Bram Stoker's Dracula screening report

Bram Stokers's Dracula

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is an adaptation of a vampire novel. The film came out in 1992 and was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Due to another company owning the rights on Dracula they had to call it Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The film was very well received by the general public and is regarded as one of the most famous Dracula adaptations.  It stars Gary Oldman as Dracula, Winona Ryder as Mina Harker, Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker, and Anthony Hopkins as Professor Van Helsin.

The film begins by introducing Vlad Tepez, a member of the order of the Dragon, who won the war in Turkey and is returning home to his wife. However, the Turkish army sends a letter to his wife saying Vlad is dead and she commits suicide. Enraged, Vlad denounces religion, stabs a cross in the church and declares that he will rise from the grave. These elements make Dracula more human like instead of just a vampire. The film pays close attention to the romance between Mina and Dracula and sentimentalizes Dracula’s character. The final scene of the film with Dracula dying and Mina trying to save him looks more like a tragic love story than a gothic film.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula has been more faithful to the novel, than any of the previous adaptations. Most adaptations do not follow the story line and omit the character of Lucy. Coppola did all the justice to her character as a Victorian beauty and has preserved Lucy’s sexuality and homoerotic brutality.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is very erotic, as it contains number of sexual and explicit scenes. However, most of the nude and sex scene are rather morbid, such as nymphs trapping Keanu Reeves and feeding of an infant or Dracula’s and Lucy’s intercourse scenes.

The whole film is rather dark and most of the setting happens at night. Light plays a crucial role in Dracula’s castle. The creepiness is accomplished by dim light and a lot of shadows. Also, light and weather foreshadow the intensity of the scenes. The most intense and climaxing scenes are accompanied by rain, thunder and lightning.