Dracula - Masterpiece Theatre

Ran across this Masterpiece Theater production of Dracula which aired on PBS earlier this year. Seemed to have been panned by critics, but as it (to my surprise) happened to have Sophia Myles as Lucy, who's my favorite part of CBS's Moonlight series about a vampire and his reporter girlfriend.The plot is a distinct variation on Stoker's original, with Dracula summoned to London by Holmwood, who has been told he can cure Holmwood's inherited syphilis before he infects his new bride Lucy. Actually not nearly as serious a variation of the story as the Deane/Balderston play that was the basis of the 1931 and 1979 movies, although not as close as the 1992 version.I was pleasantly surprised by how good the production was. Sets and settingss are uniformly outstanding, and far closer to historical accuracy that Coppola's version (which was a nice change). Myles was very good as Lucy, and Dan Stevens and Tom Burke do outstanding jobs as Holmwood and Seward.By far the best thing about the production to me, however, was Marc Warren as the "old" Dracula. He was the best I've ever seen, with aged, diseased skin, straggly white hair, filthy fingernails, and an ancient, moth-eaten robe. He looked and sounded like someone a few days either side of being dead, which is exactly how I thought a vampire should be played, including Dracula at the beginning of the book - far better than Kabuki Dracula in Coppola's version (who was, admittedly a hairstyle and a dressing gown away from being what I had in mind). I had no idea who he was until he became the "young" Dracula, and I realized he'd been the focus of an entire episode of Band of Brothers. I am not a fan of young Draculas in general, but what was different about this one is that his attraction to women was pretty clearly some sort of hypnotic interest, not a romantic one. He exerted some sort of power over Lucy, then Mina, but it wasn't romantic - even his seduction of Lucy was clearly when she was not conscious.A quick note how well the sexual frustration angle between Holmwood and Lucy - who doesn't know why her new husband won't consummate their marriage - was handled. It could have been (enjoyably) expanded, but wasn't at all inadequate for purposes of the story, and was an interesting take on the issue, as well s bringing in through the back door all sorts of associations with Bram Stoker's life and writings.Warren as a vampire in full fang was somewhat annoying (as they all are) but as a young Dracula, I think he was probably the best I've seen. It's just hard to really say, since I really don't seen the book's Dracula as a young man. As I've said before, I probably see someone with about the age and presence of a current Tom Selleck (not the Magnum one, the Las Vegas one). Myles and Stephanie Leonidas I'd hire as Lucy and Mina any day. Myles just seduces the camera whenever she feels like it, and Leonidas portrayed someone of markedly different social standing to Lucy, which is accurate to the book. And neither was asked to go out of character to be some sort of seductress, or consumed by sexual hunger around Dracula. Mina in particular was desperately in love with her Jonathan, and what Dracula gets out of her is markedly different. Same with Lucy - her reaction to Dracula is never romantic - it is simple reaction to his power over her. Again, to me that's a better way of telling the story. Footnote to the seductress - of course Lucy does act this way just before being staked, and Myles' acting and the direction hits precisely the right tone - she's a vamp, but let's not overdo it. (Her vamping on Moonlight last night under the influence of some bizarre pharmaceuticals was an order of magnitude greater, incidentally).That having been said, the movie for me really started to fall apart as soon as they staked Lucy. Unlike every other movie I've seen, the staking consisted of her lying compliantly on the ground - arms out of the way conveniently - while Holmwood pushes (not hammers - just pushes) a stake into her belly (not her heart). The idea that she lies down and pulls him on top of her was an original one, but the idea she'd just lie there and let him stake her made no sense. At least distract her or restrain her or wait till she's asleep as in the book - make it look at least remotely realistic (I guess we're supposed to think she doesn't think he'll actually do it. Or, and I just thought of this, she's just a two day old vampire - maybe she has no idea what he was trying to do, or that it'd actually harm her, or even that he would want to harm her. That sort of makes sense, I guess).After that, the movie just sort of dragged around until Dracula was the stakee. But, all in all, not a bad production, and a worthy addition to the Dracula ouevre. Comes in at #2 for me, and not by a whole lot.

