History Film / BramStokersDracula

* ChristianityIsCatholic: Averted, despite the fact that the director came from an Italian-American Catholic background. Most of the Christianity we see is very Orthodox influenced since it's set in Romania, and Mina and Jonathan's wedding is very much an Orthodox-flavored wedding. Count Dracula's castle likewise also has a lot of Byzantine-inspired murals and mosaics.

* ByronicHero: Count Dracula goes from being a Holy Warrior of Christianity to a Demonic servant upon the death, and supposed damnation of his beloved wife, believing that God forsaked and punished him simply because he was acting as the culture and society of his time expected a good Christian King should have behaved. In the late 19th Century, he's a decadent aristocrat living a cursed, desperate, existence simply for the chance to reunite with his beloved with his magic rituals competing, poorly, against the scientific, modern, advanced world of London in the British Empire. It's been noted by many critics that had Dracula been written in the early [=1900s=] during the Romantic era, he would undoubtedly be made sympathetic by the likes of Byron and Shelley (Percy and Mary), and Coppola is very much a Romantic in the same mould.

* ByronicHero: Count Dracula goes from being a Holy Warrior of Christianity to a Demonic servant upon the death, and supposed damnation of his beloved wife, believing that God forsaked and punished him simply because he was acting as the culture and society of his time expected a good Christian King should have behaved. In the late 19th Century, he's a decadent aristocrat living a cursed, desperate, existence simply for the chance to reunite with his beloved with his magic rituals competing, poorly, against the scientific, modern, advanced world of London in the British Empire.

Despite the title, the film strays from the original novel [[InNameOnly considerably at times]], with the most significant alterations made to the nature of the relationship between Dracula and Mina.

** Coppola was also alluding to the fact that UsefulNotes/VictorianBritain was the era when UsefulNotes/{{Psychology}} first became a major field. Lucy Westenra's condition and illness is directed in a manner similar to cases of hysteria in the Victorian age, and Van Helsing's weird attitude to sex and vampirism, (i.e. civilization and syphilization proceeds in parallel to each other) is a parody of the patriarchal nature of conventional Freudian psychology, with women's sexuality being controlled, policed and punished by men. Mina repeatedly asks Jonathan and Van Helsing if they would chop her head of like Lucy, or treat her like a beast too. Likewise, the heavy focus in the film on blood-transmitted vampirism aludes to '90s fears and anxiety about sex in the post-AIDS world.

** Coppola also noted that the story's setting paralleled the birth of film, and one scene shows Dracula and Mina seeing early films. His aversion of CGI for in-camera effects and technology stemmed from a desire to use primitive special effects like Magic Lantern shows and practical effects in the mode of Creator/GeorgesMelies. In terms of visual effects, the movie is an encyclopedia of the history of the horror film genre itself, alluding to everything from Melies to GermanExpression to Creator/ValLewton, to ''Film/LaBelleEtLaBete'' Creator/RogerCorman, to ''Film/TheExorcist'' (Van Helsing treating Lucy). The characterization of Lucy Westenra and Mina Harker in the film also explores the FinalGirl trope in horror, with Lucy's victimization heavily focused on her sexuality, while Mina more or less commits adultery with Jonathan and willingly encourages Dracula's affections and returns it, and ends up defeating and redeeming the Count.

* AdaptationalHeroism: Dracula gets this treatment in the film. He becomes a vampire for renouncing God after his bride kills herself (and the Priest declares that her soul would be eternally damned as a result) and then falls in love with Mina because she is her reincarnation. This backstory comes from the fact that Dracula is an {{Expy}} of UsefulNotes/VladTheImpaler who did oppose the Turks and wage a "Holy War" on behalf of God and protected Europe from Muslim influence. So from his perspective he was punished for doing God's work when his wife died. In addition, Dracula's plot in the original novel of taking over England is omitted.

* AdaptationPersonalityChange: Lucy is an Ingenue, bordering on PuritySue in the books. This film portrays her as flirty and promiscuous, as well as slightly ditzy.

