Bram Stoker's Dracula
(1992)
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Based on Bram Stoker's classic 1897 novel, this film from Francis Ford Coppola and screenwriter James Victor Hart offers a full-blooded portrait of the immortal Transylvanian vampire. The major departure from Stoker is one of motivation as Count Dracula (Gary Oldman) is motivated more by romance than by bloodlust. He punctures the necks as a means of avenging the death of his wife in the 15th century, and when he comes to London, it is specifically to meet heroine Mina Harker (Winona Ryder), the living image of his late wife (Ryder plays a dual role, as do several of her costars). Anthony Hopkins is obsessed vampire hunter Van Helsing, while Keanu Reeves takes on the role of Jonathan Harker, and Tom Waits plays bug-eating Renfield. Bram Stoker's Dracula was the winner of three Academy Awards.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide |
Eerie, romantic and operatic, this exquisitely mounted revamp of the undead legend is a supreme artistic achievement. Francis Ford Coppola's film is grandiose in visual approach and uses every cinematic trick — from the basic atmospheric lighting of the silent era to today's more sophisticated techniques — to accentuate the poetic sensuality of Stoker's chiller rather than the more exploitative blood-sucking elements. Keanu Reeves's acting may not be to everyone's taste, but, as the tired count who has overdosed on immortality, Gary Oldman's towering performance holds centre stage and burns itself into the memory.