The Literary and Cinematic Origins of Dracula

Vampire books and movie surround us today in our society, Books, and films as recent as "The Vampires Assistant," "Twilight," and many others all who owe Irish author and playwright Bram Stoker, for writing the horror masterpiece "Dracula." Although I have seen the Bela Lugosi as the dark Count, Frank Langella as the romantic Dracula, and Christopher Lee's version of the character, but it wasn't until High School that I got around to read Bram Stoker's "Dracula." My personal copy of the Bram Stoker classic is the "Leonard Wolf Annotated Dracula," version where Mr. Wolf provides the introduction, notes, and bibliography. The artist Sätty provides the artwork that adorns the pages of this book. Gothic lithographs and beautiful maps of England and Romania help create the illusion of reality that Stoker brought to the pages in 1897. Released on May 26, Stoker wrote a novel, that I found absolutely creepy and nightmarish when I first read it. Unlike most novels written in second or third person narrative form, Stoker creates a world of utter believability by writing "Dracula" in the form of letters, diary entries, or newspaper clippings. As if he, Stoker, was the editor, piecing together an event in history and providing us with evidence of the account, creating in a fashion, a found footage narrative. The story of an English solicitor traveling to the dark woods of Transylvania to conduct a real estate contract between a Eastern European noble, Count Dracula, and his firm. The solicitor, Jonathon Harker becomes drawn into a world that, in Stoker's time, confined to tales told at night beside the fireplace.  

Tod Browning telling of "Dracula" in 1931, for a long time was the version that many remember to this day. Taking liberties with the story, and turning Renfield into the solicitor that travels to Castle Dracula, and then captured by the Count, changed the story in a way that simplified its telling for the audience. The star, Bela Lugosi, embodied the character of Dracula throughout his career and into the grave. For audiences of the time, at a time as the United States was entering the Great Depression, Dracula was an escape into the dark eerie world of the supernatural. By 1958, the story had changed a bit more turning Harker, not as a solicitor, but into a librarian. Peter Cushing ("Star Wars") starred as Doctor Van Helsing, and Christopher Lee ("The Fellowship of the Ring," "Star Wars: Episode II - The Attack of the Clones") as Dracula, together they made unforgettable adversaries. By the time I was in High School, Frank Langella ("Lolita, "The Ninth Gate") starred in director John Badham's romantic version of the count. "Dracula" is now less a monster and more of a romantic figure seducing the women and inciting them into a venereal lust.  

Not until Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 version, captures not only the spirit of the novel, but to some degree more or less the literalism of the book as well. For me, the appeal to Coppola's version is that he creates a backstory for Dracula that seems quasi-plausible in light of history of Vlad the Impaler. In this version, screenwriter James V. Hart tells us at the beginning of the film, that when the Eastern Roman Empire capital of Constantinople fell in 1453, the Ottoman Empire, led by Sultan Mehmed II swept throughout Eastern Europe. On June 17, 1462, Vlad III, of the sacred order of the Dracul (Dragon), a Prince of Wallachia in Transylvania, made the daring "Atacul de noapte de la Târgoviste" or Night Attack, engaged Mehmed on the battlefield. While Vlad III is victorious on the battlefield, Coppola turns to folklore to take the story a step further. A defeated Turkish soldier shoots an arrow into Vlad III's chamber with a note attached to it saying that Vlad Dracul is dead. His wife Elisabeta flings herself into the river below, committing suicide. Vlad Dracul is shown as a Christian Knight who upon realizing that the Orthodox Priests refuse his wife burial on holy ground, blasphemies against the Church and God, causing a cross to bleed. Upon drinking the blood that flows from the religious symbol, he takes on immortal life and the curse of the need to feast on the blood of the living. With an all-star cast with Gary Oldman as the infamous Count, he leads Winona Ryder as Mina Harker, away from her true love Jonathon, played by Keanu Reeves. 

