A seductive retelling of the legendary tale, BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA is
Francis Ford Coppola's opulent, erotic, blood-filled feast. Count
Dracula (played with irresistible intensity by Gary Oldman) reunites
with his soul mate, Mina (Winona Ryder), after four centuries. Mina's
friend Lucy (Sadie Frost) succumbs to the deadly bite of Dracula while
Renfield (Tom Waits), locked in an asylum, eagerly waits for his
master's return. Mina's fiancé, Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves), with the
help of the eccentric Professor Van Helsing (Anthony Hopkins), attempts
to save Mina's life and soul before she can become Dracula's eternal
bride.After Dracula attacks Mina's friend Lucy (Sadie Frost), Dr. Jack
Seward (Richard E. Grant) calls in the legendary Professor Van Helsing
(Anthony Hopkins) to cure Lucy's "disease of the blood." Jonathan
escapes from the castle and he and Mina are married while Lucy dies and
is resurrected as a vampire. When Dracula appears to Mina in her sleep,
she declares her undying love for him. Professor Van Helsing, Jack
Seward, and Lucy's fiancé, Arthur Holmwood (Cary Elwes), join Jonathan
and travel to Transylvania to destroy Dracula, but Mina tries to save
her tortured lover.Musician Tom Waits appears in the film as Renfield, a
Victorian lunatic singing the praises of Dracula. Ornate costume design
and lighting awash in shades of blood make this film a seductive and
scary must-see. In his version of the oft-told tale, Francis Ford
Coppola takes Bram Stoker's archetypical horror story and accentuates
the romantic angle. Blood still flows in large amounts, and Coppola
opted to do all the eye-pleasing visual effects in-camera, utilizing
shadow puppets, smoke, miniatures, and other time-honored tricks of the
trade--creating a visual style not unlike that of a storybook come to
life.