| Product: |
Bram Stoker's Dracula (DVD) |
| Date: |
09/11/01 (309 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: good interpretation, adds to the book, Gary Oldman
Disadvantages: Keanu Reeves.
Is it really that old? I was shoocked when I realised that this film came out nine years ago! This is an excellent retelling of bram Stoker's Dracula, and runs unusually close to the original novel. it's a great piece from an unusual director (I will admit, I haven't got on with a lot of his stuff, but there it is.)
The plot. The film starts with a sequence that we never get in the book - th origins of Dracular. We see an armoured Vlad the impaler (the wonderful Gary Oldman)leave the woman he loves and go to war. Due to failed communications, she thinks he has died and throws herself to ehr death in the river. Heartbroken, he renounces the church and starts his journey into vampirism.
We then pick up with the book, as young Johathan Harker (played abysmally by Keanu Reeves) makes his way to transylvania to work for the old and thoroughly unappealing Count. Meanwhile, his betrothed, Mina (played very well by Winowna Rider) is spending time with her friend Lucy Westenra, and getting to meet Lord Arthur Holmwood, Quincey Morris and Jack Seward (Richard E Grant, drool, drool.)
The Count, who dislikeds mirrors and seems to have an interest in blood, sees harker's photo of Mina. (Mina bears a striking resemblance to the Princess who died.) The Count now wishes to go to london - this provides a motivation lacking in the book. Harker meanwhile has a sexy encounter with some fiendsish women and barely escapes with his life.
Once in the UK, Dracula sets about feeding on Lucy and courting Mina. he has become young, dashing and you an't help (well I can't) falling in love with him rather. Mina is seduced, and Lucy is fed upon. Harker is restored to mina, and it is only after they marry that she realises how attracted to Dracual she was.
Aware that all is not well with Lucy, strange mad genius van Helsing (creepy Anthony Hopkins)is called in - he at once realises that there is a vampire afoot and sets to work.
While most of the characters are set upon hunting Dracula down,. Mina is falling in love with him, and begining to remember another life - the theme of reincarnation belongs only to the film. Dracula flees to his Transylvanian home, with the others in pursuit.
The book is a tale of good fighting evil, but the film casts Dracula in a different light, offering explanations for his behavior, and rendering the monster loveable. Oldman is strikingly attractive, and very charismatic, and you can understand how Mina manages to fall for him. By focusing on a tragic love tale, the film avoids many of the vampire cliches and has instead a breathtaking and poignant plot. The film is beautifuly shot - the colours are rich and striking. Most of the acting is superb - Rider's accent is flawless, oldman is utterly sublime, Hopkins is creepy, Richard E Grant seems as mad as his patients (Seward runs a mental asylumn) and the other actors are great, with one notable exception. reeves cannot do English accents, nor it seems can he put any passion or expression into his voice while he tries to do said accent. he really does let the whole thing down rather and it's a great shame they chose him (surely there must be some dashing English chaps, why couldn't they have used Ewan McGregor? Ok, so I lust after him as well......)
On the whole this is an excellent interpretation and a great film, just a shame about Harker.
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