Dracula-Nosferatu Comparison
I have recently watched clips from the beginnings of two vampire
movies. The two films were, of course, very different things. One was
'Nosferatu' a product of the 1920's. I am lucky to have seen it
considering how it was banned by a judge of the time and all copies
ordered destroyed. Of course as attitudes change in cinema and with
the introduction of the BBFC 'censorship' system it was released
again.
The other movie though was a completely different kettle of marine
life; it was 'Bram Stokers Dracula' and bore about as much resemblance
to Bram Stokers story as myself to a chimp. If it was named 'Parody Of
Bram Stokers Dracula', 'Allegorical Tale Featuring Characters Based On
Bram Stokers Dracula', I would understand. Maybe even 'Shameless Cash
In On The Name Of Bram Stoker' would be more appropriate.
The reason for the differences? It seems to me that movie has changed
due to social reasons as well as technological reasons (I will return
to this subject later). Monsters are out - antiheros are the new
black. So what surprise is it to us that by the beginnings of the
nineties Dracula was less a monster and more a tortured soul? Why are
the Jewish style garb and appearance of 'Orlock' (the Dracula
equivalent from Nosferatu) gone only to be replaced with a Dracula who
answers the door looking strangely like one of the good Chairman Mao's
henchmen? This is particularly interesting considering that at the
time of Nosferatu's filming anti-Semitism was rife and the people were
battling a 'International Zionist Conspiracy'.
It seems strange too me that while Nosferatu was truer to the tale
that bo...
... middle of paper ...
...e soundtrack sounds like it has been create by the
Royal Philharmonic though it has probably never been played on an
instrument. The biggest change is perhaps in that the sound is not
being played in an orchestra pit at the cinema but is part of the
movie. This allows speech and subtitles in a way which allows the
actors a means of expression which was only partially available to the
thespians of the 1920's. They can change the sound and texture of
their voices and emphasise in their speech.
In conclusion I can state that the movies are both the same movie but
with radically different technologies and social constraints limiting
them. The only obvious difference is that 'Bram Stokers Dracula' and
authorisation from Bram Stokers Estate while Nosferatu did not.
Strangely 'Nosferatu' remained truer to the original tale.
Count Dracula is known throughout the world as the king of vampires, but very few know that he was a real person. The man who made a deal with the Devil for immortality was based on the heroic Walachia prince during the 15th century. His name was Vlad Dracula, which translates to “son of the Devil”, which is where the legend begins. Vlad was born the prince of Walachia in 1431 in Sighisoara, Romania but due to the Ottoman Empire invading Walachia, Vlad, and his brother were handed over to Emperor Sultan Murad II as a ransom. The two boys became captives of the Ottoman Empire in order to make sure that their father would support the Ottomans during their war with Hungary. Dracula was returned in 1448 after his father was assassinated, after
In the novel Dracula, by Bram Stoker, there is much evidence of foreshadowing and parallels to other myths. Dracula was not the first story featuring a vampire myth, nor was it the last. Some would even argue that it was not the best. However, it was the most original, using foreshadowing and mood to create horrific imagery, mythical parallels to draw upon a source of superstition, and original narrative elements that make this story unique.
Over the years people have given new out looks on the original vampire, Dracula. He was a tall non-attractive looking man who would never come out during the day. Hollywood however has made new vampire stories such as Twilight, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries/The Originals that have new ideas of a vampire. These novels/books all have differences, but some still have key characteristics of the original vampire.
A noticeable difference in the way movies have changed over the years is evident when comparing and contrasting two films of different eras which belong to the same genre and contain the same subject matter. Two vampire movies, Dracula and Bram Stoker's Dracula, present an interesting example of this type of study.
Throughout many types of literature, violence exists to enhance the readers interest in order to add a sense of excitement or conflict to a novel. This statement withholds much truthfulness due to the fact that without violence in a piece of literature such as Dracula by Bram Stoker, the plot would not have the same impact if it was lacking violence. Dracula's power and evilness led to the violent happenings which began with the conflict of Jonathan's inner struggle, as compared to the conflict which blossomed later on with good versus evil.
The version that I focused on for the sake of this essay was the book. I did watch eleven of the thirty-three Dracula movies that I own, so some references will be made to the movies. The book is told from the perspective of Jonathan Harker’s journal, with some letters to and from his girlfriend Mina. The purpose of his visit with Count Dracula is that Harker is selling a building to Dracula. Carfax Abby was in England where Dracula wanted to move. Harker went to Transylvania to assist Count Dracula in his move to England.
The legend of the vampire has emerged countless times within human imagination over the past few centuries. The first available representation of the mythical creature in prose fiction can be found in John Polidori’s “The Vampyre” (1810). It was not until eight decades later that Bram Stoker popularized the existence of this figure with the publication of “Dracula” in 1897. The folklore of the vampire has come a long way since and can be found in today’s popular media more frequently than ever before. However, with due course of time, the representation of the creature has taken alternate routes and today’s vampires are noticeable different – socially and physically – from their predecessors. One effective path to trace this transformation is to compare arguably modern day’s most famous representation of the vampire, Stephanie Meyer’s “Twilight” with “Dracula”, the foundation from which a large number of modern works draw inspiration. Examining this comparison closely, one finds that a new socially acceptable, sexually abstinent and desirable creature is fast replacing the fearsome and sexually voracious monster, as depicted in early tales of the vampire.