"Dracula 2000" tells another origin story. The main characters are thinly veiled versions of the well-known characters of Mina, Johnathon, and Lucy, the characters of Dracula and Van Helsing are solid. In this version, Dracula is none other than Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Christ. For two thousand years, he suffers the curse of immortality. Gerard Butler ("300," "Phantom of the Opera") is Dracula, while Christopher Plummer ("The Sound of Music” "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country") is Abraham Van Helsing. All of these versions of the Dracula character have something for fans of the vampire genre. However, they are merely plot points in the larger story arc of good against evil.

In "Dracula Untold" director Gary Shore gives a fleshed out account of Dracula's attempt to hold back the Ottoman Turks. In doing so, he needs to call on a higher power, a darker power, for help in his fight against the invading Muslims. Luke Evans ("Immortals") plays the Romanian Voivode (warlord) and Sarah Gadon ("The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ") plays his wife Mirena. Dominic Cooper ("Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter") is the Sultan Mehmed. Drawing from Slavic folklore, screenwriters Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless introduce us to a Baba Yaga, an ugly witch disguised as a beautiful woman. In this version of Dracula, he has a son played by Art Parkinson and his name is Ingeras. Vlad had three children by two women. His first wife's name isn't documented anywhere other than folklore. His child with his unnamed wife was Mihnea cel Rău. He lived to be about 50 and spent much of his time trying to regain his father's throne. He was assassinated while attending Mass in Sibiu in the historical region of Transylvania in Romania.


Dracula is a folk hero to the Romanian people, but to the West, he is known as Vlad Țepeș the Impaler. As a young man, Vlad and his younger brother Radu (the handsome) were Turkish political prisoners. The Turks trained the young noblemen in horsemanship and in war. While Radu embraced his Turkish overlords, Vlad despised them. As Prince of Wallachia, he terrorized the Turks and impaled thousands of them at one time, that the locals considered him bloodthirsty. In "Dracula Untold," Vlad makes a deal with the Master Vampire, Caligula played by "Game of Thrones" Charles Dance. In this version, Dracula is a hero, rather than the monster that Bram Stoker made him to be. 

Related

Dracula Untold: A Story That Should Have Remained Untold

The Ninth Gate

Aristide Torchia's "The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows" -- Prideful, seductive and evil, like all good books should be.

I have seen the film “The Ninth Gate" a few times now. I saw it in the theaters when it first came out, and on DVD when it was released in that form. I have seen the film several times on late-night television. Right now it is after one in the morning and the house is dark and the glow of the TV is enthralling me once again. Roman Polanski created a minor masterpiece, along with the level of "Rosemary's Baby." This thriller will keep you interested, and you will find the film entertaining. I would suggest having a computer standing by so that you can search out references on the Internet that Polanski alludes to but never fully explained. Once again, the director, Roman Polanski, leaves the mystery for all of us to figure out.

Our protagonist, Dean Corso (Johnny Depp), an antique book buyer, seller, and authenticator, hired by Frank Langella's character, Boris Balkan, a celebrated antique book collector, wants Dean to confirm that his copy of, "The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows," written by the 17th-century author Aristide Torchia, is authentic. Divulging plenty of information about the book and legend throughout the film by various book dealers informing us bit by bit, letting us put the clues together ourselves. The Inquisition burned the author of this hideous book on a stake in 1667. Of the five copies of the book, two have differences in the illustrations. The author signs some book illustrations, and other illustrations are signed by the elusive "LCF."

Thus, begins our hero's story, traveling to Europe where he must meet with the owners of the other remaining two copies available, and compare the books, side by side. Johnny Depp, playing Dean Corso as older, graying at the temple, more distinguished, bookish person -- matching his demeanor as a professional book dealer. But first, Dean goes to see the widow of the book's last owner, Liana Telfer (Lena Olin), after meeting her and discussing the book, Corso leaves and prepares for his trip. However, Telfer decides that she wants the book back. She comes to Corso's apartment and seduces Depp in her attempt to retrieve the book.

Liana Telfer - "Don't screw me," As they both lay on the floor, Depp with pants down.

Dean Corso - "I thought I already did."

