Dracula

[CyberGhostface]

How many of you out there have read the Bram Stoker original? Its one of my favorite novels, and there's a number of really shocking and disturbing stuff in it for its time. None of the movie adaptations (that I'm aware of) have ever truly done the book justice.

[Darkthoughts]

Many times, and it was indeed ahead of it's time. There are some great vampire novels out there (but I don't like Anne Rice, so I'm not including her - sorry :P ) but Dracula stands the test of time and is still my favourite.

[Jean]

I have read it, but about ten years ago and only once! I liked it a lot, I think I'll get a copy if I can find it in a London charity shop next summer. I mean, I liked it even though I am normally indifferent to vampire stories.

[Darkthoughts]

My copy is second hand...well read and worn, a book with character :D

[CyberGhostface]

One question I have to ask is why do people feel the need to romanticize Dracula and make him 'misunderstood'? I mean, I've sympathized with and rooted for quite a few villains and Dracula has always come off to me as despicable.

[Darkthoughts]

The film certainly took liberties with that aspect didn't it! Yes, I read him as what he was - a monster.

[Daghain]

I loved Stoker's Dracula - I've read it many times. And yeah, I see Dracula as evil, not misunderstood.

[Brice]

But...he was just thirsty. :(



I've read it many times since I was very young.

[MonteGss]

I certainly liked Dracula but it is not my favorite vampire story. I agree that this novel was ahead of its time.

[Darkthoughts]

What's your favourite Monte?

[Sai_Rhavan]

I have read it, but about ten years ago and only once! I liked it a lot, I think I'll get a copy if I can find it in a London charity shop next summer. I mean, I liked it even though I am normally indifferent to vampire stories.

Jean, I have an extra copy of it. It has an extremely shitty cover (It looks more like the wolfman than Dracula) but it's still the same book, through and through. I'd be more than willing to send it your way.

[Jean]

I have read it, but about ten years ago and only once! I liked it a lot, I think I'll get a copy if I can find it in a London charity shop next summer. I mean, I liked it even though I am normally indifferent to vampire stories.

Jean, I have an extra copy of it. It has an extremely shitty cover (It looks more like the wolfman than Dracula) but it's still the same book, through and through. I'd be more than willing to send it your way.

wow!!!!!!!! bears don't ever judge books by their covers! http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gif

[Sai_Rhavan]

I'm not exactly sure how I'd go about sending you the book without you giving out private info (address)

But I have a Fed Ex right by my apartment, so it's ready to go.

[Jean]

I posted my London friend's address here (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showpost.php?p=58340&postcount=6). If all goes well, I'll get it for my birthday http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gif (there's no hurry at all, it's in June! and there's no earthly means I could get it earlier anyway, because I am not going to Europe before that time)

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/thankyou14.gif

[Brice]

I posted my London friend's address here (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showpost.php?p=58340&postcount=6). If all goes well, I'll get it for my birthday http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gif (there's no hurry at all, it's in June! and there's no earthly means I could get it earlier anyway, because I am not going to Europe before that time)

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/thankyou14.gif

So, can we still send you mail there? Would it be a bother for your friend?

[Jean]

my friend will be happy for me, if he doesn't have to take any more heavy things to St.Petersburg (having an enormous family here and always bringing lots of stuff for them) http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gif
I too, hope to be able to send something to everyone when I am in Europe next summer http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bear-176.gif

back to Dracula now! http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bear_wink-1.gif

[Sai_Rhavan]

I was always curious how we got from this evil monster to this stereotypical "Bleh! I Vant to suck your blood!"

It really hit home about his age, how he speaks of fighting in wars hundreds of years ago, just under a different name. I kind of used that as an explanation for one of my own characters.(It's where my screen name comes from, his last name.)

[John_and_Yoko]

I hear Nosferatu is the most faithful adaptation of the book, its title and character names notwithstanding (didn't have the rights, and Stoker's widow tried to sue). I haven't seen it, but that seems like reason enough to look at it.

