Bram Stoker's Dracula

Name: Bram Stoker's Dracula
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Romance
Released: November 13, 1992
Duration: 128 min
Rating: 57
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Bill Campbell, Cary Elwes, Gary Oldman, Keanu Reeves

1992

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 371 Ratings

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8.3

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8.3	User Score Universal acclaim based on 371 Ratings

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Bram Stoker's Dracula

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Movie Details & Credits

Columbia Pictures | Release Date: November 13, 1992 | R

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Bill Campbell, Cary Elwes, Gary Oldman, Keanu Reeves, Monica Bellucci, Richard E. Grant, Sadie Frost, Tom Waits, Winona Ryder

Summary: In Bram Stoker's Dracula, Francis Ford Coppola returns to the original source of the Dracula myth, and from that gothic romance, he creates a modern masterpiece. Gary Oldman's metamorphosis as Dracula who grows from old to young, from man to beast is nothing short of amazing. Opulent, dazzling and utterly irresistible, this is Dracula asIn Bram Stoker's Dracula, Francis Ford Coppola returns to the original source of the Dracula myth, and from that gothic romance, he creates a modern masterpiece. Gary Oldman's metamorphosis as Dracula who grows from old to young, from man to beast is nothing short of amazing. Opulent, dazzling and utterly irresistible, this is Dracula as you've never seen him. And once you've seen Bram Stoker's Dracula, you'll never forget it. [Sony Pictures]… Expand

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Genre(s): Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Romance

Rating: R

Runtime: 128 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

William Arnold

Indeed, it is a uniquely dreamlike, lushly romantic, highly erotic and prototypically Coppolaesque version of the story - a movie that does for the vampire genre what "The Godfather" did for the gangster saga, and what "Apocalypse Now" did for the war movie: raises it to the level of grand opera. [13 Nov 1992, p.5]

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

This Dracula isn’t from Coppola’s great 70s/80s period, but it has a melodramatic and operatic energy and draws on the look and feel of Hollywood’s pre-Code salaciousness and the silent movie madness of Nosferatu – though the expressionist shadows are blood-red, not black. Read full review

Roger Ebert

Oldman and Ryder and Hopkins pant with eagerness. The movie is an exercise in feverish excess, and for that if for little else, I enjoyed it. Read full review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Francis Coppola's ambitious 1992 version brings back the novel's multiple narrators, leading to a somewhat dispersed and overcrowded story line that remains fascinating and often affecting thanks to all its visual and conceptual energy. Read full review

Hal Hinson

Dracula, which also stars Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves and Anthony Hopkins, is an evocative visual feast. But the meal is spectral, without the dramatic equivalent of nutritional value. Read full review

Owen Gleiberman

The director has dressed up a classic tale in mesmerizing visual overkill without coming close to its dark heart. [13 Nov 1992, p. 56]

Mick LaSalle

Bram Stoker's Dracula is a lovingly made, gorgeously realized, meticulously crafted failure. It has big names, a big budget, big sets, a big, thundering score and even big hair. But it doesn't do it. It doesn't excite or fascinate but just lies there on the screen. [13 Nov 1992, p. C1]

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User Reviews

KirsiM.

Nov 18, 2007

Mistitled but a feast of interesting and stunningly beautiful images (this is, after all, a motion PICTURE), creating a dream-like atmosphere of period and fantasy. Mina and Lucy and their costumes look fabulous, albeit Stoker probably was spinning in his grave: one of his heroines was a Mistitled but a feast of interesting and stunningly beautiful images (this is, after all, a motion PICTURE), creating a dream-like atmosphere of period and fantasy. Mina and Lucy and their costumes look fabulous, albeit Stoker probably was spinning in his grave: one of his heroines was a vampires lover, other was a nymphomaniac! In Stokers novel, Lucy was the feminine ideal of " unequalled sweetness and purity" , the vampires were strong, sluttish and punishable, - yes, vamps. In this late 20th century version, red-haired firecracker Lucy, albeit clean like dewy rose in the world of crap called modern horror, is too uniinhibited to be Stokers weepy virgin. Violence and sex are stylized, never gross, and score is gorgeous. And Oldman? Much better than overrated Christopher Lee (who was never more than laughable sex fantasy) and actually quite good. Not Stokers Dracula, but great vampire flick.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful

Spangle

Sep 18, 2017

A truly horrifying descent in Dracula lore and superstition, Francis Ford Coppola's take on Dracula is far longer than the original 1931 version, yet so much more terrifying to watch. Demonstrating the backstory to Dracula (Gary Oldman) and providing the vicious vampire with more depth andA truly horrifying descent in Dracula lore and superstition, Francis Ford Coppola's take on Dracula is far longer than the original 1931 version, yet so much more terrifying to watch. Demonstrating the backstory to Dracula (Gary Oldman) and providing the vicious vampire with more depth and emotional connection than in the original, Coppola allows his central monster to be felt as an extremely human character who only turned to evil as an expression of his incredible pain. With all of the classic characters from Bram Stoker's Dracula popping up throughout this film, Coppola's bloody descent into the very depths of hell set in Transylvania is one that lingers in the air like a dense, blue or green fog. Chilling to one's very soul, Coppola's take on Dracula may be infamous for the poor acting of Keanu Reeves, but it is so much more than anticipated.

With Gary Oldman portraying the titular monster, Coppola's take on Dracula is one laced with menace from the very beginning. Sinister, morose, and sadistic, images of Dracula's demonic horde of women seducing Keanu Reeves' Jon Harker or consuming a baby for strength are seared into the very fabric of this film. However, comes after revealing what has sent Dracula into this hellish descent into sin with Satan as his tour guide. Renouncing God and stabbing a crucifix after learning that his enemies had deceived his bride Elisabeth (Winona Ryder) into believing he was dead, which caused her to kill herself, Dracula turns his back on the Lord rather violently and becomes a vampire. Capturing souls for Satan via the seduction of spiritually vulnerable women such as Lucy Westenra (Sadie Frost), Dracula's discovery that Jonathan is set to marry Mina (Winona Ryder) who is a spitting image of Elisabeta is one that sets him on a course for London. Roping her into his world of sin and evil, Dracula is a man who is intent on mending his broken heart and delves into sin, immortality, and violence, as a method of soothing this ache in his now-dead soul. A shockingly tragic figure who, along with his minions, commits abhorrent violence, Dracula is a man who instills fear into the hearts of all those who hear of him and his ways. Yet, through his anguish, he becomes a man who is sympathetic in the sense that he was once a force for good who, through loss, let his soul and sword be used a weapon of Satan.

It is through this that the film's demonic exploits work in spite of the controversy surrounding them and why the film's "love conquers all" finale is so powerful. Tempting and using sin as a weapon against their targets, Coppola shows the bare-breasted demonic concubines seducing Jonathan by sliding through his spread legs and presenting themselves for his pleasure. Seducing him into lusting after them and committing a sin of the flesh, the women secure Jonathan's soul via this method. The disorienting camera work from Coppola and the decision to end the scene by showing the women swarm around a baby to drink its blood make the scene one that sends chills throughout the viewer's entire being. Yet, together with the characterization of Lucy as a sinful, worldly, and intensely sexual seductress of the men in her life, the film demonstrates the path by which one's soul is corrupted. Giving into this temptation leaves them open to sin, one which Lucy fully embraces and one that Jonathan stands strong and resists.

This descent into hell and corruption of good is demonstrated in Mina as well. At the beginning, she is envious of Lucy. Well-mannered, strict, and hardly a seductress, Mina is shocked to see nude images in a copy of Arabian Nights. When Lucy sees these images, however, she explains to Mina what is going on, giggles, and puts deviously sexual thoughts into Mina's head and expresses her own. Planting these seeds of sin, Mina is set up perfectly for the arrival of Dracula. Unleashing her inner sexual being, he gives her the carnal pleasure she so desires in the scene in which he takes turns her into a vampire. With Jonathan - her husband - unwilling to go into such sexuality even with his wife, she turns to Dracula as the only possible source of this pleasure and the one who makes her feel most in touch with her most forbidden desires. Demonstrating the immediate ecstasy and pleasure garnered from giving into temptation, Dracula quickly shows the downside with Mina expressing immediate regret and guilt over her sin when she collapses into Jonathan's arms after Dracula leaves.

