Vampire Reviews: Bram Stoker's Dracula

[@PaxPirate]

I cannot be alone in this: I LIKE that Dracula outfit with the sunglasses and the hat! I think he looked great!

[@RRyleM]

No you're not alone but I think the appeal comes from the fact that Count Jackula (Jack Shen) used that style in his reviews.

[@treystephens4490]

@@RRyleM before the movie?

[@Malicient]

I Love it, too. Even went out bought a similar outfit for cosplay. Different coloration on mine, though, since I had a LOT of trouble finding anything matching the exact costume.

[@shadowboxing7029]

Those glasses were great in the 90s lol. I liked that look too.

[@ackbarfan5556]

He looks like a Victorian Pimp... and I so want to dress the same.

[@supernerd5781]

I have crossed oceans of time to see this review

[@billuraral1870]

I'm here for comments like this👏👏👏

[@supernerd5781]

Thank you it seems I've finally done something worthwhile with my life.

[@Pepperjack1986]

Nice!

[@psychoyuppie999]

👍

[@Raximus3000]

When the emperor's wrath said smth like that it was more fitting, lol.

[@Taxrenn93]

*Sees the words "Love Never Dies"* *Begins to scream uncontrollably*

[@heretyk_1337]

Why... May i ask?

[@Broadwaychica]

The Phantom of the Opera sequel that most of the fanbase hates.

[@heretyk_1337]

@@Broadwaychica Ah, i see- never actually saw that movie

[@eamonndeane587]

@@heretyk_1337 The Stage Musical is so bad that nobody wants to see a Film adaptation of it.

[@artemiswolf4508]

Count Wampyr? that’s hilarious and now all I can’t think about is Elmer Fudd vampire hunter. “Shhhh quiet, I’m hunting Wampyrs”

[@calebleland8390]

"Wampyr season!" "Nosferatu season!"

[@DoctorPretorious616]

"I'll get you, you wascally Dwacula!"

[@jshaw3793]

😂😂

[@isobelduncan]

It was spelt Vampyr but pronounced Wampyr.

[@typacsk]

It's part of the same continuity as "The Widdlest Wampyr" from Gravity Falls

[@Misa-zv7po]

It always annoys me when people think Bram Stoker wrote about actual Vlad the Impaler. He just saw the name "Dracula" and thought it sounded cool, it's not that deep.

[@fafofafin]

He does mention his ancestors fought the Turks. So he might have intended him as a descendant of the medieval Voivode

[@JustinHiryu]

Indeed

[@Misa-zv7po]

@@fafofafin maybe he did. Unfortunately, we will never know for sure

[@treystephens4490]

@@Misa-zv7po perhaps he turned into a vampire.

[@amandapike2477]

There is the line in the novel "He must indeed be he voivode who won his name against the Turk." And though unheard of in England at the time, there aren't too many other Voivodes who won a name against the Turks. Kaziklu Bey.

[@imthestein]

I've been dying for you to do this review. Thank you so much. Congratulations on the baby!

[@cannibalisticrequiem]

Elissa and Paw had another babu???? Eeeeeee!!

[@ethansloan]

Didn't even know she was pregnant. The things you miss when you're not on twitter. Congrats!

[@garrettcarter5622]

@@ethansloan That's the benefit of only being filmed from the waist up.

[@MrFantocan]

@@cannibalisticrequiem Paw from her VTMB gameplay? I assumed he was gay, wow.

[@culwin]

Keanu: "Are you like, a vampire, dude?"

[@LupineShadowOmega]

"So you can hand over your son, or you can die screaming along side him."

[@cha5]

“I know where th’ bastard sleeps!”

[@Rbills02]

Pop quiz, hotshot. An undead, immortal, blood-thirst monster has his eyes on your betrothed. What do you do? What do you do?

[@normanby100]

"Cool, Ted, hot vampire chicks! And one looks like Monica Belluci"

[@jasminnemcdonald94A]

It's Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure! Most Triumphant! *(air guitar solo)*

[@supernerd5781]

Portraying Dracula as a more relatable character isn't really a problem but saying "like he really was" is just......what!?

[@fafofafin]

Honestly, in the book he's as close to a Christian demon as you can get. Evil is basically his only motivation.

[@supernerd5781]

@@fafofafin exactly he's pretty much the living enbodyment of pure evil

[@heretyk_1337]