As far as adaptations go, though, I'm no expert and don't pretend to be--I've only seen two (the 1931 Lugosi film which I saw at a young age and remember very little of, and the 1992 Coppola film Bram Stoker's Dracula). To be honest, the form of the book (which I only read years ago and need to re-read) doesn't seem to me to lend itself well to adaptations--all I mean by this is that it loses a lot of the mystery and intrigue if you're actually SEEING what it describes, rather than imagining it yourself.

That plus the fact that Dracula's been done literally to death (if you'll pardon the expression) means that any new Dracula movie needs more of a raison d'etre than simply being a faithful adaptation. Nosferatu is excused because it was the first adaptation entirely, and it came BEFORE Lugosi's famous rendition popularized the character and ingrained him in the public's imagination--and yet, of course, there are the name problems.... (Orlok? Ugh.... :P)

As far as adaptations go, however, having only seen the two I mentioned above, I think Bram Stoker's Dracula is the best. Besides being faithful to the novel for the most part (I've read that it took a lot of cinematic inspiration from Nosferatu), it actually combined Stoker's count with the real life Vlad the Impaler (who was really almost the count's opposite) and made it work, at least to my own satisfaction, others may disagree. But for my money, anyway, it gave a better motivation for WHY Dracula does all the things we KNOW he did from the novel. Like why he imprisoned Jonathan Harker, why he went after Lucy first, and only later went after Mina--and why Lucy was killed and became a vampire after suffering the effects of blood loss beforehand.

And the fact that the real life Vlad Dracula was so different from Stoker's count--devout Christian warrior regarded as a hero, fighting against foreign invaders, impaling them on stakes (sound more like Van Helsing, or the count's other enemies?) only impresses me all the more. Had I been fully aware of the differences before seeing the film, I would have found it difficult to believe it could be done satisfactorily. All the two really seem to share is a name (and Stoker was originally going to call the character Count Wampyr.... Ugh.... :P) But even in the prologue I felt they made a good case for his motivation for renouncing the church and God that he had tried so faithfully to serve on the battlefield, and ultimately becoming the vampire we all know and love (or hate, or love to hate, or whatever....).

All I can say is, now when I think of Dracula, I think of Gary Oldman's character. As someone on imdb said, with Oldman's performance, Dracula became him. I just find it so hard to go back to Lugosi after seeing that film--besides, all too often we see Dracula in a campy, almost parodying fashion (Van Helsing, anyone?). Oldman's Dracula actually had heart, and justified naming the whole story after him as he truly is the protagonist of the film, and not Jonathan Harker who becomes his rival. Thus Keanu Reeves' lacking performance can probably be forgiven in that regard.

Anyway, sorry for the long post (I tend to think things over to death, pardon the expression), but those are my thoughts on the matter. Feel free to disagree....

[Jean]

dear friends,

this is not a spoiler thread, so please mark your spoilers

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gif

[ATG]

I read it.
It was great.

[Daghain]

I liked Coppola's film, but Oldman's hair....that was so wrong. I haven't seen Nosferatu either, but I think I may need to take a look at that one. The Malkovitch film was good too (damn, I can't remember the name!).

[Jimmy]

I liked Coppola's film, but Oldman's hair....that was so wrong. I haven't seen Nosferatu either, but I think I may need to take a look at that one. The Malkovitch film was good too (damn, I can't remember the name!).

Shadow of the Vampire, and it proved to me without any shadow of a doubt that Willam Defoe is one creepy S.O.B.

And that Eddie Izzard is funny no matter what he's doing.

[Daghain]

Thanks! That was going to bug me all day. :)

[Jimmy]

No problem.

I've tried to see as many as the Dracula movies as possible, considering he's the most used character in film history. I'm not even into vampires or anything, I just want to see all the different variartions.

Oldman was one of the best so far.

[Daghain]

Yeah, I liked his character, but the hair....ugh. :lol:

[John_and_Yoko]

dear friends,

this is not a spoiler thread, so please mark your spoilers

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gif

Mea culpa....

I'm new here, and not completely familiar with everything yet....

Thanks for helping me, though....

[John_and_Yoko]

Sorry for the double post (has this thread REALLY not been posted in since I was here last?)....

I've just watched Nosferatu online, and while creepy in parts, it didn't live up to the hype about being faithful to the book (no spoilers here), so it was disappointing in that regard.

