BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA

I'm not really into this genre so I guess I can't be surprised that this film didn't do much for me, despite it being directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

On the plus side it is a visually stunning experience, due not just to the cinematography but also the overall production design and the costumes.

I liked the idea of making this a kind of love story, between Dracula and Mina, Jonathan Harker's fiancée, who reminds him of his wife Elizabeth back in the day when he was a prince defending Christendom.  It was Elizabeth's suicide that drove him to become what he now is.

Unfortunately whilst Gary Oldman gives a towering performance which carries the entire film, there's not much chemistry between him and Winona Ryder as Mina.  Perhaps the fact that she fell out with him during filming contributed to this, but I can't help feeling that she is miscast - she has her strengths as an actress but maybe she's not capable of providing the erotic energy needed for the part.  But she brought the script to Coppola's attention so I guess  she was entitled to the role.

But whatever her shortcomings as Mina, she's still the best of a bad bunch when it comes to the rest of the cast.

Keanu Reeves as Harker got a lot of criticism at the time for his attempt at a British accent, but I'm simply glad he is in the film rather than Coppola's first choice, Christian Slater.  

Equally bad in the accent department is Anthony Hopkins, as Helsing, who has to say 'Ja' from time to time to remind us that he is German.  It's not one of his more memorable performances.

Richard E Grant is a welcome presence in the early scenes, as a doctor who asks for Helsing's help, but he gets lost later on as one of no less than three suitors of Lucy, a rich friend of Mina's who we know from the outset is doomed.  The other two suitors and Lucy are all played by actors who fail to make an impact.

This points to a basic problem of too many characters competing for our attention.  Why for example is Tom Waits' character in the film at all?

Coppola wanted a matinee idol to play Harker because he recognised that it is a nothing part really.  Perhaps Coppola should instead have focussed on a complete rewrite of the script with a view to streamlining it, notwithstanding that it has the occasional memorable line such as "I've crossed oceans of time to find you".

Overall then it's best not to worry too much about the plot machinations and just try to enjoy the film as a sensual experience.

RATING: x Curb Your Enthusiasm