In ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ Coppola uses a red filter over the camera lens. Coppola does this because it creates a sense of danger, blood and passion, which are all involved in the film. The film is in colour and synchronized speech is used. Colour and synchronized speech are used in most modern films and it would not captivate a nineteen nineties audience without them.
Coppola specifically focuses on two important features religion and love. This many indicate what to expect in the remainder of the film or links together it another section of the film. Love is focused on to give the film a more commercial interest and to invite larger audiences. Love interests almost everybody where as religion is not as important to many people. Religion creates the effect that there is a supernatural force involved in the film. Because of this effect people may be interested in the film and will want to understand about the supernatural forces that surround Dracula. Religion is focused on at the beginning of the film so that the audience can see that religion is Dracula’s weakness.
Music is important in both films, especially ‘Nosferatu’ because it is a silent film. This nondiegetic sound creates atmosphere, suspense and tension. ‘Nosferatu’ uses simple piano chords showing a peaceful atmosphere. ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ has two different sounds. The first is war-like because Dracula is leaving his beloved Elizabetha and is fighting on the battlefield. The music contains a heavy drumbeat, which is often used in military music. The second main sound is when Dracula is told Elizabetha has committed suicide and her body is lying in the church. The sound is slow, thoughtful and mysterious it creates a cloud of sadness in the scene. It is a piano and a cello playing together, a cello because the notes are low and that is what creates the sadness. The music is played in a minor key, which provokes a sorrowful atmosphere.
To a modern audience ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ would be more appealing. The links with the historical points are clever and the film is full of detail. This makes the audience feel the as if the film is real. The red filter is relevant and used wisely. The music is linked with the visual effect and they come together to create the whole exciting and mysterious picture. The introduction of the film would make an audience want to see the rest of the film. The nineteen twenties audience find ‘Nosferatu’ as appealing and interesting as the audience of the nineteen nineties would find ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’. If Murnau was to produce the film ‘Nosferatu’ at the beginning of the nineteen nineties it would be equally stimulating and captivating as ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’.
Francis Fords Coppola’s portrayal of Dracula in ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ is clearly influenced by the novel ‘Dracula’.
Coppola depicts Dracula as a tall, old man. This is supported by the quote from the novel “Within, stood a tall old man” (page 25). The Dracula in the film has a noticeably white face. This has again been influenced by the original text as saying “without a single speck of colour on him”(page 25). The white face is focused on so that the red blood looks even more noticeable and disturbing. Coppola specifically shows a shot of Dracula’s hairy palms. The hairy palms show the audience that Dracula is not all human and that he may be a beast. The original text describes “hairs in the centre of his palms”. The Dracula in the film has lofted white hair; the Dracula in the novel is described to have “bushy hair that seemed to curl in its own profusion”(page 28). The Dracula in the film clearly has pointed fingernails and it describes the Dracula in the novel as having his nails “cut to a sharp point”(Page 28).
Dracula’s behaviour and mannerisoms have also been portrayed best in the film ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’. The Dracula in the film uses original sentences out of Bram Stoker’s novel. The main sentence the Dracula in the film uses is “Welcome to my house. Come free. Go safely: and leave something of the happiness you bring”(page 25). The Dracula in the film is very courteous and welcoming as is the Dracula in the novel when initially welcoming Jonathon Harker to his home. This creates a sense of false-security. The main similarity between the behaviour of the Dracula in the film and the Dracula in the novel are both do not eat with Jonathon Harker, and also neither Dracula drinks wine. Coppola has specifically made the actor playing Dracula emphasise this sentence, it will give the audience a chilling ideal of what Dracula is going to do in the remainder of the film. The Dracula in the film talks about his family and mentions ‘The order of the Dracul’. This is actually an oath swearing to fight the Turks forever, which ties in with the historical side of the film.
Coppola is very imaginative in his adaptation of Dracula. He uses many of the descriptions of Dracula from the novel. Coppola does not portray Dracula in black clothes. The Dracula is wearing black and red. Red again is cleverly fitted into the film and being a colour representing danger, blood and passion (all of these are linked with Dracula). After comparing the novel and the film Coppola manages to condense the section of the film where Jonathon Harker and Dracula are alone in the castle. From ‘Dracula’s’ mannerisms depicted in the film the audience would be made to feel that Dracula is superior to Jonathon Harker and almost has a power over him.
Overall I think that Coppola has portrayed Dracula in an appropriate style. He has taken time to select the correct mannerisms and create an accurate representation of the Dracula depicted in the novel.
‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ and ‘Nosferatu’ both use special effects related to the technology available at that period in time.
‘Nosferatu’ was a silent movie but in 1927 synchronized speech was first available and used in ‘Jazz Singer’. Although Nosferatu is a black and white film Technicolor was first available only a year after the film was produced. Unfortunately this makes ‘Nosferatu’ technolicaly out of date almost as soon as it was being shown. I think colour and synchronized speech would have enhanced the film and increased the viewing pleasure to audiences. Murnau does try to attempt to use synchronized sound and he was one of the first directors to try it. Murnau uses subjective camera techniques, which are interesting. Murnau shows a scene of a fly being caught in a Venus Fly Trap. That indicates that the crew of a ship transporting Dracula were going to die. Coppola uses this clever technique and films a section of the film as if you are looking through the eyes of a beast. Another imaginative piece of camera work was instead of using subtitles all of the time Murnau films a piece of writing from a book and a newspaper. This shows variety and it makes the audience feel as if they are in the film. Murnau also changes the font of the subtitles. It seems only a small change because we take it for granted as we can use different fonts on computers today. This effect proves that Murnau was an innovative and unique director and that he was trying to create films full of variety and new ideas.