I suppose I can't be too picky, though, considering the time period in which it was made.

I still like Bram Stoker's Dracula the best, and don't expect to change my mind anytime soon.

[PedroPáramo]

I mean, I'm one who (literally) sympathizes with the Devil...and I'm still baffled by making Dracula out to be some misunderstood romantic. It would be one thing if Stoker gave Dracula moments of pathos or humanity but he didn't.


Same here. Drakula a romantic novel?
I don't thinks so.:doh:

[LadyHitchhiker]

I read it at least 5 times.

[Brice]

Sorry for the double post (has this thread REALLY not been posted in since I was here last?)....

I've just watched Nosferatu online, and while creepy in parts, it didn't live up to the hype about being faithful to the book (no spoilers here), so it was disappointing in that regard.

I suppose I can't be too picky, though, considering the time period in which it was made.

I still like Bram Stoker's Dracula the best, and don't expect to change my mind anytime soon.

Nosferatu is far from faithful to the Dracula story. I don't believe it was even intended to be. It is however a great film.

[John_and_Yoko]

Nosferatu is far from faithful to the Dracula story. I don't believe it was even intended to be. It is however a great film.

You're right--I should know better than to take people's word for it.... :P

As for it being a great film, I'm not sure, but either way I'm glad I saw it for myself.



Anyway, besides Bram Stoker's Dracula, I think there have only been about three movies in the 1970's that come close to accuracy (this is only based on wikipedia's summaries, I haven't seen any of them), but I still like the 1992 film the best.

[Brice]

Nosferatu is far from faithful to the Dracula story. I don't believe it was even intended to be. It is however a great film.

You're right--I should know better than to take people's word for it.... :P

As for it being a great film, I'm not sure, but either way I'm glad I saw it for myself.



Anyway, besides Bram Stoker's Dracula, I think there have only been about three movies in the 1970's that come close to accuracy (this is only based on wikipedia's summaries, I haven't seen any of them), but I still like the 1992 film the best.


And I am curious...what might those three films be?

[John_and_Yoko]

And I am curious...what might those three films be?

Count Dracula (1970), Dracula (1973), and Count Dracula (1977). The first (which stars Christopher Lee) even claims to be a faithful adaptation (though it still deviates).

I haven't seen any of those, though, so don't take my word for it.

[ATG]

Wasn't there a version By Keeanu Reeves?

[John_and_Yoko]

Wasn't there a version By Keeanu Reeves?

I don't know what you mean by a version "by" Keanu Reeves, but the one where he played Jonathan Harker was Bram Stoker's Dracula.

[ATG]

Wasn't there a version By Keeanu Reeves?

I don't know what you mean by a version "by" Keanu Reeves, but the one where he played Jonathan Harker was Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Yes, that one.

I didn't hate it.

[John_and_Yoko]

Yes, that one.

I didn't hate it.

Heh--I presume you didn't like it, then, either....

[ATG]

Everything but Keeanu Reeves.

[John_and_Yoko]

I need to correct myself on what I claimed earlier....

I never read that Nosferatu was "faithful" to the book--what I read was that Nosferatu was supposed to have been one of the "best" adaptations of Dracula, and apparently for some reason I equated that in my mind with "faithful"....

Don't know why--the better adaptation of The Shining was definitely the LESS faithful one....

Anyway, I'd have to see it again to know for sure whether I agree, but I wouldn't be surprised, since Nosferatu came out BEFORE Dracula movies became a regular thing....

[RUBE]

How about Dracula as comedy? Does that piss you guys off or what? Most of those types of movies are horrible.

Having just watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall made me think of this because Jason Segal's character wrote a Dracula rock opera featuring puppets called "A Taste for Love." I think that it may actually be the funniest Dracula comedy I have ever seenl.

[blackrose22]

I read Dracula about a year ago for the first time and loved it. It was completely different from what I was expecting.

[John_and_Yoko]

Does anyone know of a Dracula movie other than Bram Stoker's Dracula that has the scene where Jonathan Harker (or an analogous character) is preyed upon by the Brides of Dracula and then the count himself angrily tells them to get away from him because "He's mine"?

