Dracula

[John_and_Yoko]

dear friends,

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

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.

[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....

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....

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

Spoiler:

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!!!!

[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.

Spoiler:

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.