%%* ByronicHero: Count Dracula.

** Coppola also noted that the story's setting paralleled the birth of film, and one scene shows Dracula and Mina seeing early films. His aversion of CGI for in-camera effects and technology stemmed from a desire to use primitive special effects like Magic Lantern shows and practical effects in the mode of Creator/GeorgesMelies.

* DespairEventHorizon: The false death of Vlad Draculea for Elisabeta, and her suicide for him.

* FallenHero: From the perspective of Christianity and the times. Dracula was once a servant of the cross, defending Europe from [[ValuesDissonance Muslim influence]].

* GorgeousPeriodDress: With the possible exception of medieval Dracula's armor.

* InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt: One of the most [[InNameOnly awkward]] examples of this trope, starting with the fact that the core romantic plot between Dracula and Mina isn't in the book. The Internet Movie Database notes, "Director Francis Ford Coppola claims that Bram Stoker's name was included in the title because he has a tradition of putting the author's names in the titles of his movies that are adapted from novels, such as ''Mario Puzo's Film/TheGodfather'' (1972) and ''John Grisham's The Rainmaker'' (1997). Others have claimed, however, that Stoker's name was included in the title to avoid legal action from Universal Studios, who claimed to own the rights to the simple title ''Dracula'' (1931)."
* InNameOnly: Played with. If you take the love story between Dracula and Mina out, the film is actually incredibly faithful to the original novel - minus the HotterAndSexier tone, the change in Lucy's personality and a few other minor details.

* NippleAndDimed

** The LivingShadow sequences also owe something to the Carl Dreyer film ''Vampyr'' (1932).

%%* LooksLikeSheIsEnjoyingIt

** Most likely, this was to keep the vampire brides fed while Dracula was away. They seemed to rely on him for food, such as when he gave them the infant ("Are we to have nothing tonight?"). Harker notes during his captivity that the brides kept him drained and weak, which meant he served as a self-regenerating source of blood until Drac returned.

* UltimateUniverse: Gary Oldman's portrayal of Count Dracula incorporates both Bela Lugosi's distinctive accent and Max Schreck's "creepy and clawed" comportment from ''Film/{{Nosferatu}}''. As well, the romantic approach given to his and Mina's relationship was presaged by [[Film/{{Dracula 1979}} the 1979 version]] that toplined Frank Langella (in that version, the heroine doesn't feel shame for her longing to be with Dracula and is even nastier to the good guys who want to save her).

** The idea of Dracula lusting after his reincarnated lover is absent in the book but it is a major part of ''Film/TheMummy1932', which was otherwise an Egyptian-flavored remake of ''Film/{{Dracula 1931}}''.

The film opens with the fall of Constantinople in 1462 (in this, the movie is incorrect; [[ArtisticLicenseHistory the city actually fell in 1453]]). Prince Vlad III Draculea successfully defends Christian civilization from the Eastern threat, but the Turks take revenge by sending a false message of his death to his wife, Elisabeta, whom he loves dearly. In her despair, she throws herself from the castles walls to her death. Vlad's priests declare that, as her death was a suicide, she is now damned to hell. Enraged, Vlad [[FaithHeelTurn renounces God]] and vows to drink the blood of men.

* AdaptationalBadass: [[spoiler: Dracula is still alive when Jonathan slashes his throat and Quincey stabs him, even throwing both of them across the courtyard. Though this may be attributed to the fact that he manages to get out of his coffin before they reach him.]]

** Mina does one when [[spoiler: Quincey stabs Dracula in the courtyard.]]
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Lucy and Quincey are dead, Mina and Jonathan's future relationship is on rocky ground and Mina has to kill the man she loves but Dracula's soul is implied to have been redeemed and reunited with his beloved Elisabeta in Heaven.]]

* BloodFromTheMouth: Plenty of it!

* ByronicHero: Count Dracula.

* ChekhovsGun: Quincey's Bowie knife turns up in the scene in which he is introduced. At the end of the movie [[spoiler: Mina uses it to finally kill Dracula]].

* ComingAndGoing

* DiesWideOpen: Happens to [[spoiler: Dracula in the finale]].

* FaithHeelTurn: "I renounce God!"

* GlamourFailure

* GothicHorror: More than most adaptions.

* HauntedCastle
* HemoErotic

* ImpossiblyLowNeckline: [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgg2vvntxu1qh1urno1_500.jpg Lucy's "snake dress"]].

* LooksLikeSheIsEnjoyingIt[=/=]KissOfTheVampire

* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Good Lord, where do we start?

* ThePowerOfLove: In the final scene, [[spoiler: as Mina tends to the dying Dracula, she realizes that "Our love is stronger than death." It's out of her love that she finishes him off at his request, and this not only ends his evil on Earth, but allows him to be redeemed and reunited with Elisabeta in the afterlife]].

* TheProfessor: Van Helsing.

* StakingTheLovedOne: Twice -- Arthur stakes his fiance Lucy, and in the final scene [[spoiler: Mina finishes Dracula off]]. Mina also asks Jonathan, in the climax, "When the time comes, will you do the same to me?"

** Implied in the final shot. [[spoiler: Dracula dying at Mina's hand allows him and Elisabeta to be reunited in Heaven at last, as seen in the fresco of his castle.]]

* VictorianLondon

* WorldOfHam

** Upon learning his lover has committed suicide, a sin great enough to would damn her soul for eternity:

* {{Deconstruction}}: The film deconstructs the ''Dracula'' myth by reconstructing many of the {{UnbuiltTrope}}s of the original, such as clarifying the ''vampires are not killed by sunlight'' trope. (Rather, they are depowered.) More broadly, the film expands upon the book as a portrait of Victorian London and the changing mores of sexuality, women, and the advances of science which were part of the time, and goes on to expand on the sexual subtext of the story, which is what underlies the Mina-Dracula romance.

** Coppola also noted that the story's setting paralleled the birth of film, and one scene shows Dracula and Mina seeing early films. His aversion of CGI for in-camera effects and technology stemmed from a desire to use primitive special effects like Magic Lantern shows and in the films of Creator/GeorgesMelies to arrive at something different.

* TruerToTheText: The intent was to make a more faithful adaptation of the book than previous films had (hence the InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt title). Intentions and execution are two different matters, though...

* {{Cuckold}}: Jonathan Harker is an especially miserable example. While Mina never has ''sex'' with Dracula, their blood ritual late in the film obviously carries the same meaning, and she is at any rate far more emotionally intimate with the Count than she ever seems to be with Jonathan. While Jonathan is trapped in Dracula's castle, his fiance, who is the reason he went to Transylvania in the first place, is gallivanting around with his captor. While, in fairness, she has no way of knowing at the time that this man is her husband's captor, it's still pretty bad, and it certainly must sting for Jonathan. After Jonathan manages to escape, Mina only real regret seems to be that her affair must end. By the end of the movie, Mina is openly pining for the monster who imprisoned her fiance and raped and murdered her best friend, and who has undoubtedly committed even more such atrocities over the centuries. All Jonathan can do is tell her that when she eventually becomes a full vampire, he won't kill her. By the end of the movie there is no indication how their relationship will turn out.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Really downplayed examples, but still:
** Lucy was vulnerable to Dracula's attack in the book due to her somnambulism. In this movie, according to Van Helsing, she offered herself willingly, as she is described as a wanton follower and devoted disciple.
** Van Helsing himself got some of this. While Book!Van Helsing withheld information from the heroes and made some serious mistakes, he had good reason, since he wanted to be certain of what he was dealing with. He also had the decency to be apologetic about it, and comfort Dracula's victims. Here, not only is he more concerned with proving his supernatural findings correct than he is with his friends' misery, he is very nonchalant about the way Lucy died in agony.

** Mina was characterized as a very strong female character in the book; in fact, she was the one comforting her husband in a case of CollateralAngst in the aftermath of Dracula's attack that she suffered.

* [[PetTheDog Pet The Escaped Zoo Wolf]]: At first, Dracula makes to bite a hypnotized Mina, but hesitates, just as the crowd in the theater panics over said wolf wandering in. Instead, his ability to calm the animal impresses and fascinates the no-longer-entranced Mina, and she easily forgets that he attacked her minutes before.

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Both injected into the story and [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]], with Dracula only becoming a villain because he was enraged by a priest telling him that his suicidal wife was in Hell. Mina even pities the count, which naturally disgusts the other characters. (This is ''before'' she learns that he's the "prince" she fell in love with while her fiance was away!)

* {{Deconstruction}}: The film deconstructs the ''Dracula'' myth by reconstructing many of the {{UnbuiltTrope}}s of the original, such as clarifying the ''vampires are not killed by sunlight'' trope. (Rather, they are depowered.) More broadly, the film expands upon the book as a portrait of Victorian London and the changing mores of sexuality, women and the advances of science that was part of the time and goes on to expand on the sexual subtext of the story, which is what underlies the Mina-Dracula romance.

* DecoyProtagonist: The film appears as if Jonathan Harker is the main protagonist set at odds against Dracula the antagonist. Once Dracula arrives in London, it becomes clear that both he and Mina are the film's true protagonists. Dracula begins the plot, while Mina finally resolves it. It was essentially this way in the original novel too, where the majority of the second and third acts revolve around Mina.

* DespairEventHorizon: The false death of Dracula for Elisabeta, and her suicide for Dracula.

* FallenHero: From the Christian perspective. Dracula was once a servant of the cross, defending Europe from [[ValuesDissonance Muslim influence]].
* FauxAffablyEvil: Contemporary Dracula's very first lines are polite and inviting. The masquerade doesn't last much longer than that.

* GoryDiscretionShot: The cutaway scene to the ship that transported dracula, blood is splattered on a sail during the creature's spree.

* HollywoodCostuming: The ladies' outfits follow the basic tenets of late-1890's fashion, but some details are just a bit off, like Lucy's unusually low neckline. Mina's decade-out-of-style bustle dress is actually an aversion as it was intended to show that Mina couldn't afford the latest fashions, since she is "only a schoolmistress".

* LargeHam: Gary Oldham, as usual. Watch how he orgiastically licks the bloodied knife.

* LoveRedeems: In the ending [[spoiler:Mina's love softens Dracula's heart and he asks her to end his torment. The final shot of the movie implies that Dracula and Elisabeta have been reunited in heaven.]]
* MalevolentArchitecture: Normal laws of physics don't quite seem to apply in Castle Dracula, most notably seen when Harker opens a perfume bottle that starts dripping upwards into the ceiling. For extra creep factor, the castle itself vaguely resembles a ghoulish figure crouched on a cracked throne, owing to its decay over the centuries.

** From his perspective, the loss of his wife is a punishment after all the stuff he did to protect Christendom from Turkey. Dracula also doesn't regret all the impalings he did when he was Vlad.

* OneWingedAngel: Dracula does this twice: first as a werewolf-like creature, then as a humanoid bat.

* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Somewhat. The undead here are portrayed as much more monstrous and making growling and otherwise inhuman sounds. Dracula also never fully changes into animals when he shapeshifts, keeping a humanoid form when he goes wolf or bat. These vampires also have more supernatual powers -- they can send people flying with an invisible force and, if powerful enough, burn or melt crosses. Lastly, while it's stated that vampires are weaker during the daytime (but can go out in it if they choose), Dracula hypnotizes and nearly bites Mina during their first day together -- though it's late in the day when they headed to the cinematograph, so it may already be after dark when he tries to turn her. Although this last one is consistent with the orignal novel, in which the Count does go about during the daytime.

