I've got a yearly tradition - watching 'Dracula' on rainy October evenings or right before Halloween. The film's old, from 1992, and the special effects aren't exactly mind-blowing. But it's just so charming... in a cheesy way. At least it's way more engaging than Bram Stoker's book. I'm amazed by how Francis Ford Coppola cleverly interpreted the novel's ambiguities and turned a literary slog into a beautiful fairy tale.
Dracula reviews
Jonathan Harker and Mina Murray are head over heels in love and planning to get married. However, the young man is forced to leave his fiancée behind and head to Transylvania to meet with Count Dracula, who's interested in buying a property in the UK capital.
In my childhood, 'Dracula' captivated me with its exquisite Victorian atmosphere: crinolines, peacocks, and men with waxed mustaches. And the dark theme of vampires is so intriguingly tied to Romanian history.
Vlad CepeshI've got to say, the film does a pretty good job of poking fun at the idea of a 'vampire' - but it's the sensual scenes and that intimate moment with the gorilla on the park bench that really get under my skin. It's a joke about Puritan England, where feeling desire is seen as a deviation from the norm.
Brides of Dracula. Monica Bellucci to the rightTo be honest, I was hoping for more mystique, suspense, and scenes where you sneak into a dark crypt at night to catch someone off guard.
I'm not a fan of the ridiculous, old-man hairstyle they gave Dracula - if this is a bat, it's definitely not a flying one, but more like a barn or field mouse. The weird old man with gay undertones is just plain annoying.To be honest, the early scenes were a bit of a struggle, and the younger version of Gary Oldman was a bit of a stretch compared to his partner in crime. And have you noticed how his eyebrows are actually lighter than his hair? You can even see the receding hairline from under the wig. I'm definitely on Team Good Guy with Keanu.
Gary Oldman as DraculaBut when they zoom in on Dracula looking at Wilhelmina, and his eyes start welling up with tears, I'm like, 'Aww, I love you!' - just like my cat, Yoshy.
Dracula reviewsScreenwriter James V. Hart really fleshed out the character, taking away the one-dimensional, bloodthirsty monster vibe from Bram Stoker's original and turning him into a more nuanced, sympathetic hero.Love at first sight. I mean, this guy Dracula was smitten. He had three courtesans on the side, and then there was the redhead. But let's be real, his heart belonged to Elizabeth.
"Dracula" isn't just a vampire movie, it's not a historical biopic, and it's not a romance - it's a dirty comedy. The main idea is that lust is a powerful thing. Even the most decent person can fall prey to their desires. And if you're already a bit of a wild card, well, you're basically asking for trouble. That's what happened to Jonathan, Lucy, Wilhelmina, and even the wise Dr. Van Helsing.
The 1992 film DraculaIn Dracula, there's no room for a sense of goodness – it's been replaced by selfishness and a craving for drama. People hook up with whoever's available, and then they can't seem to get enough of each other. Eventually, they remember their social norms and repent, throwing themselves into the arms of their official partners.
The Brides of Dracula. They're dressed like Roman high-society ladies, but they're actually promiscuous, seductive, and deceitful. I have to say, I was particularly drawn to... not Monica Bellucci (although she's stunning), but the girl with the curly hair. Her gaze is mesmerizing and full of expression.
Lucy's Wives. The most charismatic and daring character was Quincy, the American. Out of the three actors, I only know Richard Grant – he's often in British TV shows.
Lucy - my best friend in the city. Let's just say she's a bit of a wild child. She's always pushing the boundaries, even more so than the vampire's girlfriend in Dracula, which doesn't quite fit with her ladylike upbringing. She's a concerned party animal, always getting us into trouble with her antics - it's like a whole film of Spanish embarrassment.
The character of Lucy and some of the scenes surrounding her remind me of the dark school comedy "Fatal Attraction", which also starred Winona Ryder. I even thought that the spoiled rich girl Heather was played by the same actress, but it was someone else.
Dracula movie reviewsThe "funny" situations with Renfield are actually kind of off-putting, even though they were clearly meant to be humorous. On the other hand, Dr. Van Helsing is sarcastic in his own simplicity and obliviousness, without even realizing it.Van HelsingJonathan is a real cold fish. He doesn't exactly have a warm spot in his heart for his fiancée. With a career, responsibilities, and a reputation to uphold in Victorian society, he's got to marry a respectable woman. Poor Lucy is just the ticket. But compared to how smitten the other grooms are with their brides, Jonathan's attitude towards Wilhelmina is downright lukewarm.
Costumes are a real delight, and the costume designers are absolute geniuses. Unfortunately, the set design is a mixed bag. Some of it, like Lucy's estate, is painstakingly detailed, while other parts, like the Romanian castle and London streets, look suspiciously like they were cobbled together from a bad movie set. It's all a bit too obvious and lacks any real atmosphere.
Makeup for the creatures is laughable. They've got gorillas and bats all looking like the same face. Camera work is decent with some nice operator tricks. But because of the awful special effects back then, many scenes look more sad than groundbreaking. The fights, chases, and wall climbing are pretty cheesy.
THE BOOK is a mess, unpolished, and a snooze fest. And, fun fact, Vlad the Impaler isn't even the main character. They're using a Dracula-inspired cloak to cover up the real culprits – the hedonists. The author's got a personal vendetta against one of them, which is why you get this twisted tale of debauchery versus virtue.
Cast Chemistry. You've got a bunch of A-listers, and they're all so charming that even Monica Bellucci gets relegated to the background. Each character is unique and lovable in their own way, and no one's trying to upstage anyone else. Harry Oldman feels like a pro, like he's been doing this for years - but at the same time, I get the sense that they were trying to shoehorn him into the role. I mean, it's like they were originally going for Johnny Depp, but then they had to replace him because of the whole Winona Ryder thing. So, Harry Oldman's Captain Jack Sparrow vibe is like a compensation for that.
Dracula - the costumes are amazing, the actors bring these intriguing characters to life, and the script does a great job of filling in the gaps that Bram Stoker left out. But, the film's preoccupation with sex and violence makes it hard to take it seriously, and some scenes are just plain uncomfortable now.Vurdalak
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