Bram Stoker’s Dracula was filmed and produce in 1992 by Francis Ford Coppola. Based on the infamous vampire novel Dracula in the 1890s. The film stars Gary Oldman as Dracula throughout the film, the hero Harker is played by Keanu Reeves. Winona Ryder play two parts of the film, one is the wife of Dracula the opening sequence and later plays the fianc�e of Harker reincarnated. And Anthony Hopkins play the priest of the Christian church of the opening sequence and also does the voice-over for the film.
Plot
The film starts out in 1462 where Muslim Turks try to invade Transylvania with a massive army. Dracula, before becoming the vampire, is the commanding officer of the defending Christians of Transylvania. The eve before the battle Dracula says farewell to his wife, Elizabeta. They battled on long and hard but in the end Dracula’s forces ceases victory over the Turks. But the Turks wanted revenge; they did this by shooting an arrow with message saying that Dracula was killed in battle. And after reading the message she lunged herself into the river thinking that there is no point in living with your love.
As Dracula returns from the battlefield unknowing that his wife has committed suicide for false reasons he shocked and then over whelmed by rage. With this rage flowing through him he shout out that he renounces God and will revenge or bring back Elizabeta with the powers of darkness. He then stabs the cross of Christ with his bloodstained sword. Just as Dracula does this, the cross starts to spurt out blood and the candle fire turns from orangey red to midnight blue. Dracula then picks up a grail or golden cup and collects the blood from the cross and then drinks it all. When finished Dracula screams very loud.
After the title has faded it is 1892 London, Renfield is shown in a mental institute talking to himself about being rewarded by some dark force. He then eats a cockroach and thanks someone. Jonathon Harker is shown talking his employer about organising a property buyer in Transylvania named Dracula who wish to buy a property in London. Harker asks his employer about what happened to Renfield in Transylvania who also was trying to organise a property for Dracula. The employer replies with family problems. Mina, Harker’s fianc�e talks to Harker about getting before Harker’s to Transylvania. But Harker suggests they would marry after his business trip.
Representation
Dracula – When you see Dracula in the film he is clad in red armour that is shaped like human muscles and tendons, holding a sword in an aggressive pose. Elizabeta – As you see Elizabeta with Dracula she has long flowing curly hair with a tiara in it and wears on white bodice on her dress. This shows innocence and also shows her as a victim a crime of some sort. Her voice is soft gentle and high pitched. After committing suicide the dress she wore is dark and gothic now looking damned. Dracula’s voice – After Dracula returned from the battle and is shocked by his wife’s death. His voice is gruff, angry and very aggressive. This maybe because he feels betrayed by God.
Visual Effects
Elizabeta’s Death Just before you see Elizabeta plunge to her doom you see a long shot of her silhouette showing us not her colours but a darkness coming from her. It then zooms in on her and moves over the edge as Elizabeta jumps making the audience feel closely to her as she dies. It cuts from white and cloudy background showing the innocence of her to a dark red, which is showing death. You see a low angle shot (worm’s eye view) of Dracula as he returns from battle meaning blood and fighting. This really helps the story.
When Dracula’s anger shows the camera pulls out and up showing God’s view of the event. This is called omnipotent. Dracula now looks small, weak and powerless. The low angle shot of the cross Christ when Dracula stabs it, this makes it look huge, powerful and important. It also shows the importance of church and its religion. However, he stabs it in the centre or the heart you could say. This is showing Dracula’s hate for God and Christianity. The blood flowing from the cross is showing the end of Dracula’s religion. At the end of the opening scene it show a close up of Dracula screaming.
Sound To intro At the start of the opening scene it has a slow threatening music that gets louder and louder until there is a voice-over of a foreign mal which show that you could be from a different country. During battle During the battle there are a number of dark chords or discordant which are loud and repeating. Together with this and battle sounds this makes the audience feel the violence and emotions of the battle.
Dracula’s return
As Dracula returns to the church the music rhythm stops. This makes it sound like someone’s heat has stopped beating. Then just silence until he is overwhelmed by the shock of his wife’s death. This is to emphasis to drama and horror of it. When Dracula stabs the cross a female’s voice or females’ voices chanting a religious or holy type of music. As the title appears the music gains volume until complete and utterly stop.
