The Most Faithful Dracula Film

Considering that there have been an abundance of film interpretations of Dracula - an abundance equaling over one hundred fifty adaptations - it is difficult to choose one single most faithful film to the book. It is even more difficult when one considers that none of the adaptations that can be considered for this title have been even close to entirely faithful to Bram Stoker's Dracula. Most popular is probably Bela Lugosi's interpretation of the Dracula character - his accent, his look, and his costume are the things that stick in our minds when we think of the sinister Count Dracula. Many different films have been more accurate in different ways - when assessing each film and its different aspects, I arrived at the conclusion that technically Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula is the most accurate when compared with Bram Stoker's novel. Although it is a matter of opinion, this film is probably the closest that a mainstream film has come to being totally faithful to the book thus far.

The story remained quite close to Bram Stoker's novel, but the essential difference was this - in Bram Stoker's Dracula novel, Dracula was a Count who lived in a castle; he was not Vlad Tepes, more popularly known as Vlad the Impaler. In Francis Ford Copolla's film, Gary Oldman portrays Dracula in many forms, including an old man, a wolf-like beast, and a young man who happens to be Vlad Tepes. Dracula is also transformed into a tragic hero in the film, whereas in the novel he was merely a villain, the very representation of evil. In this film, Vlad Tepes loses his wife Elisabeta to suicide when she is falsely informed of Vlad's death. The tragic loss causes him to renounce God after he is told that her soul cannot be saved because she has taken her own life. Centuries later in 1800s, Jonathan Harker is sent to the Count's castle in Transylvania to close the sale of ten properties throughout London. Count Dracula seems to take an interest in Mina's photo - Mina is the very image of his long lost love Elisabeta.

As we can see, the storyline after this point becomes quite a bit about Dracula's relationship with Mina. The large difference at this point is that the story is romanticized in the film and in the book Dracula merely wants Mina to meet his own ends - it is for no romantic reason at all. Interestingly, Coppola has pointed out that the film is historically accurate regarding Elisabeta's suicide, if not to Bram Stoker's Dracula. The film, though, did deal with the storyline regarding Lucy Westenra very well. While it was not wholly accurate, it was very well done and did not take the story too far astray. Many aspects of the film that have been ignored in previous versions were kept in mind during this film (for example, that light is not something vampires cannot tolerate - in this film it is stated that it is merely not their 'natural' time to be awake).

The look of the film is incredibly lush (and some say indulgent). The heavy red tones accent the theme of the film - which deals quite a lot with blood, obviously. The rich costuming by Eiko Ishioka has been criticized by many (including renowned Dracula expert Leonard Wolf) for being too luxurious and overshadowing the acting and story. However, the richness to the sets and the deep tones in the film give it a much more Gothic feel, which is appropriate to the subject matter. It is all a matter of opinion, though - some may see the Dracula costumes as being far too much, and others may believe they contribute to the film.

One thing that does take away from the film is the acting on the part of a few. Gary Oldman was splendid as all forms of Dracula - his cooperation with the various costumes he had to wear turned out marvelously and he pulled off the role quite successfully. Altogether his Dracula is played fantastically and should be considered one of the great portrayals of the bloodthirsty Count. Anthony Hopkins (who also played a bishop in the beginning of the film) is superb as the quirky and at times outrageous Van Helsing. Mina is played well for the most part by the stunning Winona Ryder (also Elisabeta in the beginning of the movie). Mina's fiancé Jonathan Harker is played by the less than convincing Keanu Reeves. Even Coppola has questioned his casting of Reeves as Jonathan, but luckily Jonathan, though a prominent character, does not subtract too much from the rest of the film. Lucy is played very well by Sadie Frost - in fact her performance stands out right along with Gary Oldman's portrayal of Dracula. Cary Elwes and Bill Campbell also do well as supporting actors.

The script, though slightly melodramatic at times, was written very well by James V. Hart. It can be argued that the Romanian in the beginning of the film is not medieval Romanian, but something more closely resembling Old English translated into modern day Romanian. However, Hart did a good job leaving in many crucial parts of the story, combining the story of Vlad the Impaler and Count Dracula, and keeping most things historically accurate.

Wojciech Kilar's expertly crafted soundtrack opens the film with a Nosferatu inspired number. The creepy tone remains throughout the entire movie. Kilar's music evokes emotions quite well, especially on the track Love Remembered, a track with prominent flute that sounds altogether tragic, heartfelt, and wistful. The soundtrack to a film is an often underrated but crucial piece - without the soundtrack the film might seem hollow and incomplete. This is why Kilar's contribution of a terrific soundtrack makes Bram Stoker's Dracula even better.

Overall, Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula fares well when compared to the novel. Most of the actors portray their characters much as they were in the book (with the exception of Keanu Reeves' Harker and Sadie Frost's fantastic but incorrect representation of Lucy as a less than virtuous woman). The soundtrack captures the essence of both the novel and the film, and the plot is slightly altered but again remains essentially the same story. Though Coppola's original intention to create the absolute Dracula film did not completely succeed, he did contribute a unique, timeless, and beautiful version of it. Love it or hate it, this adaptation did fairly well by Bram Stoker's novel.