Dracula, the most famous vampire of all time, which readers were first introduced to by Irish author Bram Stoker in 1897 with his novel Dracula, which tells the story of the mysterious person named Count Dracula (Stoker). The book is an outstanding masterpiece of work, which is why it has been a prototype for various movie releases over the decades. Whenever a film director decides to make a movie on behalf of a novel the hope is that the characters concur from the novel to the movie, which leads to the exploration of the resemblances and modifications between the characters in Dracula the novel by Bram Stoker and Bram Stoker’s Dracula 1992 movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is the story about how the small company of men and a woman lead by Professor Abraham Van Helsing combats against Count Dracula, who moves from Transylvania to England in order to manipulate people as “foul things of the night like him, without heart or conscience, preying on the bodies and the souls of those [they] love best” (223). Stoker employs an epistolary format in this novel and nowadays, Dracula becomes one of popular literary works representing epistolary novels written in the nineteenth century. The term “epistolary novels” refers to the novels composed of different types of documents, such as journals, letters, newspaper clippings and so forth. One of the effects created by using an epistolary format is providing the characters’ inner state throughout the story, which “focuse[s] on a broader exploration of the insights that made up the conscious self by and [the broader context]” (Ştefan 73). Consequently, Stoker’s use of fragmentary narratives delivers the main characters’ emotions and thoughts in more picturesque ways. In Dracula, the epistolary format of the novel increases terror and suspense, which derived from tension when the story alters after alluding characters’ insecure future and immense power of Dracula affecting not only the main characters, but the third parties who are irrelevant to them.
From Transylvania to Hollywood, vampires have transformed from unfamiliar, mysterious personalities to one of the most dominant monsters in the horror genre today. Vampires are one of the oldest and most noted creatures in mythology, with many variations of them around the world. Although the most famous version is Bram Stoker’s Dracula, many variants have come before and after telling of the same legend with their own added ideas and modifications to relate to their cultures. Today, there is a multitude of literary and film works that convey and resurface peoples’ fear of vampires. As gothic works like Dracula, by Bram Stoker and Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire directed by Scott Jeralds share certain traits reflective of the genre;
Film Analysis of Dracula by Bram Stoker Bram Stoker’s Dracula was filmed and produce in 1992 by Francis Ford Coppola. Based on the infamous vampire novel Dracula in the 1890s. The film stars Gary Oldman as Dracula throughout the film, the hero Harker is played by Keanu Reeves. Winona Ryder play two parts of the film, one is the wife of Dracula the opening sequence and later plays the fiancée of Harker reincarnated.
Dracula, by Bram Stoker, is a classic tale of Gothicism. Traditionally, gothic tales only carried single theme of horror. Through Dracula, Stoker breaks this single theme barrier. The theme throughout Dracula is clearly displayed through the characters as they step from ignorance to realization in this tale of horror.
Batman beats the Joker. Spiderman banishes the Green Goblin. For centuries story tellers have used the basic idea of good beats bad to guide their tales. Stories of blood sucking, human possessions and other tales have been passed down generations and vary between cultures. Among the creators of the famous protagonists is, Bram Stoker, the creator of Dracula. This fictional character was soon to be famous, and modified for years to come into movie characters or even into cereal commercials. But the original will never be forgotten; a story of a group of friends all with the same mission, to destroy Dracula. The Count has scared many people, from critics to mere children, but if one reads betweens the line, Stoker’s true message can be revealed. His personal experiences and the time period in which he lived, influenced him to write Dracula in which he communicated the universal truth that good always prevails over evil.
While the character of Renfield is ostensively extraneous to the central plot of Dracula, he fulfils an important role in Stoker’s exploration of the central themes of the novel. This paper will examine how Renfield character is intertwined with the three central themes of invasion, blood and otherness. Firstly, through Renfield’s inner struggle we learn that he is ‘not his own master’ (Stoker, 211). The theme of invasion is revealed by the controlling and occupying powers of Count Dracula. Secondly, the recurring theme ‘the Blood is the Life’ (Stoker, 121), is portrayed throughout the novel and has been interpreted through Stoker’s character Renfield. Then finally, a look at the social construction of the ‘other’ in Dracula and how, through Renfield, who is ‘unlike the normal lunatic’ (Stoker, 52), the Count emerges as the ‘other’ of all ‘others’.
In Twilight, Edward Cullen presents the question; “ But what if I’m not the hero? What if I’m the bad guy?” The role of vampires is very controversial. Back in the day they were evil, soulless monsters and people genuinely feared them. However, in the present day it seems that we have grown to love them and even hope to one day be them. There are a plethora of vampire stories and many of them have become immense hits. With so many vampire stories, it is not uncommon that readers are able to identify a vast amount of similarities. Although similar in aspects, there are still many differences between the classic and modern day vampires. Two highly popular stories, in which we can easily identify similarities and differences, are Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight.