Dracula: A Love Tale Review

Spoilers Ahead! Consider yourself warned.

Greetings!

If there is one thing I love it's going to the theatre. I don't even need a friend to go with, I go by myself most times. This means I end up watching quite a few movies! As such, I thought it would be fun to start doing little reviews of them. And the easiest way to start is with my most recent watch!

As a self proclaimed vampire fan, it seemed only right to go see yet another iteration of Dracula. I personally love new takes on an old classic. It is however worth noting, that technically this is an adaptation of an adaptation. Dracula: A love tale, is actually more based off of Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film "Bram Stokers Dracula" which was notable for including a love story between the titular character and the female protagonist Mina Murray, something not present in the original novel.

Dracula: A Love Tale takes this a step further. The movie opens in 15th century Transylvania, as we witness the time spent together by the Count (named Vladimir), and his bride Elisabeta, before he is rushed off to battle against an invading army at the behest of a priest, who he begs to pray for his wifes safety. Upon returning from a successful battle just moments too late to save her from being killed by soldiers of the opposing army, he kills the priest, and is cursed to become a vampire.

Flashing forward 400 years to 19th century Paris, is where we begin to see more noticeable differences. Rather than having Dracula bite Mina's longtime frined Lucy (who is not in this adaptation) we meet a vampire named Maria, who has been captured at her wedding to an English nobleman, and brought to a psychiatric hospital. This is also where we meet a local doctor caring for her who has called for help from a Bavarian Priest who is part of an order that has been tracking and hunting vampires for centuries. Upon questioning Maria, they discover her "Master" will be journeying to Paris soon to "find his princess".

While the doctor and priest investigate who this princess may be, we return to Transylvania as Jonathan Harker arrives at Castle Dracul to discuss a property he owns that his company is looking to sell. He is met by a much older Prince Vlad, who urges him to stay in his room at night. Despite the warning, Harker does not listen and discovers Vlad in the castle chapel in his coffin, before being knocked unconscious.

Upon reawakening, tied upside down by gargoyle henchmen, Harkers begs to hear Vlads story before he is killed. Entertaining his request, Vlad tells him of the grief he experienced, as well as his centuries long search for the reincanrnation of his beloved, including developing a perfume that acts as a catalyst to lure women to him, allowing him to feed on their blood and his decision to turn others into vampires so they may continue his search as he returns home.

Harker implores him to free him so he may return to his fiancee, whos photo he wears in a locket. Vlad, recognizing his long lost wife, spares Harker for having helped him find her, and keeps him in captivity as he prepares to journey to Paris, luring a convent of nuns to him to drink the blood required to make him young again before esetting off for Paris.

Meanwhile back in Paris, Mina visits the hospital to inquire about her new friend Maria, whom she had been introduced to by Harker merely a few days prior. Having discovered a drawing of Elisabeta in Marias home, the priest recognizes her as the princess. After a few questions regarding her friendship with Maria, in which she hestitantly reveals she is unsure if she loves her fiancee Jonathan and admits that she feels like she is "born in the wrong time", she leaves. Upon his arrival in Paris, Vlad breaks Maria out of her cell in the hospital, and she invites Mina to the Paris Exposition alongside Vlad. After an afternoon of festivities, they return to his apartment to wait for the fireworks. Vlad and Mina have a moment alone where he reveals he is widowed and gifts her the music box that once belonged to Elisabeta, which when played strikes a moment of familiarity in Mina.

As the night ends and Vlad walks Mina home, she is shocked to discover the doctor and priest in her home with an injured Jonathan, who had managed to escape the gargoyles left watching him. The priest reveals the true nature of Maria and Vlad, and checks her for bites when she reveals he had walked her home. Despite this, they are unable to locate him in the street.

Returning to her room upstairs she once again plays the music box, bringing back her memories as Elisabeta as Vlad appears, frightening her. In response to her accusations he destroys the perfume in her fireplace, and tells her he isn't fond of the taste of blood. Upon fully recalling her memories as Elisabeta, they kiss and she implores him to take her home.

Recognizing the perfumes scent from the hospital, the priest rushes upstairs to find Mina missing from her rooms. Knowing they must follow them to Transylvania, they visit Marias husband to request his aid in the trip, arriving in time to kill Maria, preventing her from draining his blood.

Returning to Castle Dracul, Mina and Vlad have barely moments together before the castle is attacked. Locking her in their room to protect her, Vlad descends and fights the soldiers. Upon success, and returning to Mina, the priest calls out to him, convincing him not to damn Mina to the same fate as his. Despite her pleas, Vlad allows the priest to drive a stake through his heart, mortally wounding him. As he dies, he declares his love for Mina before crumbling to dust and being pulled into the sky.

Despite clear inspiration from Coppolas film, the new adaptation deviates enough that it reasonably stands on its own. Taking the approach of making Dracula into a sympathetic character is still a fairly new idea, especially considering the undeniable role of the villain in the novel.

It also deviates from the traditional cast, where we see Minas friend not as a longtime companion with three suitors, but a recently introduced vampiric follower of Dracula who is introduced after the commencing of her own wedding. As well, the traditional vampire hunter role of Van Helsing is instead filled by a kind-hearted priest, who doesn't hunt Dracula so much as sympathize with his situation.

Despite fairly mixed reviews with many stating that making Dracula a sympathetic character destroys the point of the original source material, I personally enjoyed the film. While maybe not the traditional route that is taken by Dracula adaptations, I found it a rather enjoyable romance story. The costume and set design was enjoyable, and while the story was recognizable, it had enough new material not to be repetitive. Despite being used to the traditional expectation of "Monster killed = happy ending" It leaves the viewer with a conflicting feeling at the end; is it better to live grieving in the light, or with love in the dark?

All in all, I give a review if 8.5 out of 10.

Until the next!
Jazzy