The MovieMarc Warren stars as Count Dracula in a "stylish, sexy
and erotic re-working of Bram Stoker's classic chiller." Lord Holmwood (Dan
Stevens) is due to marry his sweetheart, Lucy (Sophia Myles), but hides a terrible
secret - he has syphilis, so cannot consummate the marriage without infecting
his bride. Desperate to find a cure for his syphilis, Lord Holmwood (Dan
Stevens) seeks out an occult priest, Singleton (Donald Sumpter), who tells him
of Count Dracula (Marc Warren) – a legendary being with extraordinary powers
who lives in Transylvania. Holmwood arranges for the Count to buy property
in London and set up a base in the capital. Leaving his fiancée, Mina (Stephanie
Leonidas), behind, solicitor Harker (Rafe Spall) is sent to finalise the property
deals with Dracula in Transylvania, but never returns. Meanwhile, Holmwood
chooses to honeymoon at his ancestral home in Whitby, but still refuses to bed
his increasingly frustrated wife Lucy (Sophia Myles). But Dracula uses his power
to change his ship's course to Whitby, setting off a chain of horrific events.
Ultimately Holmwood realises what a terrible evil he's unleashed, and has to call
on the vampire scholar, Abraham Van Helsing (David Suchet), and the help of his
friend, Seward (Tom Burke), to help him rid the world of his nemesis. ReviewsAn
insult to the orginal story
"I was really looking forward to
this tv adaptation. I have been a fan of this novel since I was a small child,
but it was a big disappointment. I cannot understand why they changed the story
in such a way, ie, Lord Holmwood has a nasty STD and asks Dracula over for a cup
of tea to sort him out. Dracula turns nasty." - Bezerus Bezby "Bez" Ghostly?
Ghastly!! "Having discussed it with others who also watched this
BBC production of Dracula, I have concluded a unanimous opinion which I myself
agree with - it was unbelievably dire! I'm not a Bram Stoker purist, but I recently
read the Dracula novel and I believe that if the BBC adaptation had actually attempted
to follow the original narrative, a much better programme would have been made
instead of this utter sewage! All of the characters were weak and severely lacking
substance, including Dracula himself, Van Helsing, and most disappointingly, Mina
Murray! I was expecting something that would rival the inspired Francis Ford Coppola
adaptation, but this one failed miserably! It completely failed to capture the
excitement and depth of the original story" - JJ Not your typical
Dracula "As a fan of Bram Stoker's character in all of its representations,
I did not hold up much hope for this film, particularly when it was promoted by
the BBC as being a highly "sexed up" representation of the classic tale.
Much to my surprise, it has become one of my favorite adaptations -- not because
it holds true to the novel in any way (it doesn't) but because it has a unique
and highly dramatic approach. Dracula comes to England at the bidding of
a blood cult, as Arthur Holmwood believes that the count can give him a transfusion
to correct his inherited syphilis. But Dracula does not want to follow the plans
of his minions and instead chooses to seduce and murder Arthur's wife Lucy, whose
eye begins to stray as her marriage remains unconsummated. Drawn into it are her
best friends Mina Murray and Dr. Seward, who eventually recruit Van Helsing, held
captive by the society in London, to vanquish Dracula. There's quite a
lot of blood, but it's nowhere near as garish as Coppola's version, and Marc Warren
is a magnificent villain that you never once feel empathy for. The true gems of
the production are Sophia Myles, once again playing a vampire vixen (her first
attempt was in "Underworld") and Warren. The other actors pale by comparison,
and true fans of the book will scream over the multiple changes, but for me it
was worth purchasing so much that I bought it overseas, months before it was to
be available in the United States." - Charity Bishop The DVDDVD
includes deleted scenes. |
