems like he’s been made to suffer for his actions.  There are times when you really sympathize with him.  There are times when people lose their faith in God, and the story of Dracula is a bit of an analogy for that.  While some of the other movies based on Dracula are fantastic, I believe that Francis Ford Coppola’s film is unique in how it portrays its antagonist/protagonist.  You’re not entirely sure if you’re rooting for the character or wanting to condemn him.  That speaks volumes about how Gary Oldman portrays Dracula.  Combined with the other elements of the film, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, I feel, is the definitive film about the character.  With the exception of Keanu Reeves, the film is simply amazing in every way.  It’s awesome production values, music and visual effects help this movie stand out from the rest and I can easily recommend this movie to fans of vampire movies.  It’s the best one.  9/10 is my verdict.

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