* RuleOfThree: After Lucy is initially attacked by Dracula, the progression of her vampirism is reflected in what happens when she asks each of her three suitors to kiss her. First is Jack, as he attends to her as she tells him of her increasing sensitivity and nightmares; he is able to reciprocate without being harmed. Second is Quincey, but this time it's a lure so she can have a go at his throat. Finally, when she is confronted in her tomb, she asks her fiance Arthur to come to her for a kiss; only Van Helsing driving her back with a cross prevents disaster. (Subsequently, Arthur is the one who stakes her.)

* StakingTheLovedOne: Twice -- Arthur stakes his fiance Lucy, and in the final scene [[spoiler: Mina finishes Dracula off]]. Mina also asks Jonathan, in the climax, "When the time comes will you do the same to me?"
* TagTeamSuicide: Played with. At the beginning of the film, set in medieval times, Dracula's noble love throws herself off a tower when she hears false news of his death in combat. When Dracula returns, the bishop tells him that she is damned to hell for her suicide. Enraged, he renounces God and becomes a vampire, technically committing suicide.

** The belief that this trope would be subverted was the whole reason for Dracula's FaithHeelTurn in the first place.
* TragicMonster: Dracula is portrayed as one in this version due to his backstory. While he away at war, his love kills herself based off a lie his enemies wrote in a letter. Since she committed suicide she can't go to heaven; he renounces his faith as a result and becomes a monster.
* TranshumanTreachery: Vlad as explored in his backstory (though in this case he turned himself into a monster). Lucy seems to actively accept becoming a vampire as she fights against Helsing's healing methods and smiles when Drac comes to complete her transformation. Mina likewise practically tries to rush into becoming a vampire so she can be with Dracula.
* TruerToTheText: The intent was to make a more faithful adaptation of the book than previous films had been (hence the InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt title). Intentions and execution are two different matters, though...

* VampiresAreSexGods: The bloodsucking is played very erotically, Dracula's brides pleasuring Jonathan like a threesome. The end of Lucy's death ends in a parallel to TheImmodestOrgasm, and vampire!Lucy tries to seduce Arthur.

* VillainyDiscretionShot: According to Dr. Van Helsing, Dracula has killed and tortured thousands of people. But of course we only get to see this through old medieval pictures, otherwise Dracula wouldn't be half as sympathetic.

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Both injected into the story and [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]], with Dracula only becoming a villain because he was enraged by a priest telling him that his suicidal love interest was in Hell. Mina even pities the count, which naturally disgusts the other characters. (This is ''before'' she learns that he's the "prince" she fell in love with while her fiance was away!)

** Mina was characterized as a very strong female character in the book, so much in fact, that she was the one comforting her husband in case of CollateralAngst in the aftermath of Dracula's attack that she suffered.

** Lucy was vulnerable to Dracula's attack in the first place due to her somnambulism. In this movie, according to Van Helsing, she offered herself willingly as she is described as a wantom follower and a devoted disciple.
** Van Helsing himself got some of this. While Book!Van Helsing withhold information from the heroes and committed some serious mistakes, he had good reason for it, since he wanted to be definitely sure of what he was dealing with, and had the decency to be apologetic and comfort Dracula's victims. Here, not only is he more concerned in proving his supernatural findings than with his friends' misery, he is very nonchalant about the way Lucy died in agony.
* AdaptationExpansion: Dracula's BackStory as a self-cursed vampire because his wife committed suicide is entirely absent from the original novel. From that comes Mina's resemblance to his wife, Dracula's pursuit of her because of it, and Mina falling in love with him to the point of nearly sabotaging her heroes' attempts to stop him from completely turning her.

* AnimalMotifs: Dracula is associated with the usual wolves, bats, and rats. Lucy is frequently associated with reptiles: She wears an evening gown with snake embroidering and has a hairdo that resembles coiled snakes, the nightgown she wears when attacked by Dracula resembles a snake's belly, and her wedding/funeral dress was inspired by frill-necked lizards.

* BackStory: The prologue detailing Prince Draculea's war in the name of God, only to renounce him upon his wife's suicide.

