Day 31 All Hallows Eve: Dracula
Who has not heard of the famous Transylvanian Count? Bram Stoker's 1897 novel has become the one against which all vampire stories are measured. There have been over 200 film adaptations which even diehard fans seem to struggle to see in their entirety. Add in all the the adaptations and even a lifetime may not be quite long enough to see, hear and read everything. From Max Shreck (or Bela Lugosi if you like) to Claes Bang, the role of Dracula is one many people have managed to add to their CV. Of course, with so many adaptations (stage, screen and of course radio) few people read the book anymore. However the book, is a good way to get to know the characters. The book itself, is essentially diary entries of the main characters with a few letters and newspaper articles.
The book starts with the diary of Jonathon Harker. He leaves his fiancée, Wilhelmina "Mina" Murray in England with her best friend Lucy, while he travels to Transylvania to provide legal support for the Count for a real estate transaction. The Count is moving to England. Jonathon writes every day of his strange friendship with the Count and the mysteries of the castle he is staying in. The Count's vampiric tendencies, the three vampire brides in his castle and the fact that he never intends to let Jonathon leave alive become clear the longer Jonathon stays. Back in England his fiancée is missing him while her best friend is choosing a suitor between the three men courting her. Eventually the Count arrives in England and wreaks havoc in the lives of all. Luckily for the characters, The man Abraham Van Helsing (named after Bram Stoker) is there. He knows about vampires, the Count and how to fight against them. The count's ultimate goal is slowly revealed, he wants Mina as his bride.
While a long read it is gripping. Unlike the tales of blood and gore we find in modern horror stories, Dracula is more subtle, showing a way in which vampires survive within society. The Count can walk among others during the day, his powers are just weaker than at night. Also, people are not found drained of blood with the blood all over the room or their throats ripped out, they wither away from an unknown disease. While they do have puncture marks in their necks and turn pale from loss of blood, unless people know about vampires, you'd just know someone had died from an untreatable, incurable illness. No one is going to be blamed for someone becoming ill and dying. We never see anything from the perspective of he Count. He has no need or desire to keep journal so everything is seen through the eyes of the other characters. The way the reader themselves would see it.
Dracula is not the only story of a vampire but it is the most famous. He has almost become the original vampire, all others are secondary. It does seem that, within his own story, he is the most powerful. While we have been bombarded with different vampires and vampire lore, Dracula is still the one that is most often referenced. In some other vampire stories vampires claim him as real, others dismiss him as myth. He appears many times in media, he even appeared in an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. One thing that never seems to change with Dracula, however people fight him, he always comes back.
What people seem to forget about Count Dracula, is that he was actually based on a real person.
Vlad III, known as Vlad the Impaler, was the ruler of Wallachia (now part of Romania). There were many stories about Vlad's cruel and gruesome treatment of his enemies. When visitors from Turkey refused to remove their turbans in his presence, he had the turbans nailed to their foreheads. When he captured prisoners he had them executed and impaled, earning him his nickname. He also massacred many people. Vlad's father was referred to as Vlad Dracul, Dracul meaning dragon. Vlad III was often referred to as Dracula during his reign. Dracul in modern Romanian, mean devil. In literature, Vlad is often referred to as Dracul, translated as the son of the devil, adding to his reputation. Stories of his cruelty were popular after his death. Stories of his cruelty and apparent bloodlust, made him the perfect inspiration for Bram Stoker's title character. The bloodthirsty ruler becomes the bloodthirsty Count. Some adaptations of Dracula have him constantly adapting for the times. In modern times he is often a doctor, giving him access to blood banks.
As I said before, Dracula has made the inevitable transition form page to screen. Film and TV adaptations are in abundance. I myself saw the ballet. I loved the ballet it was brilliant. Of course my poor mother spent most of it scared but it made me appreciate more her taking me to it. Shows another side of ballet for the sceptics who think is all, pointing, jumps and essentially boring. I have never seen a play or indeed heard a radio adaptation, but am working my way through the better known films.
The first Dracula film was, essentially, the 1922 silent film, Nosferatu.
Unable to get the rights to Dracula, the studio changed the name and appearance of the title character. The names of supporting characters were also changed. As the story was still practically the same as Dracula however, the studio was sued by Bram Stoker's widow and was forced to declare bankruptcy to avoid paying.
The first film to actually have the title of the character is one of the most famous. In this adaptation, in 1931, the Count was played by Beal Lugosi.
This film was actually based on a stage adaptation which was endorsed by the Stoker estate Bela Lugosi was actually reprising his stage role. This is, as I said, one of the most famous adaptations. It is credited with initiating the Universal horror film series of the 30s and 40s.
