 Sony // Buy from Amazon.comBRAM STOKER'S DRACULA is based on Bram Stoker's classic novel of the same name. A young lawyer (Jonathan Harker) is assigned to a gloomy village in the mists of Eastern Europe. He is captured and imprisoned by the undead vampire Dracula, who travels to London, inspired by a photograph of Harker's betrothed, Mina Murray. In Britain, Dracula begins a reign of seduction and terror, draining the life from Mina's closest friend, Lucy Westenra. Lucy's friends gather together to try to drive Dracula away. In BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA Francis Ford Coppola returns to the original Dracula myth with an all-star cast including Anthony Hopkins (recently seen in the thriller Fracture), Wynona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, Cary Elwes (appearing in the new thriller The Alphabet Killer) and Gary Oldman, who delivers an astonishingly sinister and tragic performance as the blood-lusting title character. The screenplay is written by James V. Hart. I saw this film in the theaters upon its original release 15 years ago, and I've probably seen it 2 or 3 times since then on home video (never on DVD, until now.) A few things have stuck with me over the years, and still resonate now, after having watched it again for this review: this is a truly mesmerizing, beautiful film to behold, Gary Oldman is unbelievable as Dracula, Annie Lennox's "Love Song for a Vampire" is probably the most hauntingly beautiful and heart-wrenching song ever recorded, and Keanu Reeves could not act his way out of a paper bag. Why that one-trick pony was ever cast in this movie is beyond me, but he is the only blemish on an otherwise-exquisite affair. Coppola crafted a truly epic film with "Dracula" and it feels like you're watching a much older, grander, more timeless film (than one made in the early 90s). It was fascinating to listen to portions of his audio commentary & watch the special effects featurette that detailed all of the IN-camera effects they did (old school style) for this film - unbelievable. The entire film is crafted to be an absolutely lush, rich, spellbinding piece of cinema, and even during the scary/bloody scenes, you can't turn your eyes away less you miss another beautifully-crafted shot. An amazing movie, looking better than it ever has on this Collector's Edition release... Video Given a beautiful 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, the picture quality of this DVD is flawless - rich, crisp, detailed and defect-free, it is a beauty to behold. Audio An immersive Dolby 5.1 surround mix caresses the ears ever so gently... Extras Closing Thoughts Visually stunning film + 2nd disc of extras = truly a collector's edition for this gorgeous film Labels: review |
