Dracula – The BRWC Review.
Nearly 130 years since its initial publication, Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” seems as relevant and popular today as it has ever been. A seminal work of Gothic horror, Stoker’s novel has spawned seemingly countless adaptations over the years and, with over 700 appearances across media, Dracula remains the most portrayed literary character of all time. Given the Transylvanian’s enduring presence in pop culture and art, every subsequent iteration of the character becomes increasingly burdened with a need for novelty – what will make this next adaptation of “Dracula” stand apart from its numerous predecessors? Controversial filmmaker Luc Besson answers this question by leaning more heavily into the romantic side of Stoker’s book than other adaptations, a decision that leads to a tragic and unexpectedly funny Dracula story.
Besson’s film stars Caleb Landry Jones (Dogman, Get Out) as the titular vampire, also known as Prince Vladimir of Wallachia. The film begins in tragic fashion as Vladimir accidentally kills his wife Elisabeta (Zoë Bleu) during a battle with the Ottomons. The loss makes Dracula renounce God, transforming him into the vampire Dracula and setting him on a centuries-long journey to track down the reincarnation of his wife.
Dracula’s point of novelty sees Besson embrace one of their lesser appreciated elements of Stoker’s work. Although “Dracula” is a quintessential horror story, it’s also deeply romantic as, at its heart, it follows a grieving man waiting over 400 years for the return of the woman he loved so dearly. Most other “Dracula” adaptations, including Robert Eggers’ recent remake of Nosferatu, relegate this element to the background in favor of the story’s creepier inclinations, but Besson finds a way to reshape “Dracula” into a primarily romantic tale that nonetheless retains some of its spookier elements.
Strangely, however, the thing that makes Besson’s film unique is not the thing that makes it great. Besson, who also writes the screenplay, opts against developing the love story between Dracula and his beloved Elisabeta on the front end, save for a few steamy scenes and dramatic proclamations of love. When being reunited with Elisabeta becomes the dominant focus of the film following her death, there is a distinct lack of investment in their romance as the audience has spent such little time with them together as a partnership. Caleb Landry Jones’ remarkable performance certainly conveys the anguish and torment Dracula experiences in his wife’s absence, but it only goes so far in making one truly understand his yearning.
Those familiar with the source material will know that Dracula eventually finds a woman who looks identical to his lost love, who may be a literal reincarnation of her. But before that Dracula journeys around the world in search of her. From creating vampiric agents to assist in his search to creating an intoxicating perfume that lures any and all women, Dracula goes to great lengths to be reunited with Elisabeta, which adds unique angles to the story of Dracula compared to how it is traditionally told.
If creating an intoxicating perfume to lure women sounds humorous, that’s because it certainly is. In a surprising move, Besson infuses his Dracula with a rather campy tone and ample dark comedy. For instance, early in the film, as Dracula grieves his wife, he attempts to kill himself in order to be reunited with her. He chooses to jump out of a tower in his massive castle, but his suicide attempt proves unsuccessful as he is now a vampire and immune from the causes of death humans experience. But that doesn’t stop Dracula as he chooses to jump out of the tower several more times, with each jump followed by a slow, limping walk back up the tower. The bit works wonderfully well and is indicative of the sense of humor Besson imbues in his adaptation.
The humor plays all the more successfully as it juxtaposes the stark directing style and Gothic cinematography and production design. From visuals alone, one would not expect Dracula to be as funny as it is. On the contrary, Besson and his cinematographer Colin Wandersman shroud the film in shadows, lavish sets, and an overall visual aesthetic that contrasts the film’s vibrant sense of humor. One moment, Dracula tragically laments the loss of his life and the next Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid) is hilariously oblivious to the extremely overt strangeness of his vampiric host. On paper, it shouldn’t all come together, but the humor and the aesthetic darkness somehow feed brilliantly off of one another
As the romantic angle of the film falters, so does the story’s resolution. Without delving into spoilers, this is partially attributable to the film’s indifferent stance on Dracula as a hero or villain. Unlike most other portrayals of the character, Dracula isn’t as overly evil here (although he certainly wrecks his fair share of havoc). There’s something potentially interesting about a morally complex Dracula, one who questions the audience’s capacity for empathy, but Besson perplexingly doesn’t lean into this. Instead, he makes Dracula a somewhat simple character and, in turn, reaches a conclusion to his story that feels (at best) unearned and (at worst) absurd.
VERDICT: 7/10
Nearly 130 years since the initial publication of “Dracula,” controversial filmmaker Luc Besson breathes new life into Bram Stoker’s seminal source material by focusing on the deeply romantic angle of the vampire’s iconic tale. Strangely, however, the thing that makes Dracula unique is not the thing that makes it great as the romance in Besson’s film is never developed in a substantive way, despite Caleb Landry Jones’ committed and haunting performance. Where the film finds greater success is in the juxtaposition of its dark, Gothic visuals and unexpectedly vibrant sense of humor, two key facets of the film that surprisingly work well in tandem. That being said, stumbles with its romantic inclinations and failure to expound upon the moral complexities of Dracula lead to a conclusion that feels (at best) unearned and (at worst) absurd. While certainly flawed, Luc Besson’s Dracula deserves commendation for its ability to find a point of novelty and tell an interesting story about the most portrayed literary character in cinema history.
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