I think movie was product of it`s time in some ways... Fun fact- in psychoalaysing women turns out they LOVE guy, who are bad boys, but are tamed by their love... It has something to do with having a good "guard dog", to put it bluntly. Evolutionary speaking: Harmless guys are useless- these are men, who will run away with women, should danger rear it`s ugly head, screaming as loud as women, for help, hence they will not defend thier loved ones to the bitter end. On the other hand a guy, who is able to rip someones head off, but does not do it, because he chose to do so, to live with the woman he wants is something hot, hot, hot to women. And all this wise- ass talking can be sumed up in: how many wome get turned on by guy willing to defend them? How many times women get interested as soon, as you show them wilder side? I alone scored 3 times, regardelss of the fight outcome, as long as i didn`t waver, and kept on coming at those guys... So the "Beauty and the Best" trope is so true, and in this movie as well. Woman(Mina) has a "harmless" guy- good, respectable job, stability(any guy who is capable of charging immortal being with Kurki knife is far from harmless... And am i only one who really roots for Harker in all those adaptations, when he gets dumped, or Mina starts to "feel something" for the other guy? Guy in book went through Hell, came back, questioning his own sanity, fargile, and mentally old... only to go "fuck that! I`m going to kill that C(o)unt!" and charge A GODDAMN VAMPIRE with a knife couple of times... And when Mina was fed the blood byt the count, guy was close to run into the dark London and look for the Dracula, barehanded, in the underwear alone... If that guy was an action hero in 80s, he`d have a muscles like Arnie, and would kill vampires by the hundrets, spouting one liners. How come nobody see that guy as proper "manly man" is beyond me. Pious, modest, calm, collected, wise, but when needs be: he`ll go fuken berserk- that is definition- proper definition, not that twisted thing femminist scream- of chivalrious guy, of a machismo), but then "the old flame bad boy" shows up in town, with swagger offering unpredictable and dangerous adventure, wild sex, and "freedom" from all she was "constrained" by Tell me, if you have heard that one... It did screwed up the movie from me, when i realized that poor Dracula is basically "bad boy" trope here...He is not more relatable, he`s just a outcast in calss, that is also, for some reason super hot for girls- dark and mysterious... for some reason. My guess is Mr. Coppola had some repressed things to vent here...

[@supernerd5781]

@@heretyk_1337 That's probably why the girl I loved cut off contact with me.

[@heretyk_1337]

@@supernerd5781 Welcome to our Brethern of the Rejected my Friend :) Now you need to learn how to be aggressive and stand up for yourself- don`t be an asshole, just don`t let people make you do stuff you don`t like-, and on her own, new one will appear, and on her own she`ll decide to screw you. You will not even realize before she`ll be in bed with you... Life`s funny

[@Dollcultist666]

"I'm I damned yet?" "It cost 1.99" I died.

[@morgangobin9985]

After seeing the tag line for that movie poster I was praying Elisa would make some jokes about Phantom and Love Never Dies. By god she did not disappoint! 😂

[@DavidJBradley]

I always found it a bit odd that they gave Dracula the same motivation as The Mummy.

[@Demolitiondude]

Semi copy paste. The storyline is basically Dracula. But mummy abilities are way different than vampire abilities. Mummies have the possibility to destroy a nation, but at a sever cost to their sekhem, lifeforce. That's why imohetp can dominant with minimal effort, while the long distance deaths takes more sekhem. Probably a hell of a lot more for plague level fuck this noise.

[@Lightice1]

The Creature of the Black Lagoon that inspired The Shape of Water was already a romanticised tragic monster in the original story, though. The Shape of Water just renounced the idea that romantic monsters, the metaphoric "other", should always meet a tragic end. The Mummy (1923) was already a story of an undead come back to seek a reincarnated lost love, the remakes didn't invent that aspect of the character. And The Phantom of the Opera was a tragic, pitiful figure right since Gaston Leroux's original novel in 1909, though his romantic aspirations were portrayed as clearly disturbed and misguided. Or in short, you can drop that "nowadays" from your statement, thank you very much.

[@cayreet5992]

The fun thing is, the original "The Mummy" from the 1930s was actually based loosely on Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Ring of Thoth" (Doyle wrote several great horror stories) where the mummy (or rather the immortal wanderer) is actually seeking to return to his love and bring her back to live as well with the ring in question. "Dracula" never incorporated that kind of love story.

[@elfieinblack4618]

Coppola: Dracula was a tragic romantic hero who was super in love with Mina and she was kinda into it AND THAT'S TOTALLY WHAT THE BOOK WAS GOING FOR In the actual book, Dracula is more into Jonathan than he is any of the women.

[@TheMeloettaful]

Seriously?! I've never read the book so I wouldn't know, but that would have been amazing to make a movie with Jonathan as the main focus instead of Mina or Lucy lol 😂!

[@elfieinblack4618]

@@TheMeloettaful I totally agree! That would be awesome!

[@BetterWithBob]

I watched the film shortly after reading the book with my brother. He, who had not read it, tried to insist that Dracula was indeed meant to be a tragic love story all along

[@elfieinblack4618]

@@BetterWithBob it WAS. A tragic love story of a gay vampire forced into a hetero relationship with his dinner.

[@Luanna801]

The scene where Mina goes STRAIGHT from "You murdered Lucy!" to "I love you!" (she literally has no lines in between those two) neatly encapsulates everything I hate about this version. It's not all bad - the costumes are indeed gorgeous, I appreciate that they tried to be true to the book in other respects, and Gary Oldman's performance is great. But they just spend so much time twisting the story around to fit in this romance which not only isn't true to the original book, but perhaps more damningly simply doesn't work within the movie's own story.

[@thenerderrant4293]

Yeah, this is a movie that I consider more enjoyable than actually good.

[@billuraral1870]

The worst part is while the movie tries to portray Drac as the perfect love interest, they never give a (or any) reason for it other than "because, destiny!" He still does all the evil shit he did in the book, and looks like Zuul from Ghostbusters when he's not in human form. Yet Mina is %100 on board with cheating on her husband with her best friend's killer and is genunienly saddened by his death in the end. Was Jonathan really that boring in Coppolaverse?

