A Comparison of Two Extracts from Films Portraying Vampires
In this essay I will compare two extracts from films portraying
vampires. These extracts were taken from 'Nosferatu' a film made in
the 1920's and 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' a film produced in the early
1990's. I will describe how the films are similar and are different in
the media language used, the representations of the vampire and the
woman and the narrative resolution.
Firstly, I will compare the media language used in both films. Non
diegetic sound is sound that is not in the film but added at the
editing stage. In 'Bram Stoker's Dracula', non-diegetic sound is
dramatic. The music becomes higher and higher pitched, this is to
create the suspense and tension. I think suspense and tension needed
to be created because it made the film better to watch. 'Nosferatu'
also uses non-diegetic sound but it was added at a later date because
the technology wasn't advanced enough at the time of making. I think
both films achieve the effect of suspense and tension through the use
of that type of sound. This links to my second point, Nosferatu is
told much like a book, as it uses old-style fonts when there is a
description of what is happening or what the characters are saying.
The film tells you what is happening in this way because, again the
technology was not advanced enough to include sound. 'Bram Stoker's
Dracula' uses quick cuts and close-ups during the fight scene, this is
to suggest action and fast pace. The film uses these type of shots
because it is fun to watch. The film also uses high angled shots, the
best example of this is when the woman and vampire are on the floor of
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...so the woman does this. The ending of 'Nosferatu' is
similar in a way because the vampire also dies. The woman however is
seen as weaker therefore she dies as well. Knock who helped the
vampire and was thought to have been the vampire by the towns people,
is sent to prison. Both have good endings as you feel that both
stories have come to an end and not just ended abruptly.
Overall, both films have many similarities as well as differences. I
think the main reason why the films differ is because of the times
they were made. 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' had many technological
advantages available therefore, the makers could emphasise sadness,
action, power and weakness better than 'Nosferatu'. I think
'Nosferatu' though, does use dramatic effects like non-diegetic sound
and chiaroscuro to build and add suspense and tension.
Batman beats the Joker. Spiderman banishes the Green Goblin. For centuries story tellers have used the basic idea of good beats bad to guide their tales. Stories of blood sucking, human possessions and other tales have been passed down generations and vary between cultures. Among the creators of the famous protagonists is, Bram Stoker, the creator of Dracula. This fictional character was soon to be famous, and modified for years to come into movie characters or even into cereal commercials. But the original will never be forgotten; a story of a group of friends all with the same mission, to destroy Dracula. The Count has scared many people, from critics to mere children, but if one reads betweens the line, Stoker’s true message can be revealed. His personal experiences and the time period in which he lived, influenced him to write Dracula in which he communicated the universal truth that good always prevails over evil.
J. Gordon Melton, in the excerpt “Sexuality and the Vampire” published in his The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead (1998), explains that vampires have a sexual appearance that started from their origin in Dracula. Melton supports his statement by analyzing the monsters' transition to sexual beings through the stories of Dracula’s desires, multiple countries’ erotic tales revolving around vampire-like beings, the manifestation of sensual themes in literary, stage, and screen works, and their current evolution of the once terrified immortals to loved heroes. The purpose of this essay was to outline the seductiveness of the written immortal creatures in order to explain the fanged-mammals’ appeal beyond their terrifying monster abilities.
In the novel Dracula, by Bram Stoker, there is much evidence of foreshadowing and parallels to other myths. Dracula was not the first story featuring a vampire myth, nor was it the last. Some would even argue that it was not the best. However, it was the most original, using foreshadowing and mood to create horrific imagery, mythical parallels to draw upon a source of superstition, and original narrative elements that make this story unique.
Carmilla is an example of a woman who loves her food far too much. Carmilla is consumed entirely by her food, even sleeping in a coffin of blood: “The limbs were perfectly flexible, the flesh elastic; and the leaden coffin floated with blood, in which to a depth of seven inches, the body lay immersed” (Le Fanu 102). There exists a unique relationship between the vampire and their victims. Food becomes defined in terms of victimhood, distinctly separated from humanity’s general consumption of meat. The need for human victims makes hunting synonymous with courtship, as intense emotional connections are established between the vampiress and her food. As seen in the intense relationship developed between Laura and Carmilla, the vampire is “prone to be fascinated with an engrossing vehemence, resembling the passion of love, by particular persons” (105). For Carmilla, cruelty and love are inseparable (33). The taking of the victims’ blood for sustenance is a highly sexualized exchange of fluids from one body to another. The act of consumption is transformed into an illicit carnal exchange between the hunter and the hunted.