This is simply amazing. 1st off before you read any further I want to point out this DVD game is Region Free, and not region 1. So no matter what part of the world your from this game WILL run on your Linux PC, windows, PlayStation 2 or even your standard DVD player.It's an amazing recreation from the awesome Sega Mega-CD game of the same name. It can be kinda slow depending on your DVD player, but on a computer it runs at breakneck speeds even beyond the original Mega-CD version.It look truly beautiful, technology has come a long way since a decade and it's an absolute delight to see the redrawn art work and full screen video. I'm amazed beyond belief they preserved the original footage of the game from so long ago. No more small grainy windowed video clips this is really good quality. It's like a dream come true as I loved the story of the original Mega-CD version, but thought it was a pity about the limitations of video quality back in those days but here we have a perfect version of the game even including the ability to save like the original.I only wished all the movie/anime games from the Mega-CD could get this kind of treatment as I would love to play Night Trap again, and at this high level of quality. Dracula Unleashed was one of the best movie titles on the Mega-CD so it's only fitting to see the brilliant story come to life once more even if others don't follow in it's footsteps.5 Stars and very highly recommended!

Okay, so yeah, this Dracula ventures off into its own vampire ideas and doesn't stay to Bram Stoker's story for large plot ideas and chunks of the story line, but honestly it isn't that bad. The basic outline of the plot is the same familiar one we all know, but there's a sort of subplot where Arthur Holmwood is the reason for Dracula's coming to England. He is under the impression that Dracula can cure his syphilis so that he can consumate his marriage with Lucy. So Arthur makes plans with some Dracula-worshipping cult to have Johnathan Harker travel to Trannsylvania to arrange for Dracula's moving to London.There are several characters missing from the story and odd character backstories. Van Helsing is a bit of a crazy historian living in a creepy basement. Again, the whole situation with Arthur is odd, and Mr. Harker's venture to Trannsylvania doesn't quite turn out the same. One thing that bothered me in this story is Dracula himself. He's not a poorly acted character, but he looks funny. As an old man, the make-up is quite good and he looks creepy and convincing, but when he becomes young, he ends up looking like some emo-goth kid from a band. His attempts at being charming fall a bit flat, but his general creepiness hold just fine.Another large change is the ending. In the book, Dracula is hunted to Trannsylvania, but here he never leaves London and results in a not so climactic demise....or does he? Anywho, I know that people say the movie is total crap, but I'd say give it a shot, especially if you can find it at a cheaper price. Overall it is a noble production, not a high budget, but manages to get the story told if you can tolerate the sometimes odd story change and emo-Dracula. Definately worth at least a viewing for the Dracula fan.In terms of tech specs, Dracula is presented in a non-anamorphic widescreen with a Dolby Digital soundtrack. The audio track (which I have my receiver set to ProLogic IIz) is acceptable if a bit lackluster. The picture quality, even when upscaled, leaves much to be desired. Dark scenes seem to be a bit washed out and details never really pop. I can't determine if this was shot on video or if the production is just low budget. Either way, sets and costuming as well as makeup are all rather impressive. I still say worth a look, just don't expect a revolutionary presentation.

An unnecessarily inventive variation of Stoker's novel in which syphilis appears as a more unpleasant fate than vampirism. Spare me from creative screenwriters and directors who use classic stories as mules for their own inane ideas. If you have an original idea you want to market, write it! Don't desecrate someone else's work!

Mark Warren plays wonderful villains so when I discovered this movie I had to give it a try - the story has shades of the original book in its characters and setting but with the one notable difference that Dracula was brought to England by Lucy's husband. There have been many versions of the Dracula story, I thought this was one of the better ones. Warren plays a sinister Dracula, while Lucy also steals the show, and the atmosphere and tension made for a most enjoyable watch.

It says English audio but this is not true. Yes the English dialogue is there but it is dubbed over the top in Polish so you cannot hear the dialogue. It was a complete waste of money for me as I do not speak Polish.

reveals the insistent evil of the vampire

well acted leaving it open for a follow up, which sadly has not happened.sophia myles gorgeous as ever, marc warren suitabley scary, and does not need makeup.