[@lissaquon607]

@@billuraral1870 well he WAS Keanu Reeves - who in this film has the presence of a wet paper sack

[@cosmosblue772]

Its a very flawed movie for sure.

[@PassTheMarmalade1957]

Every other aspect of this movie is BOMB! Well, except maybe those blue-tinted spectacles and Keanu Reeve's English accent, but those are just nitpicks. But then they went and poisoned the entire film by having Mina fall hopelessly, desperately in love with this monster who has to give her a good, firm shake at the end of the movie and tell her, "Bitch, I'm a raging force of evil and a plague upon humanity! I have three other enslaved wives! *I'm not worth it!"*

[@jaredsardella2170]

Maven: "But did you know who he is not? He is not Vlad III, Medieval Ruler of Wallachia." Me: Thank you! That is my biggest Dracula pet peeve.

[@Robobagpiper]

Wasn't the whole "ancient undead monster moves from homeland to try to reunite with recently reincarnated love" premise lifted straight from Freund's The Mummy? So much for being true to the Bram Stoker original.

[@Raximus3000]

Tell that to "Lancer of the black." He missed his chance to settle the score with the man who fucked his name big time and it was not even intentional, lol.

[@lefteyereport6354]

The movie is as much as homage to the history of film and particularly the history of horror film

[@klauzJamfield]

It's nice to know that even Bram Stoker had bad ideas that he work through in the writing process

[@cayreet5992]

Little fact: the original reason for the black cape was the performance of Dracula on stage - the cape with the high collar allowed for the actor to disappear through a trapdoor so he could 'dissolve into mist' or 'turn into a bat.' He just had to turn away from the audience and the cape had to be stiff enough to stand without him for a moment. He'd drop through the trapdoor and the cape would stay in place just a second or two before falling to the ground. There's no mention whatsoever of a black cloak in the book - according to the book, Dracula was dressed pretty regularly, even wearing a straw hat when walking around during the day.

[@FearlessSon]

If you don't mind my saying so, that stovepipe hat with that outfit is a *fantastic* look and I am *here* for it.

[@sheilaclemett4353]

My problem with it is that the long hair looks ridiculous with it... and more attention-getting than Dracula would have wanted.

[@marquelleivey4910]

I thought the hair was very becoming on him. I mean he wasn't from London. The outfit, hair and glasses made him blend in and stand out simultaneously

[@FearlessSon]

Oh, I think you may misunderstand me, I meant the stovepipe hat looked fantastic on *the Maven*.

[@marquelleivey4910]

@@FearlessSon , it does look nice on her too lol

[@ScarilyOlivia]

This to me has always been "Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula". While I despise this adaptation for the direction it took the characters, I will happily admit it looks great and has probably one of the best soundtracks. Just wish they did try to throw so much edge to it. :/

[@khartog01]

The Turks being upset at Vlad Tepes is amusing. "How dare you not let us conquer your lands and force our religion on your people." Get stacked by a mad prince.

[@elliquinn8198]

Well... now I know that Vlad wasn't the inspiration for Dracula. Thanks!

[@johannesmakila2459]

And knowing is half the battle.

[@ToniHyvarinen86]

There propably more Elizabeth Bathory in Stoker's dracula than Vlad.

[@fafofafin]

Yeah, the book makes it clear. It's a readable book. I recommend it, and if you can't trust a complete stranger, who can you trust?

[@elliquinn8198]

@@fafofafin I have read the book, quite some time ago, but I just assumed that people who talked about Vlad knew what they were talking about. I did not like the book that much, description of female characters for me was rather grating.

[@fafofafin]

@@elliquinn8198 I completely understand, especially because the men of the book addressing or describing women makes up what felt like 70% of the book to me. I did like the action parts, though. And I laughed at the insensitive cultural descriptions and obsession with short-lived technology.

[@nathanforester5993]

In an interview Gary Oldman says that he keeps the coffin that was from this movie around the house as a centerpiece and he scared a group of young women while preparing for the role by showing them said coffin.

[@marquelleivey4910]

I would love to see said coffin. Wouldn't be afraid at all

[@dashinvaine]

I can't agree that no association is intended between the fictional vampire Count Dracula and the historical warlord Vlad Dracula aka Vlad the Impaler. Several lines in the novel imply a connection to the historical Dracula, including: 'Who was it but one of my own race who as Voivode crossed the Danube and beat the Turk on his own ground? This was a Dracula indeed!' (Voivide was Vlad the Impaler's title, and he famously fought the Turks). Count Dracula, in Chapter 3, is mid-rant about the repelling of various medieval invasions and speaking almost as though he were there himself. There is also a reference to his betrayal by his 'unworthy brother' (Radu), so the idea that Stoker didn't know the history of Vlad the Impaler is untenable.

[@cosmosblue772]

I loved this movie growing up, though it was very gory and scary but It was my Phantom of the Opera. And yeah I get annoyed when people rag on Keanu Reeves when he's not in the movie that much and honestly is doing his best or Ryder's accent which is a little weird but she still does a really good job imo. And yeah I think I loved this movie because of how beautiful and it was just so scandalous. I think it really introduced me to some sexual awakening. In general I became obsessed with vampires, I would watch or read anything with them up to Twilight becoming a thing in high school but it started with this movie and Interview with a Vampire for sure.