It is through this necessary hellish descent into sin that Coppola expresses the soul of Dracula. A torn, broken, and hideously sinful man, he resents God so he corrupts those that would belong to Him. Putting sin, lust, and deceit, into their hearts due to the wrongs that he perceives to have been done to him, Dracula brings the hellish hurt and anguish of his soul onto the Earth in order to spread the pain, hunger, and forbidden lust that he feels in his soul. He is a man who cannot suffer… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

RegOz

Apr 6, 2012

I loved it! I would think of it as a 'romantic-horror- although is not very terrifying. It doesn't follow the same lines of other Dracula movies but it is good in its own way. So similar to the book! The big flaw of the movie: Keanu Reeves...I think they could have picked someone better toI loved it! I would think of it as a 'romantic-horror- although is not very terrifying. It doesn't follow the same lines of other Dracula movies but it is good in its own way. So similar to the book! The big flaw of the movie: Keanu Reeves...I think they could have picked someone better to play his part for he was a bit stiff. The best: Gary Oldman!..and Wynona Rider? she doesn't do much for me anymore, but she did okey! Lucy, was the real star there! The vestuary and Photography are absolutely stunning too, perfect! I can't believe some people are giving this movie a score a 0 for this movie...it means they don't find anything good about it...c'mon, even if you don't like the story line, there are great elements there! The Aesthetics! ...Delightful, truly delightful! ...By the way, seeing Monica Bellucci as a female vampire was fantastic! Great choice, even if it was just a minor role!… Expand

3 of 5 users found this helpful32

eva3si0n

Jul 23, 2021

Francis Ford Coppola was scolded more in the last years of his career. Nevertheless, he passed his career peak by the beginning of the 1990s. Dracula is the last landmark film of his career. Great cast. Both recognized meters and only novice actors (Keanu Reeves is even aging?). Yes, theFrancis Ford Coppola was scolded more in the last years of his career. Nevertheless, he passed his career peak by the beginning of the 1990s. Dracula is the last landmark film of his career. Great cast. Both recognized meters and only novice actors (Keanu Reeves is even aging?). Yes, the plot is surreal, the film is clearly shot in the wrong genre. If he were darker and closer to t would have turned out better, especially since Coppola had Hopkins and Oldman. And so it turned out a surreal drama.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Meth-dude

Nov 5, 2018

Despite the above average directing, the generally good acting performances, the impressive set pieces, the great practical effects and a very well made last hour, the movie's plot was too convoluted to be entertaining all the way through and the first hour or so of the movie is veryDespite the above average directing, the generally good acting performances, the impressive set pieces, the great practical effects and a very well made last hour, the movie's plot was too convoluted to be entertaining all the way through and the first hour or so of the movie is very confusing and at times even boring. If you like vampire movies you might appreciate this one, if not, you're better off watching something else.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

RobertOBrien

Jul 13, 2015

Visually stunning but creatively challenged, this adaptation of Dracula is a visual experience but an emotional snoozefest. The plot is not the focus point of the film, so anyone who is looking for a story that will immerse them and take them on a journey will be surely disappointed.

TheVisually stunning but creatively challenged, this adaptation of Dracula is a visual experience but an emotional snoozefest. The plot is not the focus point of the film, so anyone who is looking for a story that will immerse them and take them on a journey will be surely disappointed.

The film is backed by a good cast and good directing, but it's writing falls short. Its a feast for the eyes but not very stimulating it terms of plot. It's not terrible, just mediocre. I feel as though it doesn't take as much from the book as it should have. Also, Dracula's beehive hair, need I say more? But even with that, the art director for this film deserves an oscar, it looks beautiful.

The film is disappointing all around. But the visuals bring it up from a 4 to a 5.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

AtticusD

Apr 10, 2009

Easily on of the worst movies I have ever seen. Keanu Reeves seriously needs to learn how to act.

0 of 1 users found this helpful

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