'Dracula' could be seen as the world's most famous horror story and definitely the world's most well-known example of the fascination that grew with monsters and demons such as vampires. It was written by Bram Strokes in 1887 and radically changed the view of demonic figures during the 1800's. The video is based on the book 'Dracula' written by Abraham Stroker in the 1800's. During this time England was fascinated by the gothic idea of 'the beast within man' and you could say Bram Stroker's 'Dracula' was inspired by theorists such as Charles Darwin.Darwin was a theorist, who was greatly influenced by the geologist Adam Sedgwick and the naturalist John Henslow in his development of the theory of natural selection, which was to become the foundation concept supporting the theory of evolution.
Darwin's theory holds that environmental effects lead to varying degrees of reproductive success in individuals and groups of organisms. Natural selection tends to promote adaptation in organisms when necessary for survival. This revolutionary theory was published in 1859 in Darwin's now famous treatise on the "Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection".This theory can be seen through the certain scene in the film for example, when Dracula changes/turns into the Beast which looks and/or represents a Werewolf.
The content of Dracula amazed people of old, by being very doubtful of Christianity and that their was a darker even stronger side and carved future depictions of the legendary, commonly known evil demons. There have been many different interpretations of the story in many films each valuing Stroker's ideas throughout, but with modern alteration to suit progressive beliefs on vampires.Dracula' is a story of two humans in love, one goes by the name of Prince Vlad a. k. a 'Vlad the Impaler' (he is a descendant of Attila the Hun) and his beautiful princess Elizabeta. In the introduction to the film we see the camera moving in 'snapshot form' to a high angle/plan view of a bricked floor and we see the cross falling (like how Elizabeta falls with her Christianity and dies into hell in damnation) and then the cross shatters as it hits the ground.
The Christian Cross falls from a high angle where the camera follows it falling.It then smashes as it plummets to the ground. This is supposed to signify that God has failed in the way it shatters and/or the fact that Jesus is no longer among us as we 'enter' into the film to give the idea of a lack of Jesus' power in the beginning of the film and as in religious iconoclasm. The cross also symbolises Jesus Christ and the fact that he is always there and always among us. In my opinion I think the colours and lighting represent a strong influence on how the film is brought across and it is mainly in darkness showing the strong hold of darkness in the film.Then there is a black and red fog covering the cross as if to bring a message that the cross is shadowed by the darkness and holds no power.
The first scenes are set during the 1400's, when the Muslim Turks are spreading a conquering force across Europe. The Turks reach Transylvania and a resistance force has risen known as the 'Dracul', which used the image of the Dragon as their emblem/symbol. Prince Vlad Dracolya or Count Dracul is the leader of the 'Dracul'.In the video we see Vlad going out to a battle which Elizabeta knows he might never return from. They say their 'good byes' as if they were never to see each other again because Elizabeta is Vlads' beloved whom he values more than anything.
He then goes out to fight the Turks in a Devilish red suit of armour which looks like it has muscles as the armour plates. I think the armour is how it is to show who and what he becomes on the battlefield and implications of what he can become later on into the film.The armour he puts on is red to symbolise Hell, an Evil colour such as red can represent blood and evil and he is going out to the battle field where there is no love just pure evil where blood is shed. He puts on his helmet which also has a Devilish resemblance because it has two horns rising from the head of the helmet; this is supposed to mean that when he is with Elizabeta she brings out the good in him but when he goes into battle he becomes this monster-like figure which looks similar to an unmerciful demon. When he arrives back from his "victorious" battle he rides back to his home for Elizabeta.
The atmosphere has dropped as he enters his castle to find his bride dead! She had received an arrow from the revengeful Turks with a message saying that her Prince had been killed in battle. Thinking that Vlad had been killed she flung herself into the river from the highest point of the castle leaving only a letter of goodbye for Vlad. The letter said "My Prince is dead, all is lost without him.May god reunite us in heaven!? " After this the priest says "She has taken her own life, she cannot be saved. She is damned.