[@cynthiaweller7148]

gotta admit, that is one sexy movie!! been one of my favs since i watched it in the 90’s along with Interview With A Vampire.. 🖤

[@amandapike2477]

There is the line in the novel "He must indeed be he voivode who won his name against the Turk." And though unheard of in England at the time, there aren't too many other Voivodes who won a name against the Turks. Kaziklu Bey.

[@animeator]

THANK! YOU! Being a history nerd and a horror nerd who loves vampires... thank you so much for the debunk. ... also your outfits are so cool.

[@orinanime]

I'd love to see you review the 1979 Frank Langella Dracula.

[@treystephens4490]

That's a good one.

[@manicpixiefangirl4189]

That’s one of the better versions I’ve seen. The fact that he also played Skeletor really makes me want someone to rewrite Dracula but it’s Skeletor instead.

[@kemmdog4444]

You’ve also got the Seventh Doctor in it.

[@orinanime]

@@kemmdog4444 I don't recall Sylvester McCoy being in it

[@kemmdog4444]

Aaron Nicewonger He played Walter one of the guys who worked at the asylum.

[@ViveLRoi]

And despite the liberties it took, I still think it did more of the book than the previous film adaptations, i.e. it used more of the book characters and placed them accurately, integrated the epistolary narrative into parts of the film, followed the book's plot pretty closely. Most previous films are, I think, based more on the 1920s stage play.

[@duod7847]

I love the Wojciech Kilar's soundtrack and I was waiting for your review of the film hoping you'd say something about it; I'm so happy you gave even that little mention. Hope you and your baby have a safe labor. Good luck!

[@darkservantofheaven]

and then Khouto Hirano took the Vlad Tepes is Dracula/Alucard thing ran with it turnt up 2 eleven in hellsing also: Dracula 1992.....aka Dracula in Love....totatlly not accurate to the book....but deffinitly a better love story than....well you know the rest

[@Raximus3000]

And Yuuichirou Higashide expressed how Vlad was feeling about all this and he never got the chance to settle the score with Copola.

[@voivodadracula1936]

*_neat_*

[@TheMichaelStott]

"Fictions my friend, the vulgar fictions of a demented Irishman" 😉

[@the_violet_bard]

I adore your videos and reviews. Keep being our fabulous vampire queen!

[@annabeinglazy5580]

Fun fact: Visit Romania, in particular Castle Bran in Brasov, and youre essentially on a Dracula/Bram Stoker tour. They have completely embraced the Dracula = Vlad Tepes theory, and they're hella proud of it. Which makes sense, because Dracula is a HUGE part of their tourism strategy. In Bucharest, you can find everything dracula themed, snow globes (with tiny bats instead of snow theyre super cute), cards, bottle openers... there's also a bunch of brandys. Theyre quite nice. It's basically become a national icon despite essentially being the invention of some Irishman :D

[@danielallen3454]

One of my favorite films done by one of my favorite reviewers! YAY! Thank you, Maven!

[@jean-philippedoyon9904]

Honestly...except for the acting of Keanu Reeves and the weird hairdoo...i always thought it was a fun retelling of the original book which is really hard to put to screen...I know it's not accurate at all but it had style and a really interesting atmosphere ! All the shadows move from Dracula are just chilling...Way better than Dracula untold !!

[@smalltowngoth9591]

This movie really came out at the right time. The goth subculture was growing with its second wave, and you had the rise of the '90s vampire craze. I'd love to see a video with all of those factored in.

[@TeresaBaileypolymath]

I really loved this movie. It came out shortly after I read the book and I adored the costumes, sexuality and the use of the narration by journal entries. It isn't perfect, but it did bring Gary Oldman into focus. He made a sexy vampire!

[@marquelleivey4910]

Gary Oldman definitely was a very sexy vampire. This movie made me a lifelong fan of his

[@Medraut00]

Van helsing later on says that there is no doubt that he was 'that Vovid' Dracula

[@QuintanaDS]

I agree that Stoker's novel never explicitly says Dracula was Vlad III, but there is a moment when Dracula describes himself thusly: "Who was it but one of my own race who as Voivode crossed the Danube and beat the Turk on his own ground? This was a Dracula indeed! Woe was it that his own unworthy brother, when he had fallen, sold his people to the Turk and brought the shame of slavery on them! Was it not this Dracula, indeed, who inspired that other of his race who in a later age again and again brought his forces over the great river into Turkey-land; who, when he was beaten back, came again, and again, though he had to come alone from the bloody field where his troops were being slaughtered, since he knew that he alone could ultimately triumph!" Which sounds like he's just talking about Vlad, but considering he was still posing as a regular nobleman to Harker, I think it makes sense for him to talk about himself in the third person in this situation. And Van Helsing also says this of him: "He must, indeed, have been that Voivode Dracula who won his name against the Turk, over the great river on the very frontier of Turkey-land." So it seems Stoker did base himself on Vlad III, even if he chooses to leave the vampire's mortal identity ambiguous. Does Miller's book say anything of those two passages?

[@daleksupreme2913]

Dracula the romantic hero. The guy who fed a baby to his three vampire servants then shortly afterwards fed the baby's mother to a pack of wolves lol

[@NerdyWillowTree]

Actually, the first version to show the reverse aging of Dracula was the 1970 film El conde Drácula, starring Christopher Lee.

