John badham's Dracula is an interesting take on the book. Though it does follow the main story, it also changes somethings up. The biggest change is in the love characters. In this film, "Mina does not play out as Dracula's great love. Instead, Mina's role is reversed ... with the character of Lucy". This was an odd change, but in the end it worked. Lucy is a strong woman and that makes Dracula become interested in her. While the characters may have been changed up, and the beginning a bit shortened, there is still some similarities. One similarity I found between this film and the 1931 Dracula, is that they both have a similar scene with Van Helsing. In both of the clips down below, you see how Dracula talks and acts almost the same in both. When I looked at the 1931 clip, it felt like I was re watching this film, just in black and white.
Speaking of black and white, this "film was originally supposed to be shot in glorious black and white". Though some people argue that the film lost its menacing shadows, I would have to argue that this film had some great shots. Dracula's house especially stands out, with all the cobwebs and shadows. As I was watching this film, I had a hard time believing that it was made in 1979. The scenes and creatures were realistic and it felt like I was there. Continuing on, lets take a look at Dracula and Lucy themselves. "Badham's film portrayed Dracula as a sinister but intensely sensual nightcrawler." As I was watching this film, I constantly felt like there should be a happy ending between Dracula and Lucy. In some ways, you feel bad for Dracula and understand his hardships. This is something that interested me, because in most monster films, you want the humans to win. In this film, the audiences expectations are flipped. A lot of this has to do with the build up and love between Dracula and Lucy. "A part of you wants the two to have a happy ending because the chemistry is so evident between the characters". Instead the audience finds that the real villain is Van Helsing, who is constantly pursuing and trying to kill the monster. Down below I will put up two videos, in both of them you get to see the love and chemistry between Lucy and Dracula. I think the strongest part of the film has to do with their chemistry. It makes the audience feel like they should be together and therefore leads them to wanting a happy ending. Though we know that will not happen.
One final thing I wanted to focus on, is the music, sound effects and some specific scenes. John Williams is responsible for the music in this film and I got to say that he did an amazing job. I don't usually notice music in films, but this film did a really good job with their music. Another great part of this film was the sound effects. If its the howling of wolves, the foot steps of Dracula, or just the angry growls from Dracula. All of them were used so well, that it made an already great film, into something a lot better. The first time Dracula steps out of the wooden casket and steps on the ground, I fell in love. With each step he took, there was a loud and powerful bang. This made the scene so much more intense and interesting. Another great part of the film is when Dracula is climbing. These parts gave me chills and I couldn't stop thinking about how they were able to do so much in 1979. Overall, the sound effects and special effects in this film put some newer films to shame. The story and camera was already perfect and interesting, but with the added music and sound effects, this film blew my expectations. There aren't many films out there that make me notice the sound effects or music, but this film did and I loved it. It added so much more to the already dark environment and set this sense of unease. Another great scene is the ending, where Dracula is caught on a hook and pulled into the sunlight. This scene is intense and a bit sad, because the audience is still hoping for a happy ending. Though it looks like the end of Dracula, we get a finally clip in where we see him flying away. This leaves the audience with that hope that there can still be a happy ending. Overall, this film was better than I expected and totally changed my opinion on Dracula and older films. Not only did this film set a dark tone and make every scene suspenseful, but it also changed up the story from the original and gave the audience something they weren't expecting. In the end, Dracula is a must see film that will leave you wanting more.
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