Of the countless number of Dracula productions that have flooded cinemas for the past century, this one – directed by Francis Ford Coppola – is definitely one of my favorites. It tries to stay faithful to the original novel and was an interesting choice for Coppola to direct after his successes with The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now. The film was originally intended to be a TV production and although there are many questionable performances (most notable: Keanu Reeves), there is only one actor that stands out: Gary Oldman.

Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves), a real estate rookie, travels to Transylvania to the castle of the mysterious count Dracula (Gary Oldman) to sell a property in London. While he’s there, Harker keeps in touch with his fiancée, Mina (played by Wynona Ryder), via letters. After discovering the true nature of Dracula as a blood-sucking vampire, Harker is imprisoned at the castle and Dracula travels to London and meets Mina who resembles his lost love, Elisabeta.

Mina and Dracula embark on a strange love affair, but a group of scientists, led by Abraham van Helsing (Anthony Hopkins), are on the verge of exposing and killing the vampire count.

What strikes me most about Coppola’s attempt with the well-known Bram Stoker novel is the large amount of camp, dramatic overacting (except for Keanu Reeves) and goth. Everything, from sets to dialogues, from make-up to costumes, is extravagant and almost over the top. This makes you wonder why all of these grotesque elements contribute to an awe-striking and eerie, but most of all convincing movie, since there is the risk of becoming predictable and clichéd. The first scenes with Oldman’s Dracula are extremely scary (nice detail: Harker’s first steps in the Dracula castle were filmed backwards to increase dramatic effect). Oldman’s facial expressions, Romanian accent and peculiarities all add up to a convincing performance. The film follows the letter-based structure of the novel, adding much to the atmosphere. As stated before, Keanu Reeves does what he does worst: he has the facial expression of a halibut and rattles off his lines as if he’s in a high school play, complete with a laughable fake British accent.

What is left, however, is an interesting movie full of drama and horror. And although this entire production is very much over the top, this could be regarded as a tribute to the old Max Schreck and Bela Lugosi Dracula movies (and in some ways the Christopher Lee takes on the story). Coppola’s version is already a classic in its genre as far as I’m concerned.

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Gary Oldman, Keanu Reeves, Anthony Hopkins, Winona Ryder
Runtime: 130 minutes
Releasedates: 13 November 1992, available on DVD and VHS
If you like this one also check out: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994), Interview with the Vampire (1994), Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922), Dracula (1931)