[@johnsheehan1640]

I was just about to bring that up, but you beat me to it by a week.

[@Theturtleowl]

I adore these costumes. Dracula looks amazing in that grey suit.

[@marquelleivey4910]

He was extremely sexy.

[@calebleland8390]

For all of its shortcomings, I still love this movie because it is so damned entertaining. If nothing else, it's fun to get drunk with friends and make recite Keanu's lines in his horrible British accent along with him. Besides, I hear we're getting a novel accurate Dracula mini-series from the showrunners of Sherlock. /sarcasm

[@cha5]

Caleb Leland There had been talk of doing a Sherlock Holmes/Dracula movie called ‘Sherlock Holmes: The Revenge of Dracula’ But I think that fell through at some point.

[@wstine79]

The pen is mightier than the kitchen knife.

[@guillaumelecompte4946]

Coppola got the "spirit" perfectly! It's modernised, yes, it's changed in many ways, yes! But it captures the essential feeling of the book and that, to me, was what he wanted to do. Not retelling the novel, but capturing the essence of what made it a great piece of litterature in the first place.

[@amandapike2477]

But the DVD commentary does say he gained forgiveness... In fact it's in the novel that the heroes were relieved by the look of peace on his face (after a previous speech from Mina about hoping his better self would be forgiven and allowed to enter Heaven). I am all but certain you watched this with the commentary on... so what's with the sudden and deceptive obsession with this revisionist version of "Redemption"? Love IS the ultimate redeemer.

[@Vampireprice]

wonderful review (as always)! this review gives me a newer appreciation for the film and its themes. despite absolutely loving the film and finding it to be a huge formative influence, i always had trouble believing the romance between mina and dracula. but i think if i focused on the film pushing against victorian repression i might be willing to suspend my disbelief.

[@TheAutistWhisperer]

I always loved Dracula's armour in that film, representing human muscles, it's haunting.

[@marquelleivey4910]

It was stunning. And the color was amazing

[@PK-MegaLolCaT]

18:03 the thing is that book is written through letters. and if you read in between line..it certainly feels at times that some of the character like "mina" want to have the sane sexual freedom Dracula offers. that plus the close minded mentality of the Victorian age , builds up into a good argument that dracula story is told by unreliable narrators that are just being Xenophobic and blaming the Other for their own transgressions.

[@Lightice1]

The Dracula Tape by Fred Saberhagen, written in 1975 explores the idea of unreliable narrators in Stoker's Dracula extensively, sometimes to comedic degrees -- for instance, when Harker thinks that he's being held captive by the Count, Dracula is actually getting exasperated with the man and tries to get him to just leave already, without breaking the rules of hospitality. And the whole deal of Dracula's predatory nature is interpreted just as a misunderstanding by the repressed Victorian society. Not that there's anything of the sort implied in Stoker's original novel. There Dracula is clearly portrayed as a sexual predator who threatens the innocence and purity of the English women, and there's nothing sexy or romantic about his sexualised encounter with Mina; it's coded rape in every sense of the word.

[@filthycasual8187]

@@Lightice1 Or... you know... everyone's reading WAY too much into a story about an evil blood-sucking monster from Transylvania.

[@erwin669]

Lucy's dresses are the reason why I feel in love with costuming and Victorian fashion. Making Mina's dresses are my dream builds

[@LovlyHorror]

Is that a Barnabas Collins ring I see on your hand? Well played.

[@viperdarkness7472]

To be honest i was thinking about Dracula's strategy of taking over england and came to the conclusion that he was suicidal, but as a vampire you can’t really hang him self. I mean why else would he do everything that he can do to get attention? When Lucy is protected by garlic flowers: „hm... what can i do... oh i know, waiting a day so the person who put the garlic there knows that it‘s working and than i get a Wolf from the zoo so i get extra headlines! That‘ll get me killed“

[@fafofafin]

I hadn't thought of it that way. But It IS an (un)fortunate coincidence that Seward knew both his victim AND the only guy in Europe who would pursue such a lead.

[@sorcerersapprentice]

@@fafofafin I agree. Never thought of it like that, but it makes sense. Guess the creators of Netflix's Castlevania series took that headcanon and ran with it.

[@Raximus3000]

@@sorcerersapprentice NOOOO, Castlevania Dracula was Mathias Corv(smth) and he hated humanity! That is the canon of the franchise he genuily wanted to kill all humans! That is how he was coming back again and again.

[@Raximus3000]

He was more of an animal than man, what makes you think he cared?

[@jerryofrevere4773]

Can't wait to get the audio book version of The Company of Death!

[@geneyounkin6789]

Have you read The Dracula Tapes (1975) by Fred Saberhagen? He also has Dracula be Vlad Tepes and a romance between Dracula and Mina. Saberhagen wrote the novelization of the 1992 movie so I’m willing to bet that FF Coppola took more than a little inspiration from it.

[@davidwhitfield6025]

Ok being the nerd here there is one section in Dracula which has been seen as the link (and taken for all it was worth by Messrs Florescu and McNally back in the 70s in their book In Search of Dracula) to Vlad the Impaler. In Chapter III Harker's Diary Dracula states that"Who was it but one of my own race who as Voivode crossed the Danube and beat the Turk on his own ground? Woe was it that his own brother, when he had fallen, sold his people to the Turk and brought the shame of slavery on them!" This is seen as referring to his brother Radu betraying and overthrowing him forcing Dracula to go to Hungry where, instead of aiding him threw him into prison for a decade. Drcaula goes on about his illustrious family again and again fighting the Turk (which isn't correct but typical of an egotist such as Dracula is who sees himself as the only one truely fighting for his people). Tellingly he also states "Bath! What good are peasants without a leader?" (Shades of Adolf Hitler in 1945). Regardless of what is in his notes it is obvious the book he read did give a cut down story of the struggles of Vlad II and his eldest son Vlad III to keep Wallachia independent (not Transylvania - that just sounder cooler)

[@isobelduncan]

Elisa already responded to a similar comment: "Though the nickname "Dracula" is mentioned in a random footnote in the Wallachian history book Stoker used for references, along with many voivodes who fought the Turks, Vlad III isn't specifically mentioned (nor his father). The scholars believe Stoker just combined this name he found, which he thought meant "devil," and didn't know any other history about, with the general history of voivodes fighting Turks and made up his own fake voivode. The way Stoker uses it as a surname in the modern English fashion also shows he didn't connect that it was a sobriquet and how the older naming systems work. I highly recommend reading Elizabeth Miller's research on it all."

[@davidwhitfield6025]

@@isobelduncan I believe that is what I was saying. Stoker didn't know much of the history of Wallachia/ Transylvania but obviously found enough to reference Vlad III and his brother Radu. Vampire Dracula does not claim to be Vlad II but then he wouldn't would he? He also claims descent from Attila the Hun which is also not true. Vlad was not a Magyar let alone a Hun. Son of the Dragon or Son of the Devil, the names have become intertwined and it makes for good fiction. Probably half of what is claimed about Vlad Tepes is likely lies - the Saxons Merchants and the King of Hungary both had reason to denigrate Vlad III for their own reasons (including justifying imprisoning Vlad for 11 years) when Radu changed sides and joined the Turks.

[@sorcerersapprentice]

Story time. My first introduction to this movie was from Truth or Scare, which is a Canadian tv show from the early 2000s that talked about supernatural mysteries and had that actress who played Dawn on Buffy as the host. For some reason, it used a lot of clips of this movie. I never knew about where the clips came from until I was in high school and watched this movie. Also, that tv show long with Mystery Hunters got me into the supernatural as a child, so there's that.

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

It's awkward that I've only just noticed you never covered this film until now... Thank you, it's one of my fave vampire films and my personal fave incarnation of Dracula

[@user-qj9en1kp1m]

Dracul in Romanian (at least today) means "the devil", dragon means the creature that has wings, scaly skin, spits fire. It 's the same word as in English, it is pronounced differently. For me the funniest thing about the book was Jonathan's complaints about the trains beig delayed...because they still are! 130 years have passed since the book was written, the world has been through two World Wars, Empires fell, borders have been redrawn...the trains are still being delayed.

[@zinkheroofyoutube8004]

Francis Ford Coppola is such an eccentric director and I love it

[@Adam_Le-Roi_Davis.]

I really enjoyed this, but I'm surprised that you didn't include 'Count Dracula' from 1977 Starring Louis Jordan in this as it's generally considered to be the most faithful adaptation of the novel.

[@JadyLester]

"Like... he really... was." killed me!

[@lordkelvin666]

Dracula was a hero and an antihero since I was 10 years of age. I am 47 now. Sublime movie and sublime review.

[@ScaryManiac]

This is my favorite Dracula movie. You did a damn great job on this video! It's remarkable the hard work you went through.

[@Krucek6666]

The movie has it's flaws but as You said it's a timless classic. And damn good that no CGI was involved because CGI at that time shifted from awesome to suck! I like it's naivety because afterall it's a dark fairy tale. Yes the book was much darker but film has to appeal not repeal. And it didn't shy away from horror parts either so it's a perfect storm if You ask me.

[@Tamlinearthly]

This video makes a great point that it's entirely valid to turn Dracula into a romantic antihero if the filmmakers think that's the movie they want to make. The reason I think that's a bad idea in this movie--and subsequently why I've never liked this movie--is because it doesn't really change Dracula enough. He's still a loathsome monster with no regard for life, and in fact if anything Coppola makes him MORE vile than he's ever been in almost any film, but then out the other side of its mouth the movie also wants us to see him as a dashing romantic lead. Um, that doesn't work. Mina, this guy MURDERED YOUR BEST FRIEND like four days ago, why are you ballroom dancing with him? What is wrong with you, what could POSSIBLY be wrong with you?

[@juststatedtheobvious9633]

Three possibilities. 1. He's using his control over her, and this is all a lovely bit of WTF mind-rape that really needs to be kept in that kink's fanfic section. 2. She's very, very, flawed. And in her weakest moments, almost as much a monster as he is. But that almost is important. Just because she can desire all he represents, doesn't mean she can completely cross what keeps her human. 3. It's a fairy tale, and much of it works on how love feels when nearly everything except the purest, most intense form of the emotion is removed. Or maybe it's bits of all 3. Or even okay to blame it on reincarnation?

[@Medraut00]

good review but in the book vanhelsing states that Dracula is that Void of old. so he was the Impailer

[@fzysknr]

And not a single joke at the expense of Fred Fuchs. Bravo, Maven.

[@smolten0015]

Bro the love never dies at the end activated my fight or flight-

[@TheRazmereShow]

I have crossed OCEANS of time waiting for this review! Fantastic work!

[@DemiSemme]

It always amuses me when directors talk other directors into making changes. Now my brain is asking what might have happened if Coppola had advised Lucas on the prequels...

[@ScenariosOfDrea]

OH OH I'm so happy you are taking Romania I'm Romanian American so glad you are doing this !!!!! So many people don' realize the Dracula stuff comes from Vlad Tepes, and yes he probably did come across the word "Dracula" since he's been reading about Romania and therefore probably read about Vlad Tepes. SOOO people often don't realize Vlad the Impailer inspired dracula they aren't the same person.

[@InnyV]

I saw that movie for the first time when I was 13 years old, now that I'm 34 it's still one of my favourite. I once heard someone call it a fever dream of a movie. So true. :)

[@maiacullen7604]

*Just found you're channel and i love it!*

[@GothMusicLatinAmerica]

Yeeeah, I get pretty irked when I see people talk about how this version is "so close to the book." It's like, really? Are you sure about that? Have you read the book? Still a very pretty movie to look at, though and entertaining in its own way.

[@cthulhupthagn5771]

Agree mostly, with the exception that it goes off the rails for me when it gets back to England

[@supernerd5781]

Also I actually love the idea that Dracula was Vlad the Impaler it gives him a good amount of history

[@kevinnorwood8782]

Jack O Brien I do too. In fact, it's a key part of my personal canon on how Dracula should be.

[@supernerd5781]

@@kevinnorwood8782 Same, except for in Castlevania Lords of Shadow, in which it's very clear he IS NOT Vlad, heck Dracula isn't even his real name in those games.

[@fionaedge5332]

Minas red dress is amazing.

[@merchantfan]

Honestly Vlad the Impaler was probably much worse than Dracula? Like, have you ever actually looked up what impaling was? He didn't just impale dead bodies. He impaled *live* people, which you did by sticking the pointing part through someone's anus or vagina and then letting gravity do its work up their intestines. They would sometimes make the pole duller for funsies. And he did this to random civilians. Probably the most unrealistic thing about Coppola's Dracula is that Vlad has any chance of going to Heaven at the end. Not a nice dude by any measure

[@xyamuchax]

Yay! I’ve been hoping you would eventually cover this one as it is the movie that got me into vampires! It was great to hear you discuss what went on behind the scenes as well as some of the themes and symbolism depicted in the film!

[@Zshugost]

The first plot in the fourth book of the Anno Dracula Series revolves around Coppola and his team as they make a Dracula movie in 1978 instead of Apocalypse Now (since Dracula is technically history in this universe) and is a weird mix of Heart of Darkness in Romania intersected with descriptions of the movie in which Martin Sheen plays Johnathan Harker and Marlon Brando is Dracula. There's a point that is repeated numerous times through the story that states how Coppola's version of Dracula will eventually replace the real one (who's dead at that point in time) in the collective consciousness. This is best exemplified when Kate Reed, a vampire journalist who met and fought the Dracula regime in the Victorian era and actually met most of the cast of the original book (which is why she was brought as an advisor), can't remember the original Johnathan's face which instead is replaced with Martin Sheen and his performance, which admittedly, is far more interesting. It was after watching this video and realizing how influential this movie was, I really understood the significance of that particular concept. EDIT: You can find the whole story for free here: www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/coppola.htm

[@EagleGamer15]

This was one of my favorite adaptations, so learning all of this has been very interesting, thanks Maven!

[@Dubbel12]

One of my favourite movies ever. I cant really explain why. I just fell in love with it the first time I saw it. As I child I was actually very afraid of vampires. I was afraid of dark because of the and had trouble falling asleep. As earlyteenager me and my friend started watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I won my fear. Then I kinda created this fascination towards vampires and now I just love them. Full circle.

[@mrkgman]

Great vid as always. Any chance we’ll get Penny Dreadful down the line?

[@ladyredl3210]

Yes please, it's my absolutely favorite!

[@crystalpistey-lyhne3406]

I❤The Book & This Version Of Movie!

[@waxh9679]

I love your niche channel so much. A lot of channels I follow have branched out tons since KZbin's gotten less friendly to creators, and that is okay, and I get why they do, but it really rocks of you to stick to your brand. It's a dang good brand.

[@matthewbenge7112]

Such a fantastic review...as always! You are by far one of the best experts and critics. I love how respectful you are to all vampire media even its not your personal taste.

[@videodromeTVversion]

19:19 = WOW! That's so much like that scene in _Beetlejuice_ where Barbara and Adam try to tell Lydia that being a ghost/spirit, being dead is also not the way to get peace.

[@TANKTREAD]

I know, I know I need to get the 3 CD set of the score from La La Land Records. This is my favorite score by Wojciech Kilar the original soundtrack(which was amazing)still lacked many of his fantastic compositions.

[@delcastilloarthur]

This film terrified me as a child. I've grown to love it now that I'm an adult.