It is God's law. Vlad then counter-acts what the priest has just said by saying "I will rise from my own death to avenge hers with all the power of darkness. " indicating a turning. when he was in the Chapel with Elizabeta, he worshipped God and worshipped Elizabeta (in some sense) but with her gone and dead he has no good left in him and does not want to be a warrior for God because God will not let Elizabeta into his Kingdom. This too means that he will rise like the vampire does after the setting sun and he will avenge hers by taking the lives of others.He then picks up a sword, swings it around his head then stabs it into the middle of the cross and blood pours from it, from the candles and from the statues as if they crying and upset that Vlad has given himself to the Dark side.
The symbolism of this is that the statues are angelic children and they cry blood to show the innocence has been taken away from Elizabeta and the love has been taken away from Elizabeta and then the Love and Innocence has been taken away from Vlad. He then thrusts his hand upon a cup and scoops up a glass of the blood and in drinking from it says "The blood is the life...
. nd shall be mine. "This is the undoing of his natural god-given holiness and freewill and is selling his soul to the Devil. This is like the opposite of the Holy Grail because the Holy Grail gives life and the cup in the scene would be the ultimate taker of life when Vlad would soon become Dracula.
When Vlad says "the blood is the life" this means that blood is the life for him from now on because he has to drink of human blood to be alive. , This is ironic - a parody - because in the Catholic Church the Catholics drink wine and eat bread to represent Jesus' blood and body at the Last Supper.He said 'the blood is the life' because if you were to drink his blood you would live in eternal life (in heaven) and he is drinking the blood to become something unholy, but does 'live' forever because he becomes 'undead' and lives forever by taking lives of others and making them what he is (a vampire). It is in this way a mockery of Jesus and God whom he has renounced and a mockery of the Church because he is mocking everything Christianity stands for which is Jesus and the idea of living for eternity in heaven.The title of the film appears when Dracula drinks of the blood and falls backwards and cries out in pain and his transformation takes place (which we do not see). The Good: Evil ratio stands not in balance in the opening scenes; the Evil is a main 'character' in itself.
The reason for that is Evil is shown in every scene, every setting in the film to show that Evil is always there but you have the choice to use that Evil to your advantage and/or whether to use it at all. The idea is that Vlad did not have to use the Evil.God gave him freewill and he had the choice to do so. After the introduction where Dracula renounces God we travel forward over 400 years where we see England, where we are met with Jonathan Harker who is in a lawyer's office talking with his employer about a former colleague of his who has gone mad, called Dr.
Renfield (he went mad after visiting Transylvania). Jonathan is sent on a mission/quest to find out what brought about this madness and settle some business with the man he is staying; with Count Dracula.After this scene in the lawyer's office the camera moves on to seeing Mina who is betrothed to Jonathan. She is wearing a tight green dress not revealing anything at all and her hair is constricted. Her outfit looks very uptight although her facial expression does not resemble this. She asks Jonathan about the marriage.
He says that they can wait till he gets back. They then go and sit by a bench and tell each other of their love for one another and slowly kiss while a blister of peacock feather swirls in front of them.The camera moves into a close-up and the circular part of the peacock merges into the setting sun into a different scene where a train comes out of a dark tunnel (symbolising intercourse) and Jonathan talks of his worries in a voice over technique as if it were in his diary. After an epic journey and the film going back and forth between Mina's diary and Jonathan's, Jonathan finally reaches Dracula's castle after being picked up by mysterious minion who is riding the carriage. When Jonathan reaches the castle the carriage goes through blue rings of fire going towards the sky.I feel that this is supposed to represent the point of no return into hell/hellfire etc.
The gates close behind him like the gates of hell and he sees these large open doors. He sees a shadow in the background but no person belonging to it. This is because it moves freely without Dracula. Jonathan meets with Dracula for the first time and Dracula says "Welcome to my home. " Jonathan is startled by this and has qualms about entering Dracula's home.