Because I read that that's what inspired Stoker to write the novel in the first place--he dreamed that, and it's the only scene that consistently remained in every draft of the novel.

[John_and_Yoko]

Has anyone heard of the Stoker estate-sanctioned sequel to Dracula set to come out next year?





2009 is the Year for Dracula: The Un-Dead
Source:AEI
October 3, 2008


LONDON, 1912: Someone is stalking the brave band of heroes who had defeated the vampire Dracula a quarter-century ago.

Bram Stoker's great-grandnephew and blood descendant, Dacre Stoker, and award-winning Dracula documentarian and historian Ian Holt have sold North American-English publishing rights of the Stoker-family-authorized sequel to Bram's classic novel "Dracula" to an alliance of Dutton U.S. (Brian Tart), Harper U.K. (Jane Johnson) and Penguin-Canada (Laura Shin).

The novel will appear in October 2009.

Laura Shin, senior editor of Penguin-Canada, who signed up for two additional sequels, said, "I was thrilled by this page-turning story and loved spending time with those great characters-Stoker and Holt did a fantastic job melding the old with the new, and I found the work to be a virtually seamless continuation of the original. The story has all the hallmarks of a historical novel, but with a modern sensibility that gives it wide-spread appeal."

Dutton and Harper signed a single novel deal. Although other precedent-setting foreign deals are already closed from preempts, Baror is planning to sign the bulk of world territories at the upcoming Frankfurt Book Fair.

Using Stoker family connections, the writers were able to access Bram Stoker's hand-written notes for his novel - which, before an editor changed the title, was to have been called "The Un-Dead."

"Our story," Stoker said, "includes characters and plot threads that had been excised by the publisher from the original printing over a century ago."

"The Un-Dead" is the first Dracula story to enjoy the full support of the Stoker clan since the original 1931 movie starring Bela Lugosi. Lugosi's appearance in Hamilton Deane's and John Balderston's stage production of the story on Broadway in New York, fifteen years after Bram Stoker's death in 1927, sparked the original novel's bestselling popularity. It has never been out of print since.

AEI's Ken Atchity, Chi-Li Wong, and Michael T. Kuciak (Life or Something Like It, Joe Somebody) will produce the film adaptation with Blue Tulip's Jan de Bont (Speed), and are expecting to see it go before the cameras in June '09.

The script has been completed by Ian Holt with the story co-written by Alexander Galant, who are both managed by AEI and agented by Ron Gwiazda and Amy Wagner at Abrams Artists.

[Bluenose]

Just finished the book yesterday actually. Its odd - its not a great book, but it does have a way of drawing you in and holdign your attention. There are much better books that dont have that sort of power.

[DoctorDodge]

I'm reading this at the moment. Only about 30 pages in, but I'm really liking this so far. I'm liking the use of language and the first person narrative and the way it's used. Seems to be very atmospheric so far. I'll post more thoughts on it when I'm further into the book.

[Tito_Villa]

I love that book, the use of language is great!

[jhanic]

Interestingly, I had downloaded the free Kindle for PC from Amazon and Dracula was one of the free books that came with the app. I think I just may start reading it on my PC.

John

[Merlin1958]

Interestingly, I had downloaded the free Kindle for PC from Amazon and Dracula was one of the free books that came with the app. I think I just may start reading it on my PC.

John

You should be in for a treat!!! It ain't a "classic" for nothing!!! I especially like the "cutting edge" style it was written in for its day!!! Let us know what you think!!!!


http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/4921/dracula020.jpg

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/3853/dracula022.jpg

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

Even though I dont care for the fact that vampire characters have taken on the role of romantic hero, (Twilight, True Blood, etc.) there is significant reasononing for the assumption that Dracula would be quite the ladies man. There are several instances in the original Dracula that would suggest that Dracula and vampires in general were quite efficient seductors.

Three female vampires seduce Jonathan Harker while in the Counts house.
Most of Dracula's victems are women, and they welcome his "dark kiss". Dracula is a masterful seducer, able to hypnotize his victems and have them do his bidding. In fact, I would not be surprised to find that many men fantasized about being Dracula when the book came out, having their way with women, and that this resulted in a great deal of the popularity associated with Stokers work.