Not a horror, a tragedy

Rating: 8/10 (12 February 2005)

With the possible exception of Frankenstein's monster, there isn't a more venerated horror icon than that of Count Dracula. Created by novelist Bram Stoker in the late 1800's, Dracula is popular culture's ultimate icon of the idea of vampirism, the idea of the dead continuing to exist by feeding on the living. The most famous and enduring adaptation of the material is Universal's 1933 version, which starred Bela Lugosi and created the image of Dracula which has become the yardstick by which all versions are measured. In the early 1990's, director Francis Ford Coppolla decided to try his hand at the Count, and while his Bram Stoker's Dracula will most likely never be viewed as the definitive take on the novel, it is to me one of the more successful I have seen.
I must admit that upon first viewing, Bram Stoker's Dracula didn't make much of a impression on me. It was a visually interesting work, that's for sure, but I felt that it was, like many of Coppolla's other "experiments," an example of style over substance. It was only with repeat viewings that I began to see what I was missing the first time: this version of Dracula is much more a story of a tragic character trapped in damnation by his love for his lost bride than a horror story about an unredeemable creature tormenting the living.
Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves), working for a London real-estate firm, is dispatched to the wilds of Transylvania, where he is to complete transactions with the mysterious Count Dracula (Gary Oldman) to purchase several properties in London. Once he arrives at his host's home, though, he quickly notices that all is not normal with the Count. The castle he inhabits is practically empty and in a decrepit state; the Count speaks of events of the distant past with the fervor and memory of a man who lived them, and the Count fails to eat, drink, or cast a reflection in a mirror. Upon seeing a picture of Harker's intended bride, Mina Murray (Winona Ryder) in a locket, Dracula believes her to be the reincarnation of his bride, Elisabeta, who took her own life in 1462 believing her husband killed in a battle with Muslim Turks that were invading Transylvania, which caused Dracula to renounce God and enter his current state, that of the walking undead. Dracula imprisons Harker in his castle and then sets out for London with the intention of taking Mina for his own.
Meanwhile, Mina is living with her friend Lucy Westerna (Sadie Frost) who is busy juggling suitors, eventually deciding on Lord Holmwood (Cary Elwes), but not before Dracula can arrive and begin feeding on Lucy, turning her slowly into his minion. Another of Lucy's potential suitors, Dr. Seward (Richard E. Grant), has summoned an old mentor of his, Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Anthony Hopkins) to assist in the case. It is Van Helsing who determines that Lucy's illness is not a disease, but the result of the feeding of a vampire. While using Lucy to meet his dietary needs, Dracula is trying to forge a relationship with Mina, but his plans are dashed when Harker escapes from his castle and Mina rushes to reunite with him, even as she is realizing that she does have feelings for the Count after all.
In a departure from Stoker's material, screenwriter James V. Hart have transformed the character of Dracula from soulless creature to tragic figure. When the story has no real villain, it becomes difficult to root for the hero's to succeed, which makes Dracula a confusing watch, especially the first time. However, when viewed in the context of a tragedy, it becomes a more engaging story than if you were looking for a more traditional scare-fest.
There are several standout elements in Coppolla's production, but few are more impressive than Gary Oldman's turn as Dracula. He embodies the character's naked ambition to be reunited with his love, mixed with his unending need to feed on the living. Oldman is most impressive as the aged Dracula seen at the beginning of the picture, before he transforms himself into a younger version to attract Mina. In the scenes set in the castle, Oldman commands the screen with his performance and is a treasure to watch.
The film is also visually stunning, boasting some impressive costume design from Eiko Ishioka, giving a very different, more Asian influenced look to the characters in many situations that is a departure from the normal black coat that Dracula is most famous for. Coppolla and cinematographer Michael Ballhaus also utilize color rather boldly in the film instead of painting everything in various shades of gray as previous productions have been apt to do.
This is not to suggest that the film doesn't have weaknesses. Aside from Oldman and Hopkins as the eccentric Van Helsing, the supporting cast is lackluster, most especially Elwes and Reeves. While the change in focus on Dracula from evil villain to tragic hero makes it more palatable for the other characters to not have much of an impact, the wooden performances from the supporting players is a significant failing of the film. Reeves, especially, seems miscast in the role of Harker, seemingly spending all his time focusing on his English accent and not on his performance. The star qualities later on display in films such as Speed and The Matrix are all but missing here. One final standout, though, is Sadie Frost as Lucy. She plays the character with a great deal of energy and playfulness, first as the young débutante searching for a suitor, then as Dracula's minion.
When all is said and done, Bram Stoker's Dracula stands somewhat in the upper-middle of the stack of adaptations of the famous novel, but not quite at the top. The most important fact to remember when watching the film is to not expect a story of terror, but one of pathos.