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Mina admits in her diary that she wishes she "were as pretty and adored as Lucy." Dracula certainly sees her as beautiful and someone to adore...Later, after she returns from Transylvania with her new husband, she secretly wonders if/hopes that she'll see her "prince" again. She does, but the consequences aren't pretty.
* BedlamHouse: Dr. Seward's asylum is depicted as one of these.

* BreakingAndBloodsucking: At first Dracula lures Lucy out of the mansion and into the over-large gardens of the estate for sex and blood. From then on, Lucy eagerly awaits him, writhing and moaning in her bed as he approaches. The final night he crashes through the window as a wolf, rips open her throat and laps up her blood, and she dies with cries of agonized pleasure.

* CaptainsLog: Most of the main characters provide voice over narration in the form of journal entries or letters read out loud. In one case, it's played literally with a log written by the captain of the 'Demeter'. As the book is an epistolary novel, this is actually more accurate to the source material rather than just a clumsy job of incorporating elements that were hard to adapt.

** A lot of Oldman's performance as the older Dracula can be this, although it actually works to his advantage -- he manages to be really damn creepy.

* {{Cuckold}}: Jonathan Harker is an especially miserable example. While Mina never has ''sex'' with Dracula, their blood ritual late in the film obviously carries the same meaning. While Jonathan is trapped in the castle his fiance, who is the reason he went to Transylvania in the first place, is gallivanting around with his captor. After Jonathan manages to escape Mina only regrets that her affair must come to an end. By the end of the movie his wife is openly pining for the monster who imprisoned her fiance and raped and murdered her best friend. All he can do is tell her that when she eventually becomes a full vampire he won't kill her and by the end of the movie there is no indication that their relationship will heal.

* DaywalkingVampire: See Our Vampires Are Different.
* DeathByAdaptation: The gypsies. In the book, most (if not all) survive the fight with Jonathan, Arthur, Seward and Quincey, fleeing when Dracula is killed. Here, half are killed in a chase to Dracula's castle and the rest cut down in a fight in the courtyard.
* {{Deconstruction}}: The film deconstructs the ''Dracula'' myth by reconstructing many of the UnbuiltTrope of the original, such as clarifying the ''vampires are not killed by sunlight'' trope. (Rather, they are depowered.) More broadly, the film expands upon the book as a portrait of Victorian London and the changing mores of sexuality, women and the advances of science that was part of the time and goes on to expand on the sexual subtext of the story, which is what underlies the Mina-Dracula romance.

The film opens with the fall of Constantinople in 1462 [sic; [[ArtisticLicenseHistory the city actually fell in 1453]]]. Prince Vlad III Draculea successfully defends Christian civilization from the Eastern threat, but a false message from the Turks leads to the death of his love, Elisabeta. As her death was a suicide, the priests declare her damned to hell. Enraged, Vlad [[FaithHeelTurn renounces God]] and vows to drink the blood of men.

Flash forward to [[VictorianLondon England, 1897]]. A clerk named Renfield (Music/TomWaits) is gibbering in his [[BedlamHouse cell]] while his replacement, Jonathan Harker (Creator/KeanuReeves), travels to Transylvania to complete a sale to a certain Count Dracula...who is ''extremely'' intrigued when he sees a picture of Harker's bride-to-be, Mina Murray, as she looks ''remarkably'' like a certain lost love...

* AllForNothing: Dracula's FaithHeelTurn and subsequent vampirism stem from bitterness over not only losing Elisabeta (to suicide), but also seemingly being denied the chance to be TogetherInDeath with her (as his beliefs state that suicide is too mortal of a sin). But as the ending shows, [[spoiler:she ends up in Heaven after all (disproving that whole SuicideIsShameful business with her), and he's apparently pulled enough of a RedemptionEqualsDeath to be allowed to rejoin her, meaning that all of his evil actions have been pointless all along.]]

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: The priest who says Dracula's wife's damned.