Then Dracula says to him "Enter free of your own free will!This is religious iconoclasm because Dracula like the Devil can only possess your soul if you were to enter freely of your own will, because God has given us freewill. After this a heart-beating music is played as Jonathan is about to enter, then when his foot hits the ground the music calms. After this Jonathan has to sign a contract for Dracula to 'find Mina' (Dracula finds a picture of Mina). After this Dracula knows he must find Mina and an ever longing struggle to find her goes on. Dracula, later stumbles upon Lucy (Mina's wealthy/rich friend who is a reincarnation of one of Dracula's original first minions).He finds her and transforms himself into a beast as the Werewolf and seeks her out to turn he her bites her in the same way he would his other victims.
She is then 'ill' and is soon to become a vampire. After this episode, the story has escaped, 'run wild' and the plot has thickened as Dracula goes to find his beloved former possession Mina. While this is going on, Jonathan has been undoubtedly captured by Dracula. This is finally settled when Dracula tells Jonathan that he will be staying there for a very long time and ends it with a hideous, Devilish laugh, "Ah ha ha ha ha"! Then Dracula goes in a ship to England to find his Mina.
He walks the streets of London but he has turned (reverted) into his youth. This is because of how young he felt with Elizabeta now Mina reincarnated. When Dracula is walking the streets of London he wears blue shades. A young Vlad is following Mina and she sticks out of the crowd by wearing a bright green dress. Dracula then woos her and they fall in love and Mina remembers memories of forgotten yesteryear. Mina has a meal with Dracula but her hair is unbound unlike when she is with Jonathan and she is wearing a bright red dress symbolising her love for him and her hair is unbound because she is free with him and more trapped with Jonathan.
Mina cries when she remembers her past but Dracula turns her tears into diamonds. In my opinion the director/writer has done this to show that diamonds are forever and they have a Diamond love and will always be forever and whatever sadness occurs, Mina can turn it around, for she is the light of all lights. This is referred to by Dr. Van Helsing when Mina is about to be turned into a vampire, she is then tied up to stop her turning and to put a hold on her. Dr Van Helsing says that Mina is the Light of all Lights and she will overcome Dracula and she has the power to turn Dracula.She is light, the "Saviour" like Jesus (religious iconoclasm).
After this Jonathan escapes from the castle and is rescued by a group of nuns. The nuns then inform Mina that she can get married here and they get married. When they do get married Mina wears grey symbolising she is neither on the good side nor bad. After many scenes Dracula is being chased by the 'gang' and they must kill him before sunset. They then reach the castle where he is stabbed and is not fully dead. This is the same place where Vlad was turned 4 centuries ago.
Mina and Dracula go into the church and Jonathan then says "Our job is finished, hers has just begun. " because it is only Mina who can redeem Dracula. Mina kisses him one final time and impales him: the last impalement of 'Vlad the Impaler'. Vlad's soul can finally rest with God. Then Dracula's face goes back to when he died all those years ago.
Mina cuts off his head and says one final speech "My Prince is dead". We are then only left with Vlad on the floor dead, Mina then looks up and the camera then moves into a high angle/plan view and a religious themed music is played as the camera drifts slowly away from them.In conclusion to the question "Examine how the aspects of good and evil are presented in the film 'Bram Strokes: Dracula' portrayed", in my opinion I think Dracula is a very good film indeed because good and evil are portrayed in good/light overcoming evil/darkness or even more controversially, evil overcoming good/light, at times. There is also a lot of dramatic irony in the film for example: when Mina and Dracula together, Mina says "Take me away from all the death", which is ironic, primarily because when she drinks the blood of Dracula all she can bring is death and all he can give her is death.
The reason for this is that she will have to drink of living blood and to do this 'successfully' to satisfy her 'thirst' she will have to kill, so all he can bring her is death. There are many subliminal images for example: when Dracula appears as a 'green mist' as if to show that he is 'green with envy' that Jonathan and Mina (reincarnation of Elizabeta) are getting married.In my opinion Dracula is like a typical 'Boy meets girl' but the 'Boy' struggles to get the girl and we see the pains, effects and traumatic events of what 'one love' can do to the world. I think that Francis Ford Coppola and the film/production company, crew and alike behind the film 'Dracula' have achieved success in bringing across the ever lasting feud between good and evil, but have proved (in the film) that good and/or God will always prevail.
