This is so far removed from anything else Coppola has done in his career that it’s impressive that it works as well as it does.
Count Dracula is one of the most iconic and well-known characters in horror. His origin is, of course, found in the pages of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, Dracula. Since then, countless versions of Dracula have become fixtures in film, literature, and popular culture. In most cases, it is Bela Lugosi’s performance in the 1931 film, Dracula, that informs the interpretations of the character. Director Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 adaptation of the original novel — suitably named Bram Stoker’s Dracula — seeks to return the world’s favorite vampire back to his original, intended form.
In Coppola’s telling of the story, Gary Oldman is cast as the Count. His Dracula vows to renounce God and rise from the grave when his beloved wife, Elisabeta, commits suicide after receiving a false report of his death. For nearly 500 years, Dracula is tortured by the loss. He finds new purpose when he meets Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves.) Jonathan, a real estate broker sent to Transylvania to finalize some dealings with the Count, is engaged to marry Mina (Winona Ryder), who is Elisabeta’s doppelgänger. After seeing her picture, Dracula imprisons Jonathan in his castle and makes his way to London to woo Mina, whom he is convinced is his long lost Elisabeta.
With Jonathan missing in Transylvania, Mina is pursued by a strange man who identifies himself as a prince. When Mina’s longtime friend, Lucy (Sadie Frost) comes down with what is thought to be an illness of the blood, one of her suitors summons Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Anthony Hopkins.) Van Helsing knows that science isn’t always the answer to such things. He determines that Lucy has been bitten by a “nosferatu.” Dracula is in town.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a lavish production with impressive sets, ornate costumes, unique locations, and lots of blood. The makeup effects used to transform Oldman into Dracula are impressive even today. Many of the visual effects look appropriately old school and this gives the film a distinctive — almost timeless — feel. It may have been made in the 90s but it doesn’t look like a 90s movie.
While Oldman seems to having a grand time playing the tortured Count in his various forms, the rest of the cast is a mixed bag. Anthony Hopkins is a riot as he nonchalantly describes the gruesome process of dispatching vampires. But Keanu Reeves is hopelessly miscast as Jonathan Harker. His British accent is as elusive as the Count. Winona Ryder has chemistry with Oldman but looks out of her element otherwise. Sadie Frost electrifies as the licentious Lucy.
Coppola’s take on the Dracula legend also doesn’t shy away from the more erotic aspects of the story. Dracula has always been a seductive character and the visuals don’t hold back from depicting the sexual influence he has over his victims. This definitely isn’t your grandpa’s Dracula.
This is so far removed from anything else Coppola has done in his career that it’s impressive that it works as well as it does. Although the pacing drags a bit in the second act, I found myself enjoying Bram Stoker’s Dracula as an exercise in excess. If anything, Coppola has succeeded in creating an updated and more mature alternative to the Bela Lugosi version of Dracula. It’s not scary per se, but it does conjure up some gruesome imagery. A must-see for vampire lovers and horror fans alike.
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
