The phenomena of Dracula has continued into the 21st century as it is a novel that can be easily appropriated to fit any culture, time or place. The novel displays many universal themes that are relevant to the 21st century, such as those of loyalty, isolation and love. The genre of gothic horror and all that it has to offer has become alluring and fascinating to 21st century audiences; this attraction to the monstrous has been aided by romantic horror films, television series and novels such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “Corpse Bride”, “The Twilight Saga” and “Interview with the Vampire”.
Many adaptations have been made of Bram Stokers “Dracula”, one of the most famous being a film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” is a 1992 American erotic horror film that received critical reception and was a box office hit. The film won many awards including 3 Academy Awards.
“Bram Stoker’s Dracula” by Francis Ford Coppola is a quirky take on the gothic-horror text, the sets are usually exaggerated (very gloomy, dark, full of heavy furniture with sharp edges at Dracula’s castle; bright, light, white, full of flowering plants at Lucy’s home) and the director frequently uses animated-like montages to convey tension and horror. The characters in the film are written in such a way that their mannerisms and costumes are exaggerated character stereotypes (Lucy Wisterna wears large, flouncy dresses that reflect her bubbly, flirty disposition whereas Mina wears more conventional, demure clothing that helps illustrate how well she reflected the values and expectations of a woman from her time). These exaggerations help convey plots and characters to the audience, making the film easy to watch and understand, greatly simplifying the story from the original Bram Stoker version.
“Bram Stoker’s Dracula” although staying quite true to the original text, takes some liberties to appeal to a 21st century audience. The character of Count Dracula is modified in Coppola’s film to be more appealing and appear to have a more realistic motive for a modern audience. Count Dracula’s motive is altered from one of pure bloodlust into a romantic motive, he becomes a man whose wife has been killed and he longs to kill as a warped type of revenge or a way to be closer to her emotionally. Count Dracula eventually meets his dead wife’s doppelganger in the form of Mina Murray who he becomes infatuated with, this infatuation forwards the romantic theme.
Francis Ford Coppola has modernised the characters, their values and decisions. The exaggerated and simplified way the film is visually expressed aids in conveying plots that 21st century readers may have difficulty comprehending if reading the original novel.
As the blurb on the back of the DVD case states, the film is; “Visually stunning, passionately seductive and utterly irresistible, this is Dracula as you’ve never seen him before- a powerful and poignant vampire whose yearning for human love ultimately proves his undoing”
Many adaptations have been made of Bram Stokers “Dracula”, one of the most famous being a film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” is a 1992 American erotic horror film that received critical reception and was a box office hit. The film won many awards including 3 Academy Awards.
“Bram Stoker’s Dracula” by Francis Ford Coppola is a quirky take on the gothic-horror text, the sets are usually exaggerated (very gloomy, dark, full of heavy furniture with sharp edges at Dracula’s castle; bright, light, white, full of flowering plants at Lucy’s home) and the director frequently uses animated-like montages to convey tension and horror. The characters in the film are written in such a way that their mannerisms and costumes are exaggerated character stereotypes (Lucy Wisterna wears large, flouncy dresses that reflect her bubbly, flirty disposition whereas Mina wears more conventional, demure clothing that helps illustrate how well she reflected the values and expectations of a woman from her time). These exaggerations help convey plots and characters to the audience, making the film easy to watch and understand, greatly simplifying the story from the original Bram Stoker version.
“Bram Stoker’s Dracula” although staying quite true to the original text, takes some liberties to appeal to a 21st century audience. The character of Count Dracula is modified in Coppola’s film to be more appealing and appear to have a more realistic motive for a modern audience. Count Dracula’s motive is altered from one of pure bloodlust into a romantic motive, he becomes a man whose wife has been killed and he longs to kill as a warped type of revenge or a way to be closer to her emotionally. Count Dracula eventually meets his dead wife’s doppelganger in the form of Mina Murray who he becomes infatuated with, this infatuation forwards the romantic theme.
Francis Ford Coppola has modernised the characters, their values and decisions. The exaggerated and simplified way the film is visually expressed aids in conveying plots that 21st century readers may have difficulty comprehending if reading the original novel.
As the blurb on the back of the DVD case states, the film is; “Visually stunning, passionately seductive and utterly irresistible, this is Dracula as you’ve never seen him before- a powerful and poignant vampire whose yearning for human love ultimately proves his undoing”
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