From: lsheehan@hamp.hampshire.edu
Subject: What an icky, icky movie. SPOILERS
Organization: Hampshire College
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 23:30:48 GMT










*****************************SPOILER ALERT************************************












	Ok. I'll assume that if you don't want to read spoilers, you've moved
on.  This is your last warning.











	EEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.
	Boy, was THAT a letdown.  Let me say for the record I put aside all my
little personal problems with the legend of Dracula, and went into the movie
relaxed and not expecting anything.  I COULDN'T DO IT.  I couldn't pretend that
I hadn't read the book.  I couldn't pretend that I didn't know anything about
Vlad's history.  I couldn't overlook the fact that if THAT'S my castle, I don't
want it.  I'm getting a big kick out of people whose subjects say "FFC'S
Dracula."  That's EXACTLY what it was.  FFC should have skipped the "Brahm
Stoker" thing and just made a movie.  Then perhaps I wouldn't have had such
major problems with it.  Here's just a few.
	1) Anthony Hopkins.  I LOVE this man.  I've seen almost everything he's
done (I even sat through "Magic"), and I think he's a fantastic actor.  But Van
Helsing as COMIC RELIEF?????  IMHO, as much as I hate Christopher Lee, he's the
only person I've seen who's done a really good portrayal of Stoker's V.H. 
Stoker's V.H. was SCARY.  He wasn't running around saying things like "She's
the devil's CONCUBINE.  Let's get something to eat, I'm hungry."  Hopkins did
well with what he was given, though.  Although I wish he could have made up his
mind and used one term for Dracula. (Dracula, Dracul, bloodsucker, vampyre, 
Nosferatu, the devil, and I believe he even used whampyre, but that may have 
been the bad German accent.)
	2) Gary Oldman.  Icky, Icky accent.  Although I thought the romanian
was a nice touch.  FFC is nothing but thorough.  It was really hard at times to
understand what he was saying. (completely overlooking the 4 brats sitting
behind me).  I can't remember what I've seen him in before, but I distinctly
remember him being better than this.  
	3) Winona Ryder.  I wasn't impressed.  Or, to be more specific, I
wasn't impressed with her portrayal of Mina.  I always thought Mina was much
stronger than that; Lucy dies because she is weak, Mina survives because she is
strong.  I don't recall her EVER being in love with Dracula. (of her free will)
	4) Keanu Reeves.  Did a nice job with what he was given.  But Jonathan
in the book was the hero.. Keanu was absent for most of the movie.  And was I
the only one who thought of the Castle Anthrax when he showed up at the abbey?
(you've been lighting the grail-shaped beacon again..)
	5) Vlad.  No wife that died, sorry.  No explanation of how he became a
vampire in the book, sorry.  And (and this is just a little picky thing of
mine), he wasn't a member of The Order of the Dragon.  His dad was.  Nor was he
"Dracul", as Hopkins so emotionally yelled.  His dad again.  But we've already
discussed that thread.  And Dracula in the book was something that you hated or
feared, not sympathized with.  And certainly not loved.  In the book, Vlad
"pushes Mina to the cut, forcing her to drink the blood or suffocate."  None of
this romantic "but i can't" "but you must take me away" stuff.  If I want
romance, I'll watch the Frank Langella version.
	6) When I start noticing little flaws, that signifies I'm not into the
movie.  The first flaw I noticed was that they didn't impale people properly in
the opening battle scene.  Bad sign.  A lot of the shots (especially when they
were burning the abbey) were quite obviously done on a sound stage.  And was I
the only one who got annoyed REALLY quickly by the freeze-frame camera tricks? 
I was in the front row, and almost threw up after they'd used it a couple
times.  The silent movies were a nice touch-would've been nicer if they were
all in BLACK AND WHITE.  oops.
	7)  One other little thing about the filming.  Towards the end things
started getting very climatic.  The "good guys" were chasing the gypsies up the
mountain pass.  Through a snow storm.  Then they cut to a VIRTUALLY CLOUDLESS
SKY TO SHOW THE SUNSET.  Then back to the dark, swirling snow storm.  Then the
sunset.  Hmmmm.  Why wasn't the sunset blocked by the clouds, I wonder.
	8) Two other little "book" things.  I belive you met the women once in 
the book.  They invite Jonathan to lay down with them, then Dracula bursts in 
and pushes them away.  This may be my memory, but I have no recollection of ever
encountering them again.  FFC just had to have the whole "gratuitous sex thing"
happening, I guess) Also, Dracula didn't want Mina because she looked like his 
dead wife- he wanted her for revenge.

	Well.  I think that's all the nit-picky things I can remember.  I'm
very glad they left in the "children of the night" line (even though I don't
remember it coming at that particular time), cause it's always been one of my
favorites.  I agree with one of my friends- this is going to be shown on
late-night t.v. and become a cult classic.  I just wish someone would come out
with a REAL adaptation of the novel.  Or at least a truly scary, decent movie
that has the vampire as the bad guy.  No, Bela doesn't count. (pardon the pun
=)  )  And Nosferatu was SO long ago.  =) 
 
 
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