BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA / MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN: 30 Years Later

Some three decades later (I’ll split the difference as BSD dates from 1992 while MSF is 1994), both of these Francis Ford Coppola produced movies (he also directed BSD) and make for an interesting double feature that really should be viewed back-to-back. Both were successful at the box office (DRACULA more so than FRANKENSTEIN) and make an attempt, as the full titles suggest, to go back to original source materials. However we are dealing with filmmakers who are known for their considerable egos and that becomes very evident in how both movies turned out. They follow the outline of the books, but take considerable liberties in their interpretation of the storylines and some of the characters.

This is much more evident in BSD as producer-director Coppola envisioned DRACULA as a love story or to use his description as “an erotic fairy-tale”. Nothing really new here as that’s what Hammer’s 1958 DRACULA with Christopher Lee was but as this was 1992, Coppola could be and was far more explicit in his eroticism which leaves little to the imagination.. Yet another example of a filmmaker saying that this is what the author really intended. Bram Stoker would disagree. It’s really too bad as there is much to admire in BSD from a technical standpoint. There is no CGI used and the movie was completely shot on soundstages with the visual effects done in the camera. The look of Victorian England is nicely captured and the use of primary colors does create a fairy tale atmosphere.

The performances are definitely a mixed bag. Gary Oldman’s vocal mannerisms, trying to out-Lugosi Bela Lugosi, are frequently unintelligible and often unintentionally amusing. (Thank goodness for subtitles on this Blu-ray.) Oldman’s eccentric take on the Count will either impress you or annoy you completely. Anthony Hopkins is a solid if somewhat disheveled Van Helsing while Keanu Reeves is not nearly as bad as contemporary reviews have made him out to be. (It is unfortunate that his hair keeps changing color.) Winona Ryder, a quintessential 1990s girl, isn’t creditable in her role as a 19th century heroine. Tom Waits, a Coppola favorite, is a subdued and very effective Renfield while Sadie Frost, in her film debut, transforms from Victorian maiden into sexually aroused vampire victim, but under Coppola’s direction, her later scenes would have benefited from a soupcon of restraint.

Coppola produced but did not direct MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN which explains the presence of Robert De Niro (who is given top billing) as the Creature. (The titular character is never referred to as “the monster”.) The director’s chair was filled by Shakespearean actor Kenneth Branagh who, in keeping with his eccentric reputation, directs in a floridly operatic style. The movie is full of sweeping camera movements, immense sets, and a scenery chewing performance from Branagh as the Creature’s creator Victor Frankenstein. Most of the cast consists of well known Brit performers like Helena Bonham Carter, Ian Holm, and Robert Hardy with Monty Python alum John Cleese (who is quite good) in a rare dramatic role.

There are references in MSF to just about every other Frankenstein movie ever made, from the electrical equipment of the 1931 film to the patchwork quilt appearance of the creation in the 1957 Hammer version. The most bizarre reference is to the creation scene from a 1910 Edison short where the “monster” is manufactured inside a copper vat. Branagh’s creation scene takes longer than the entire Edison film and really must be seen to be believed. I’m not sure if these references are Branagh’s or those of screenwriter Frank Drabont, who ultimately disowned the finished film due to its highly theatrical approach. Coppola also distanced himself from MSF, and although he clashed with Branagh during shooting, allowed Branagh’s version to be released without alterations.

Branagh’s over-the-top take on the scientist along with the mostly British cast jars somewhat with De Niro’s method acting approach to the Creature, however this only serves to point up his misfit status and make it more evident. Along with those cast members mentioned, MSF also includes Tom Hulce (10 years after playing Mozart in AMADEUS) as Victor’s best friend, Cherie Lunghi as Victor’s mother, Aidan Quinn as the ship’s captain who opens and closes the film, and Trevyn McDowell as the tragic maid Justine who is falsely accused of murdering Victor’s much younger brother. *SPOILER ALERT* Justine’s demise along with the fate of Victor’s wife Elizabeth are totally unexpected and provide the movie with two great shock set pieces.