Francis Ford Coppala's Dracula-Director of Apocalypse Now and The Godfather does Vamps. I'm in.

Ok, I saw this in the theater in 92 when it first came out.  I remember enjoying it, but thinking that much of it was ridiculous and over the top.  Also, at the time I was working at an AM gospel radio station and one of my co-workers asked me, "What was the message of the movie?"  That's the thing about some Christians, is that they want to know what the "message" of the thing is and if it squares with their faith.  I hate that question, considering it irrelevant, as I like to appreciate a story on it's own merits, rather than does it pass the litmus test of an "ism".  But anyway, I threw her the tag line of the film, "Love never dies."  She looked skeptical.  But then, I don't think she would have been satisfied by any answer short of "Dracula renounces darkness and embraces Christ before self staking, or some such".  But anyway, love you and miss you, Carmen!

Dracula 92 ws directed by Francis Ford Coppola and when I heard that, I expected great things.  This is the guy who does lush, grueling epics like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, so the idea of him doing a period adaptation of the most famous of vampire stories?  Not only that, but with a star studded cast?  I was so in.

At the time, I did like it, as I said before, but so much of it, especially the tie in to Vlad the Impaler of Romanian history, which is NOT in the book, just some took the implication from the information on the character in the book and ran with it.  Dracula is from Transylvania.  Vlad Tepes was a reputed bastard of a Romanian ruler known as Dracula, well obviously he was cursed by God with undeath...though Bram Stoker never said this.  The identity of his Count was a mystery. 

But Mr. Coppola was having none of this and went with the Vlad tie, showing his Prince Dracula winning in battle but losing his love, cursing his God and being granted unlife, an immortality separating him from humanity, pining for his lost love. Planning a move to London, he puts the mojo on Renfeild (Tom Waits, playing the bug eating man-bitch with fervor), so the firm sends Jonathan Harker (Keannu Reaves) to conclude the deal.  Yes, his accent is bad, but he's not bad in the role, playing it with plucky earnestness which suits it.   Mina Murray, played by Winnona Ryder, is delivered with innocence, a touch of nerve and a dash of gothines when she begins falling under the good Count's spell.  Speaking of the count, Gary Oldman can handle regal charm and creepiness in his sleep, so the legendary vampire is a natural for him.  But the superstar of the proceedings, IMO, is Anthony Hopkin's Van Helsing, played with equal parts humor, grimness and eccentricity, kind of a Victorian Fox Mulder, brilliant but clearly marching to the beat of his own drum.  Any pursuer of mysteries on the fringe necessarily would be.

Further kudos to Mr. Coppola, not only with capturing the period and book with sets and costumes, but eschewing computer FX and going with traditional visual trickery for his vampire spookiness.  It works wonders.

This one is excellent and if you are a fan of the book or good vampire movies, this one is a must.