[@Applemangh]

I must suggest that you cover Shiki. It is an anime (so maybe a bit outside of your norm) and one of the best vampire stories I've ever seen.

[@spiderlime]

in the novel, dracula is a predator. mina harker in many ways is the true heroine of the novel, as the focus of the effort to track him down, and who avenges the death of lucy. hollywood for many years couldn't stomach the idea of 1: dracula as an unscrupulous aggressor, and a woman who can actually lead such a monster to his doom. so they had to create some sort of romance between them.

[@williamlynnroden]

That inclusion of "In Living Color!" Bless you forever!

[@LittleRedTeaCake]

Ekkkkkk! I've been waiting for this one! This and Interview with a Vampire are the two movies that had me fall in love with vampires when I was five. As in, I know every word to this movie and recognize the soundtrack anywhere (I called it in season one of AHS). Also, the comparisons to Beauty and the Beast, makes total sense of why I love it so much. Also, the costumes in this was just, so beautiful and unique and amazing. Thank you for this.

[@nyxshadowhawk]

Thank you, Maven! I'm getting tired of telling people that Vlad the Impaler *AT MOST* provided the name Dracula, if Stoker even knew he existed at all. It depresses me that THIS is the most accurate Dracula film I've ever seen. Hey... they acknowledge that Quincy Morris exists! ...yay? I have to say I love the imagery in this film, and it does win some points for accuracy with the general plot points being correct and the nod to the epistolary format. But that stupid love story just ruined it. When will there be a film that does the badass Mina Harker justice? It's so sad. I would have actually liked the love story if it were in anything other than Dracula. Dracula isn't sexy. Making him a sexy Byronic hero ruins the rest of the plot. Why can't that tragic vampire romance be its own film? Or musical? *Total Eclipse plays* I guarantee you that Dracula would not be the most famous vampire in history if his name was "Wampir."

[@merchantfan]

Seriously I like the Jonathan and Mina romance in the book. The only time Jonathan keeps anything from her in the book is when he decides to be manly (and she consequently starts getting fed on by Drac). I *do* like they included Quincey. I like my Cowboys vs. Vampires thank you very much. And many of the main casting choices were decent at least on a visual level- loved the choice for Arthur. But he shouldn't have bothered to have Winona or Keanu try British accents (there's already at least 1 Dracula movie with a California accent Jonathan) or should have hired British actors if he really wanted them to seem British. I am not a fan of how Oldman or Hopkins play their roles though they are too over the top even for a vampire film

[@Firstborn0Raz]

For me one of my biggest pet peeves with dracula fiction is always the inclusion of a romance between Dracula and Mina (something that never existed in the book at all) and always end up making Mina into a whiny woman always saying, "no don't kill him". Sheesh, if they really want to explore something not in the book on film, there are so many things that they can choose, like what happened to all the children Lucy fed upon after becoming a vampire, how Dracula sees and interacts with London with his mindset trapped in the past, how Can Helsing decided that the best way to save Lucy was through supernatural means, why the people of transylvania never rose up against Dracula. So many avenues to explore and expand upon and all they do is create an imagined love story between two characters who have no chemistry. Such wastes of potential.

[@PassTheMarmalade1957]

@@Firstborn0Raz *Speaking* of avenues to explore and expand upon, remember how in the book at Lucy's funeral Van Helsing mentions he has a mad wife and a dead son who looked just like Arthur Holmwood, hence why he develops an affection for Arthur and wants him to understand what has happened to Lucy? Maybe we could have had THAT backstory instead of a made up one to supposedly justify a romance that doesn't work?

[@JolPil]

As an image for hatred against God / The Church - that stabbing of the stone cross scene is GENIUS, so relatable to anyone in a faith crisis or even to atheists. Sometimes you are just pissed off with the universe itself and wish you could stab the symbol of it`s maker. So Glad Coppola did NOT use computer graphics Back Then, cuz, Maven - computer graphics back then truly sucked!!! S.U.C.K.E.D so bad this movie would be much more dated today. So, Maven, praise Coppola for that! THAT was a genius Coppola choice.

[@DavidMacDowellBlue]

Thanks so much for this! I could nitpick a few tiny details (there is a little bit of CGI for example when Dracula morphs before he died) but I think you did this very fun, very beautiful film justice. It has its flaws but the number of tiny great details is to die for. I saw it in San Francisco with a Dark Shadows Fan Club and everyone (I do mean EVERYONE) went on about the parallels between it and Barnabas Collins--up to and including the portraits, the ring, the cane, etc.

[@thevirtualjim]

It wasn't cemented until 1992? I was into dracula as a kid in the late 70s and 80's and I was under the impression most people connected Dracula with Vlad even back then.

[@Vulpes89]

Are you ever going to do the Bela Lugosi Dracula? He was such an interesting fellow with a sad life who is immortalised in popular culture. I'd love to see your review of his take and the classic original.

[@spews1973]

I hope that in time the Maven will also make videos all about Bela Lugosi's 1931 "Dracula" and Christopher Lee's 1958 "(The Horror of) Dracula". But there's no hurry. I'm just grateful for any and all videos that the Maven produces.

[@RainyDayBlue8]

The priest that told Dracula his wife is dead is also Anthony Hopkins lol