Murnau tries to create shadows in the film he uses a type of shadow puppetry from the magic lantern shows. He projects the image a skeleton through shadows. The effects of the shadows are interesting and unique which is probably why this is Murnau greatest achievement in this film. The shadow effect may have created a sense of fear among the audience. The use of the shadow effect proves that Murnau is an imaginative film director because he was one of the first directors to experiment with it.
Almost seventy years later, colour and sound are freely available to film directors, but many more advances have been made. Coppola now uses advanced pyrotechnics to create a blue ring of fire as Jonathon Harker is nearing Dracula’s castle. The use of pyrotechnics was only beginning during the nineteen twenties and Murnau takes advantage of this new amazing effect and uses it to show when Dracula dies. Coppola also uses computer-enhancing graphics throughout the film. This creates a magical mystical effect that I think enhances the films potential. At the time computer –enhancing were beginning to become available. This backs up the idea that Coppola was an inventive film director. Coppola uses animals in the film, which I think is wise as Dracula influences animals. Coppola now can use make-up to a greater extent and he gives Dracula different faces that would otherwise be impossible without make-up. The make-up is cleverly used and by giving Dracula different faces it keeps the audiences interested and excited. Coppola (like Murnau) tries to put the audience into the film. He does this by using subjective camera techniques. This means that he films what the person at that time would be seeing. He does this when Dracula is in his wolf form and he going to Lucy. The use of the subjective camera work is appropriate in this section of the film. This is innovative and shows Coppola goes beyond showing the film in the same simple camera shots.
Murnau does not use very clear myths and legends in the destruction of Dracula. Murnau uses the myth that if a woman with a pure heart offers her blood freely to Nosferatu and stays with him until the cock crows Nosferatu will be destroyed. Another myth used is that Dracula gets weak when light is near him. This is because light represents God and the forces of goodness. The adaptation of this myth in ‘Nosferatu’ shows Nosferatu getting slowly weaker and then his final destruction. Murnau focuses mainly on the light myth because he was able to use and film the light where as more of the myths are to complex and need special effects and equipment which was not available at the time.
In ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ Francis Ford Coppola uses a bowie knife in Dracula’s destruction. The use of a stake may have been more appropriate in the scene because it would then have a close link with the real Dracula (Vlad Dracul). Vlad Dracul was given the name Vlad the Impaler because he used the stake to impale his enemies.
Like Murnau, Coppola uses the light in the destruction of Dracula. In the film the carriage Dracula is in is racing against to get to the castle before the sunsets. As the sun sets, Dracula bursts out of his box. This part shows Dracula can be strong or weak depending on the situation. The crucifix is used throughout the film. The crucifix seems to weaken Lucy when see was in her vampire form but seems to have little or no effect on Dracula. He sets the crucifix alight. Coppola could have used the crucifix more often in the film and used to a greater extent because the cross is a very powerful symbol. The cross represents Jesus Christ dying for the human race, the power of good and Gods presence. Dracula is the enemy of all the things that the cross stands for so surely he would feel be weakened why the crucifix. When Doctor Van Helsing and Mina are in the courtyard of Dracula’s castle Mina begins to put the Doctor under a trance. The Doctor places a holy wafer onto her forehead this seems to affect Mina. This is because Christians believe the holy wafer is the body of Christ. Coppola has incorporated religious items into the film because it seems to show that Dracula is always surrounding by Gods presence. Coppola uses the myths in his film to create an enthusiastic eagerness and anxiousness in the audience. He uses a variety of different myths and legends in Dracula’s destruction (and throughout the film). This brings me to the conclusion that Coppola uses the myths to a greater extent than Murnau.
After watching ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ directed by Francis Ford Coppola and ‘Nosferatu’ directed by Fredrick Murnau I have come to the conclusion that the film ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ is the best adaptation of the novel. The title of Coppola’s film immediately suggests the film is worked around the frame of Bram Stoker’s original novel. The film ‘Nosferatu’ was not the best adaptation of the novel because when Murnau was producing the film Stoker’s wife was still alive and she did not want to sell the rights for the novel. So Murnau could not call his film Dracula and heavily base the film around the original novel because it would have classed as copyright. This is why the film is set in Bremen, Jonathon Harkers wife is called Nina (not Mina like in the novel) and there are significant changes to the original storyline.
Both the directors use the special effects available to them at the time to the limit. It is true that Coppola uses more complex special effects to give the film a more mystical reality but Murnau is equally as innovate and creative as Coppola with the special effects he is able to use.
Coppola is the most inventive director. This is mainly because of the way he has linked the film with the historical points of the real Dracula. Coppola also adds the scene of when Dracula goes to war. At that time the area known as Transylvania was at war with the Turks (this is not mentioned in the original book).