In 1958, a very famous studio called Hammer, released an adaptation starring Christopher Lee.
Van Helsing was, of course, played by Peter Cushing. A more cinematic Gothic interpretation, it took many liberties with the plot. However the performance of Lee and Cushing not only were credited with making it very memorable, it fixed Lee with the image of the count in popular culture. Dracula became a Hammer series and both Lee and Cushing reprised their roles in The Brides of Dracula (1960), Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968), Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970), Scars of Dracula (1970), Dracula AD 1972 (1972) and The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973). Peter Cushing reprised his role as Van Helsing in The Legend of the 7 Golden vampires in 1974 which did not feature Christopher Lee. Lee reprised his role in 1970 with Herbert Lom as Van Helsing, this was not a Hammer film and was made on a small budget.
In 1979, Dracula took on a more sensual role played by Frank Langella.
A rather sexually charged film (in the 70s!) it switched the characters of Lucy and Mina and Laurence Olivier (apparently Mina's father in this one) took on the role of Van Helsing. This is a very good version of the film. The special effects were well done (although Mina as a vampire seems a little overdone) and the climax is one of the more exciting ones.
Also in 1979, a clever horror comedy called Love At First Bite was released, starring George Hamilton.
Only Dracula and Renfield are the familiar characters, this film followed Dracula to New York as he tries to find his reincarnated true love. Van Helsing's unskilled, bumbling grandson brings a lot of the jokes and, even though often seen as a just a disco Dracula, is a funny comedy that many sill enjoy.
One that is fairly well-known is Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film. It started with the cast reading the book together (reading their characters' parts) which took two days. They then, as requested, went to Coppola with anything not in the script that they felt was needed. Coppola said later they all succeeded in making their parts bigger. In this version, Dracula was played by Gary Oldman.
Often credited as being very faithful to the book, titled Bram Stoker's Dracula, it also included a back story and subplot. Most notable in this version is Dracula changing appearance. He starts off looking very old and gradually looking younger as the film progresses. This version boasted a stellar cast with Keanu Reeves as Jonathon, Winona Ryder as Mina, Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing, Richard E Grant as Dr Jack Seward, Cary Elwes as Arthur Holmwood and Sadie Frost as Lucy. Monica Belluci also appeared as one of Dracula's brides, a role she is well known for. Unlike many other film adaptations, all the principal characters appear and Lucy has all three suitors. It portrayed Dracula as a more sympathetic character, more a tragic hero than a malevolent creature. Dark and gothic, it includes several sexual references including two love scenes.
In 2000 a Dracula film that has largely been forgotten came out starring Gerard Butler.
Often, unfairly I feel, passed over, Dracula 2001 saw a gang of thieves unwittingly freeing the Count and letting him loose in New Orleans. In a way he almost recreates his persona, acquiring the three brides while trying to find his favourite, who in this version is a descendant of Van Helsing. The story of who Dracula actually is, is revealed towards the end and explains his aversion to both religious artefacts and silver. A good film in many ways, featuring Christopher Plummer, Johnny Lee Miller, Justine Waddel, Omar Epps and Jeri Ryan. A better film that perhaps it gets credit for, it was followed by a nonsensical sequel devoid of any of the original cast that found a following of the late night cable film lovers.
There are many other Dracula films of course, including Blackula, which I suspect is a little non-PC these days, and one that apparently goes heavy on the kung fu. There was a time of course that Hollywood loved a bit of kung fu. In the universal films at least, Dracula became a movie monster along with Frankenstein's monster and the Wolfman.
In 2006, the BBC treated us to a very erotic version at Christmas. This starred Marc Warren.
A good story with a brilliant cast, it tends to be most remembered for the very erotic love scene between Dracula and Lucy. Sophia Myles played Lucy and both her and Warren did a lot of the promotional material for this seasonal treat. Of course, in keeping with tradition, the apparent defeat of Dracula didn't quite stick.
Dracula as a novel and character, is one that in a lot of ways, now resemble little of what they were originally. Of course the novel is still out there for anyone who wants to get to know it. However Dracula has become such a big part of popular culture, precious few actually read the book anymore. Dracula is very unlikely to be forgotten or fade into obscurity, even if he will be remembered very differently than he was portrayed so long ago by Bram Stoker. I plan to read the book again, I have read it before, it will reach it's 200th birthday in the not too distant future. With luck, it will reignite the original story's popularity a little. In the mean time, grab some garlic, put on a costume, heat up some popcorn and have a happy, haunted All Hallow's Eve.