While Bram Stoker’s Dracula has been described as the “quintessence of evil creatures we meet in our everyday lives” and “the Darkness” in the hearts of men (Herbert, 2004, pp. 62), Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight
to Bram Stokers story as myself to a chimp. If it was named 'Parody Of
In Twilight, Edward Cullen presents the question; “ But what if I’m not the hero? What if I’m the bad guy?” The role of vampires is very controversial. Back in the day they were evil, soulless monsters and people genuinely feared them. However, in the present day it seems that we have grown to love them and even hope to one day be them. There are a plethora of vampire stories and many of them have become immense hits. With so many vampire stories, it is not uncommon that readers are able to identify a vast amount of similarities. Although similar in aspects, there are still many differences between the classic and modern day vampires. Two highly popular stories, in which we can easily identify similarities and differences, are Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight.
Unlike other latter-day adaptations of the vampire legend -- such as films like The Hunger and Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire novels -- which actively shatter accepted tenets of vampirism, such as the danger of sunlight or crosses to vampires, "Buffy" relies heavily on the guidelines for vampirism established by Stoker in his novel. In "Buffy," as in Dracula, vampires can be killed by direct sunlight and harmed by holy water and crucifixes (Golden 125). When, for instance, Buffy's crucifix necklace touches her vampire boyfriend Angel's chest, it leaves a burn-mark similar to that left on vampire-defiled Mina Harker's forehead by application of a Holy Wafer in Dracula ("Angel;" Stoker 302). And unlike the sympathetic portrayals of vampires advanced in Rice's novels and in the 1960s soap opera "Dark Shadows," the vampires shown are not good or even human. They are, in the words of Buffy's Watcher Giles "demon at the c...
Film Analysis of Dracula by Bram Stoker Bram Stoker’s Dracula was filmed and produce in 1992 by Francis Ford Coppola. Based on the infamous vampire novel Dracula in the 1890s. The film stars Gary Oldman as Dracula throughout the film, the hero Harker is played by Keanu Reeves. Winona Ryder play two parts of the film, one is the wife of Dracula the opening sequence and later plays the fiancée of Harker reincarnated.
In the book, Dracula by Bram Stoker there are many characters that display qualities of good verse evil. The Count Dracula is a mysterious character who appears as an odd gentleman but the longer the story goes on Dracula shows his true self. Dracula started infiltrating the lives of anyone who crossed his path and he was not stopping his destruction of others’ lives. Many people were affect by Dracula’s actions but there were two people that Dracula caused an impact on during his rampage. Dracula is an evil, cunning, and selfish character who harms the life of a young man and ruins the future of an innocent woman.
Humanity has always been fascinated with the allure of immortality and although in the beginning vampires were not a symbol of this, as time passed and society changed so did the ideas and perceptions surrounding them. The most important thing to ask yourself at this point is 'What is immortality?' Unfortunately this isn't as easily answered as asked. The Merriam Webster Dictionary says immortality is 'the quality or state of being immortal; esp : unending existence' while The World Book Encyclopedia states it as 'the continued and eternal life of a human being after the death of the body.' A more humorous definition can be found in The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce:
Vampire films are gaining popularity in many countries. The majority of these vampire films portray one-dimensional love or horror stories. Unlike other vampire films, Let the Right One In is a complex film and novel that can be interpreted to reflect social problems in Sweden. The film and novel illustrates a divide between young people and adults in Swedish society. These different age groups are represented by different characters. The Swedish vampire, Eli, is not simply a monster, but she is a complex character with which the audience can sympathize as she appears to be a twelve year old girl. Although Eli is not a human child, Eli represents youth fighting against the dangers of Swedish society.
This piece of poetry was very intriguing to me. I’ve always been interested in vampires and other “fictional” monsters. My very first impression came from the first thing I read, the title. “The Metamorphoses of the Vampire” is a title that makes readers use the gears in their brains right away. I had to recall that metamorphoses, by definition, is a change completely in form or nature. Therefore, I assumed this was a story of someone turning into a vampire. I purely picked this poem based off of the title. It is hard to say if I like or dislike this piece. There are some parts that I yet do not understand. Hopefully, going in deeper will help me put this poem together.
Everyone has the brainpower to follow the stock market. If you made it through fifth-grade math, you can do it. - Peter Lynch
Have you ever invested in the stock market? If so, do you know where your money is really going? The stock market is a risky business and it can make or break people’s lives. The stock market is used to daily to keep America on its trembling feet; it’s also being used at this very moment to cheat people out of money for personal gain. This happens every day in the stock market and its evolving rapidly, super computers that can trade faster than a blink of an eye, social media trends that can predict share values, and intricate stock market schemes that are getting harder and harder to find and take down. While the stock market keeps the world turning and the economy steady, the stock market is also being used in manipulative ways that are not always legal.