Using the film 'Bram Stoker's Dracula', consider the choices the director has made in his representation of Dracula and the female characters.
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Introduction
I am going to discuss in this essay the representations of Dracula and the female characters based on the choices of the director. I am also going to compare the novel to the film and will be looking at how this Dracula is similar and different. The movie '' Dracula'' was directed by Francis Ford Coppola in 1992. I will also be looking at how women compare in this film, as women are the main victims in traditional Dracula movies who need rescuing or punishing if promiscuous. The opening scene of '' Dracula'' is very important as it shows how and why Dracula transformed from a warrior into a hideous ruthless vampire. Also, this scene is not in the novel which has been the director's choice. Coppola purposely added this so we know the background of Dracula and to get the audience more involved with the film. It also helps to project a further understanding of the film. Another interesting point is that Van Helsing is the narrator. Although Van Helsing doesn't say much in the movie, he speaks of who he calls master (Dracula) quite a lot and reveals to us what Dracula has done and what he is going to do. This makes Van Helsing's character quite interesting. In the opening scene, Dracula is fighting for his country and sets off on his mission to fight the Turks. He says farewell to his wife who he loves more than anything. ...read more.
Middle
There are sounds of water dripping to make the castle feel cold and empty. As the doors open, there stands Dracula with a lamp in his hand. The camera angle on Dracula is a close-up. This is to show Dracula's facial expressions and the way he reacts when he finally sees Jonathan. The use of lighting e.g. the lamp, shows that Dracula's castle is very dark, dull and mysterious. When we first see Dracula, he is an old man. Normally, an audience would think he is weak and has no power but as revealed later on in the film, we see that Dracula has an immense amount of power and can do almost anything. The director uses the lamp to show Dracula's whole figure. This symbolizes that the castle is very dark. A major thing in the whole story of '' Dracula'' is the shadows. As Jonathan is filling out some forms for Dracula, Dracula's shadow moves completely differently to how a normal person's would. At one point, Dracula creates a shadow of him craving for Jonathan's head. This shows that Dracula is interested in Jonathan's blood. This happens when Dracula realises Jonathan is engaged with Mina. As Dracula's shadow moves differently to his own, this symbolises that Dracula is not amongst normal people, but in a dark, unnatural world of his own. When Dracula is a wolf, this represents him being full of lust and his main victim is Lucy. ...read more.
Conclusion
Then, three vampire women appear from out of the bed. They seduce Jonathan. One of the Dracula women had her hair like medusa to represent their inner- selves as evil and dark women. One of the vampire women also looked like Mina. This might have been one of the reasons why Jonathan didn't do anything while he was being seduced. As they are seducing Jonathan, Dracula appears out of nowhere then uses his powers to get rid of the women. He joins two of the vampire women's bodies together. Dracula then brings a baby for the vampire women. They do the unthinkable and eat the baby. This shows the women aren't human as a mother or a woman would never do anything so cruel to a baby. The scene ends with Dracula laughing. In conclusion, I think the director has made the choices of different characters representations to express how that individual character feels at times. I think this is for the women aswell. For example, when Dracula sees Mina, he sees love and when Dracula sees Lucy, he feels lust. This is also to inform the audience about what sort of character the person is and to get the audience more involved. The director also added extra and different things to make his version of Dracula Stand out over any other versions. Bearing in mind, this movie isn't only horror, there is love included also in it which is different from other horror/ vampire films. 16-1-2004 Dracula Coursework Ibrahim Ahmed 10B Miss. Gregory ...read more.
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