After the seduction, Telfer looks for the book and not finding it, like a feral animal, attacks Corso biting and scratching, then whacks him on the head with a bottle, knocking him unconscious. Finding his friend, Bernie, murdered, hanging upside-down, like one of the books woodcuts, Corso retrieves the book and tries to head home. After the attack Corso calls Balkan, explaining to him that he wants to quit, however, Balkan throws more money at him and encourages him to proceed.

The plot thickens, as they say. I am fascinated with the illustrations within this mystical book. "The Ninth Gate," reminds me of H. P. Lovecraft's legendary tome of his own, featured in his literary world, the dreaded, "Necronomicon." During Depp’s quest to authenticate the book he finds himself deeper and deeper into the mysteries that surround this legendary book and people start dying on him. Dean Corso's first meeting is with Victor Fargas, a true lover of antiques, he is later found dead in a pool. Next Corso meets with Baroness Kessler, a woman in love with the devil, history, and myth-- -- a woman in love with Satan--love at first sight. Corso shows that her copy of the "The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows" is slightly different from Boris Balkin's copy or that of Victor Fargas's.  The difference is in the nine woodcuts in each of the books. Slight differences in the images add to the mystery.  The woodcuts, almost tarot like, some of the woodcuts bear the initials A.T. for Aristide Torchia, while others have the initials L.C.F.  Take a guess at what LCF stands for. Needless to say, the Baroness and her copy of the book become victims of foul play. Corso narrowly escapes the Baroness's fate himself.

Appearing to help Dean, from the very beginning, is a beautiful, mysterious, blonde woman, (Emmanuelle Seigner -- Polanski’s wife) with green eyes. Dressed as a traveler or a student, in a green jacket (to match her eyes) she appears and saves Corso throughout the movie, guiding him practically and almost supernaturally though to a riveting and weird finale. 

We find that the seductive, evil, and breathtaking Liana Telfer, uses the book for satanic rituals, and the story becomes weirder and more compelling. You may have to watch this movie twice in order to catch everything. That's OK because it is worth the investigation. Balkan appears during Liana Telfer's ritual and suddenly we have a black Sabbath gone horribly wrong, Balkin comes in and pridefully attacks Olin, kills her, and takes the books and leaves.

The story is superb; the woman with green eyes is mysterious and all-knowing. Lena Olin gives an extraordinary performance as Liana Telfer. The lighting director and cinematographers both deserve applause for setting the eerie mood, the dark pallet, offset by strange orange and red hues, foretelling the evil to come. The direction is sharp, and the editing is well-paced, and not over the top. Polanski teases us, hinting to us in every scene, tantalizing us with glimpses into this ancient book and darkness that the legend and wicked secrets of the book "The Ninth Gate." The audience may not care as much about the characters as Roman Polanski would like us to. However, we do care if the book is authentic or a masterful forgery. 

Roman Polanski and screenwriter John Brownjohn take Arturo Pérez-Reverte's novel "The Club Dumas"  and distill it down to a single narrative, that relies as much on the actor as on the story. While keeping the premise of the book, Polanski focuses on "De Umbrarum Regni Novem Portis" or better known as "The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows," rather than dividing the plot and the viewer's attention on a missing chapter of Alexandre Dumas's novel "The Three Musketeers." In doing so, Polanski leads the audience on a classic whodunit with a glimpse at the occult that leaves the viewer wanting to know more about the mystery of the book, the woodcuts, the green-eyed girl, the significance of the Cathars and their castles in France. Look for hidden clues throughout the film.  The number three is important. The concept of dualism is predominant throughout Corso's travels like a pilgrim, as his journey leads him to further illumination.

Being caught up in the story is essential in suspending reality and allowing the movie to works its magic on us. I do have one unfavorable item to point out, and that is Depp's character Dean Corso, doesn't seem to change throughout this film, I don't see him grow; he seems to be the same agnostic character till the very end, a non-believer of the supernatural. Depp plays this role low key and serious, and that may be why we don’t detect any change in character. Even if you are not a Johnny Depp fan, see this movie, for the story, for the legend, for the weirdness, and most of all for yourself, you won't be sorry.

