Gorgeous..compelling... My favourite version

Rating: 10/10 (27 October 2015)

Bram Stoker's Dracula, as lovingly retold by the skill and talents of Francis Ford Coppola, is for me the definitive film version of the classic tale. It's so sumptuous, opulent and visually grandiose that it's as if the words themselves have jumped right off the page into living, breathing reality. I can't remember if it was nominated for its production design at all, but it looks just fantastic, from hellish corners of darkest transylvania, to moonlit mountain passes shrouded in fog, to a bustling, lively Victorian London. It's all dazzling, and I haven't even gotten to the actors yet. Gary Oldman is fierce, funny and electrifying as Dracula, my favourite film incarnation. From vicious warrior knight, to gnarled old castle dwelling ghoul (his hairdo is a macabre treat), to youthful, virile young man, he's a wonder to behold. Oldman's calling card is intensity, and he's so implosive here his performance almost combusts, giving the count a sorrowful sympathetic edge, counterpointed by a malicious evil glee. Winona Ryder is breathtaking as Mina Murray, the reincarnation of his lost love from centuries before. Anthony Hopkins blusters through his scenes as a madcap, hyperactive Abraham Van Helsing, Sadie Frost is a seductive standout as Lucy, and Tom Waits a hoot and a half as bug eating whackjob R.M. Renfield. Richard E. Grant, Cary Elwes and Billy Campbell are great as well. The one weak link is Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker, clawing his way through a pathetic British accent. Don't know what they were thinking there lol. The film has an episodic feel, like the ebb and flow of a book's chapters, each new vignette a gorgeous package of mystery, Gothic romance and primal terror. Dracula has so many forms it's a wonder Oldman didn't get exhausted playing him; On top of his three distinct humanistic looks, there's two or three other beastly variations that show off some elaborate makeup effects as well, that transform him but never take away from his transfixing performance. I can't think of any other version of this story that puts forth the sheer atmosphere, spectacle and feeling that this near flawless adaptation strives for, and succeeds with. A milestone in the vampire genre, a showcase of many actors at their finest, and a blood red crown jewel in Gary Oldman's fascinating career.