Synopsis:

The stuff of legends in Eastern Europe, Vampires have become a staple of the horror film industry. From Max Schreck's Count Orloff in 1922 to Lugosi's Dracula in 1931, to Lee's unforgettable performances with Hammer studios during the 50's and 60's, the vampire has been primped, gussied up and redressed with every theatrical incarnation. In Bram Stoker's Dracula, Gary Oldman dons the fangs and cape and delivers one of the most incredible performances, the count has ever seen. Visually stunning in every detail, Dracula, tells the story of a Romanian prince who slaughtered many in the name of the church only to cradle the broken body of his wife at the conclusion of his conquests. A wife he knew would be safe because of his service to the church. Seeds of betrayal and rage bloomed and in a fit of madness brought on by the sheer pain of grief, Dracul renounced all things holy and set his sights on destroying that which he once fought zealously to protect. The twists in the story and derivations from the novel are plenteous but the overall texture of the film is pleasing to both the eyes and ears. Anyway, many centuries later, Dracula sets his sights on what appears to be his deceased bride in the semblance of Lucy Westerna (Winona Ryder). Upon his arrival in Great Britain, his sole purpose is to win her hand by the manifestation of his undying love for her as opposed to controlling her mentally and forcing her to bend to his will. This is something of a new concept in Dracula lore. Instead of the general heavy villainous bloodsucker, we are presented with a conflicted soul whose heart was broken but is now mending with the anticipation of re-establishing his connection to what would prove to be a soul mate. Mind you, the story of Dracula would not be much fun if he were a meek kitten seeking out his girlfriend's attention. Bram Stoker's Dracula is full of all the tricks of the trade any good vampire film bears. Ultimately, Dracula is bound by this affair of the heart and will stop at nothing to make Lucy his for all eternity. With Dr. Abraham Van Helsing on the trail and a host of newly trained vampire hunter-killers (Nod to Peter Vincent) fast on the hoof, a confrontation of incredible size is soon to take place. Visually, there is no better vampire film. Gary Oldman's performance is nothing short of inspired. There are sights in this film that have never before been attempted. If they have been put to film, they did not bear even an inkling of the panache Coppola imbued this movie with. From set design to costumes and transformations, Bram Stoker's Dracula is at the head of the pack. Personally, I am forever a Lugosi/Lee fan but Oldman definitely put on an act that will not soon be equaled. Not since Tim Curry's Lord of Darkness in Ridley Scott's Legend, has there been a sinister presence so captivating. Simply put, Bram Stoker's Dracula is a feast for the senses and should make any fan of vampire legend/lore very happy.

Audio/Video:

The audio for Bram Stoker's Dracula is wonderfully presented in a very full and active DD5.1 platform that does wonders for the film's soundtrack and action. The dialogue is clear and easily understood and the movement between the speakers is tremendously involving. From the flapping of bat's wings to the smallest end of an echoed voice, the audio presentation is first rate. The sub does a great atmospheric job as well and contributes greatly to an already rich audio performance. This is a relatively aggressive mix and it really adds a wonderful measure of foreboding menace in every act of this tale. A 2-Channel stereo DD Surround platform is also included but as expected, it lacks the punch that the DD5.1 delivers in great abundance. The video for the feature is generally very good. There were a couple of instances where the images tended to be too dark for the presentation but on the whole I found the picture beautiful and well presented. Both a widescreen and full-frame version are available on the disc. For the purposes of the review, the Widescreen version was watched. The colors in the widescreen version are very rich and carry great depth. I did not notice any transfer errors other than the excessive darkness of two scenes.

Extras:

A Criterion Collection Laserdisc that's loaded with all kinds of efforts was made however, none of those extras made it to the DVD version of the same film. This is as bare as they come. Easily one of the first films put to disc, the menu screens are stale quite old and very uninvolving.

Overall:.

Seeing Dracula on the big screen and then on video and finally on DVD has given me a tremendous appreciation of this film. The scale of this production is tremendous. Coppola pulled out all the stops in developing and producing a first-rate vampire movie that stands on it's own with all the other great films in this genre. Using age-old tricks, Coppola creating imagery and a palatable presence onscreen that truly moves this film in a new and exciting direction. The character of Dracula with all of it's manifestations was magnificent. This would have been a perfect disc had Columbia Tri-Star given just a smattering of the extras that are available DVD treatment. Unfortunately, they provided merely the film. If memory serves, the ad campaign for this film was pretty intense. Would have been nice to see some of that make it to the DVD so, here's to hoping for a loaded SE. Since this one of the first discs to have been released, it's possible a Special Edition could be on its way. Let's hope so! Highly Recommended