Actually, “hate it” might be too strong, as “pity it” sounds more accurate. If someone asks my opinion of Dracula in another 15 years, I hope I’ll recall, as I definitely fall into the “hate it” camp right now. Did I like it? Did I hate it? I really have no idea, though I imagine my reaction fell somewhere between those two poles if I’d felt actual passion for it, I’d probably remember. I know I saw Dracula back in 1992 but I can’t recall what reaction it provoked from me. When someone with Coppola’s classics on his résumé turns out such nonsense, the stench becomes unbearable.
If some middling talent makes a movie this bad, you think little of it. Indeed, the presence of Coppola behind the camera serves to make Dracula an even bigger disappointment than it would’ve been if created by a less famous director. It was rare to find such a prominent director’s take on a horror flick, so this one boasted a lot of promise.Ī promise that it couldn’t keep, however. The prospect of such a formidable filmmaker – or at least a once-formidable filmmaker – behind the kind of material usually left as “B”-movie fodder proved irresistible. Lucy’s friends gather together to try to drive Dracula away.”Īlthough Coppola hadn’t made a great movie in quite some time before 1992, he still coasted on his rep. In Britain, Dracula begins a reign of seduction and terror, draining the life from Mina’s closest friend, Lucy Westenra (Sadie Frost). He is captured and imprisoned by the undead vampire Dracula (Gary Oldman), who travels to London, inspired by a photograph of Harker’s betrothed, Mina Murray (Winona Ryder). “A young lawyer named Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves) is assigned to a gloomy village in the mist of Eastern Europe. Since the story’s so well known, a plot synopsis seems almost like a waste of time, but I’ll throw one out anyway – taken straight from the DVD’s press release. Coppola brings an all-star cast with him as well to tell this version. Though we’ve seen umpteen cinematic renditions of the Dracula story, none boasted a director as noteworthy as Francis Ford Coppola – until 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (October 5, 2007) Sony 36" WEGA KV-36FS12 Monitor Sony DA333ES Processor/Receiver Panasonic CV-50 DVD Player using component outputs Michael Green Revolution Cinema 6i Speakers (all five) Sony SA-WM40 Subwoofer. Cinefex Magazine “Heart of Darkness” Article.“Method and Madness – Visualizing Dracula” Featurette.“In-Camera – The Naïve Visual Effects of Dracula” Featurette.“”The Costumes Are the Sets – The Design of Eiko Ishioka” Featurette.“The Blood Is the Life – The Making of Dracula” Featurette.