Movie Data

Genre: Thriller, Drama, Horror

Year:   1999

Starring:  Johnny Depp, Lena Olin, Frank Langella, Emmanuelle Seigner

Director:  Roman Polanski

Producer(s)  Roman Polanski

Writer(s):  Arturo Pérez-Reverte, John Brownjohn, Enrique Urbizu, and Roman Polanski

Rating:  R

The Box

Hauntingly Familiar

The hard part about watching a film about the 70's is enduring the terrible fashion of that era. In "The Button," I find myself back in the 70s, trapped in a world of sideburns, yellow televisions, polyester, and plaid. Watching the trailer, the first thought that came to mind, was the old "Monkey Paw" story I learned as a kid. However while watching this movie based on a short story by Richard Matheson ("I am Legend," "What Dreams May Come," "Somewhere In Time" and many others) I had strong feelings of déjà vu and about half way through this Sci-Fi, moralistic tale, I realized that this is a remake of a 1980's "Twilight Zone" episode. My bad, for not remembering that this film is a remake before I watched the DVD. When picking a film that is a remake, I have a tendency to get distracted, not with differences in the versions but with silly things like prices, inflation, pop-culture, and that remakes try much too hard to explain a plot that needs no explaining.

This version of The Button, we find ourselves in 1976 Virginia at 4:45 in the morning and Norma and Arthur Lewis (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden) awake to the sound of their doorbell ringing. Norma opens the door to find that she is a victim of "ding-dong-ditch," and that a person left them a gift. The first fact that one notices is that Cameron Diaz, looking a bit more mature, sporting a southern accent and is dressing more mom-ish for this role. The box at the door is, of course, the infamous button. Locked in a domed glass half-bubble, the button, accompanied by a note, indicating that a Mr. Steward will visit the Lewis family at five that afternoon, they go about their day. Her husband, Arthur (Marsden), we find is a rocket scientist for NASA, and Norma is a teacher at a private school. Immediately we are treated to a brief philosophy session with a two-minute introduction to Jean-Paul Sartre's "No Exit," foreshadowing that this film will be reaching into some deep territory. A compelling short story, once again becomes complicated with the addition to the storyline of Norma's damaged right foot. Arthur, Norma's husband, is literally a rocket scientist, a rejected astronaut, who in the time of inflated NASA spending can afford to make his wife a prosthetic foot. The story plods along a bit as we learn all this before the return of the creepy looking, facially deformed, Arlington Steward (Frank Langella). Writer/Director Richard Kelly attempts to elaborate on the original Matheson story by adding detail, painting a picture that, unfortunately, diverges from an Adam and Eve tale of choices, consequences, and responsibility, to a "Body Snatcher's," pod people, alien possession film. Realizing that his movie was getting out of hand, Kelly starts to reel the story back into line by having Steward give the morally lost Arthur and Norma a choice to make.

The weakest part and one of the most salient facets of filmmaking is the story line. Richard Kelly directed "Donnie Darko" and he is the writer of "Domino" and is a talented artist, however, for some reason he decides to delve into existentialism philosophy, which perhaps is not what the audience is expecting and are not pleasantly surprised. Perhaps if this were an original story Kelly could take more liberties with the material, however, in this re-imagining of a solid and well remembered short story we feel led astray. I did like the photography and the bleakness obtained by using the film devoid of color accenting the philosophic atmosphere that Kelly was attempting to obtain. The film's score is highly reminiscent of the "Twilight Zone," although this may be intentional, or perhaps even an homage, the music is distracting.

Movies are avenues of escapism for the masses, during the Great Depression of the 1930's, people still found money to go to the movies, to escape. This is not an escapism film. Richard Kelly wants us to think, however, the audience shouldn't have to think that hard when watching a film. Some of the paths that Kelly leads us down are too complicated. If you want a science fiction story with a deep philosophical message perhaps this film is for you; otherwise you may want to take a pass on "The Box."

Movie Data

Genre:  Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Year:   2009

Staring:  Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella

Director:  Richard Kelly

Producer(s)  Richard Kelly, Paris Kasidokostas Latsis, Dan Lin, Kelly McKittrick, Sean McKittrick

Writer: Richard Kelly, Richard Matheson

Rating:  PG-13