Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Compare Contrast
Compare/Contrast Dracula and Bram Stoker's Dracula
A noticeable difference in the way movies have changed over the years is evident when comparing and contrasting two films of different eras which belong to the same genre and contain the same subject matter. Two vampire movies, Dracula and Bram Stoker's Dracula, present an interesting example of this type of study.
Comparing the 1931 version of Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi, with Frances Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula 1993 version yields some similarities. Both films are of the same genre: Horror. Both films are set around the same time period. Also, both deal with a vampire coming to England and causing disruptions in people's lives. Beyond these few similarities are numerous contrasts.
An obvious difference in these films is that the 1931 version played to a Depression audience and that the Coppola version played to a modern audience. (I am being extremely careful because, obviously, the 1931 audience was modern in 1931; however, we like to think of ourselves as being more modern than past generations. There are differences in the audiences which viewed the respective versions in their time, and I hope to prove this point as the paper unfolds.)
When we compare the portrayal of characters in the areas of gender, race, and age, we find striking contrasts. In the 1931 version, men's roles are well-defined: they are the protectors. For example, Jonathan hovers over Mina in many scenes, giving us the impression that Mina is a helpless creature. In Coppola's version, Jonathan is by no means a protector. He barely escapes Dracula's castle; Mina has to go to him--to protect him.
Also interesting, are the differences in the portrayal of the women in these film...
... middle of paper ...
... audience handle this, or is it because they demand realism?
Possibly, this demand for realistic interpretation of subject matter is a major cause of the differences between these films; however, as was shown in this paper, there are also other reasons for the variations. 1931 was a time of poverty for many Americans who needed escape into a film where traditional values were upheld: where God wins; where men and women's roles are well-defined; and where order reigns. Coppola's version has been released in a time where the patriarchal system has begun to break down; where prejudice is no longer acceptable (still practiced, but not acceptable); and where we require everything to be extreme.
Bibliography
Bram Stoker's Dracula. Dir. Frances Ford Coppola. Columbia TriStar Home Video, 1993.
Dracula. Dir. Tod Browning. Universal Pictures Corporation, 1931.
Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula, as well as, Hayao Miyazaki’s animated feature, Princess Mononoke, deal with the prevalent theme of good verses evil. On the surface, both stories seem like typical hero verses villain tales, but once their plots are more closely analyzed it is evident that there is not a bold line between the two extremes. Both pieces explore the idea of evil being in the eye of the beholder and being interpreted completely differently from contrasting perspectives.
The late nineteenth century Irish novelist, Bram Stoker is most famous for creating Dracula, one of the most popular and well-known vampire stories ever written. Dracula is a gothic, “horror novel about a vampire named Count Dracula who is looking to move from his native country of Transylvania to England” (Shmoop Editorial Team). Unbeknownst of Dracula’s plans, Jonathan Harker, a young English lawyer, traveled to Castle Dracula to help the count with his plans and talk to him about all his options. At first Jonathan was surprised by the Count’s knowledge, politeness, and overall hospitality. However, the longer Jonathan remained in the castle the more uneasy and suspicious he became as he began to realize just how strange and different Dracula was. As the story unfolded, Jonathan realized he is not just a guest, but a prisoner as well. The horror in the novel not only focuses on the “vampiric nature” (Soyokaze), but also on the fear and threat of female sexual expression and aggression in such a conservative Victorian society.
When one thinks of comparing Citizen Kane to other great movies Snow white and the seven dwarfs is usually farthest from mind. The movies seem at first to be complete opposites. However the movies are very similar on many key points. Both movies were made at the end of the Great depression and were innovators in many ways, but people’s reactions to them differed greatly in key areas.
Classic film noir originated after World War II. This is the time where post World War II pessimism, anxiety, and suspicion was taking the world by storm. Many films that were released in the U.S. Between 1939s and 1940s were considered propaganda films that were designed for entertainment during the Depression and World War II. During the 1930s many German and Europeans immigrated to the U.S. and helped the American film industry with powerf...
...haven’t really seen since 1945. There was a two-day long party for the Berliners, and all who crossed to the West side each received $100 in German money. One spokesman for East Berlin’s Communist Party said there was a “change in the city’s relations with West Berlin.” West Berliners were holding beer and champagne and were yelling, “Open the gate!” About 2 million people crossed from the East to the West, and were described by a journalist as “the greatest street party in the world”. Many people chipped off pieces of the wall while bulldozers and cranes tore the wall down. Spray painted on the wall was, “Only today is the war really over.”
When World War II ended in 1945 there are a few things that people have learned but also may not remember from history. The fears of having another nuclear apocalypse, in Germany, was a occurring thought every day during the Cold War. Beginning with after World War II the time period then was called the Cold War. After that, Germany was spilt into two halves, the Soviet and non- Soviet. Then, leading to a barrier that separated Germany, splitting families and ruining lives for the people; only due to Soviet wanting more power. Right after that, the separation had caused west and East Berlin to think they would be forever apart… permanently… during the Cold War; though rights and freedom changed over time for the people. Finally, the people of Germany evolved to the separation, but politics and the world around Germany changed and moved on to take down the wall. The rights of Germans on either side reflect on the political changes in their country, Germany.
While reading “The construction of the Berlin Wall,” I found that on August 12th 1961, East Germany’s Council of Ministers said “in order to put a stop to the hostile activity of West Germany’s and West Berlin’s revanchist and militaristic forces, border controls of the kind generally found in every sovereign state will be set up at the border of the German Democratic Republic, including the border to the western sectors of Greater Berlin.” This was to stop East Germany’s population from shrinking and crossing over to the west. On the morning of August 13th, 1961, barriers were set up at the border of East and West Germany. Roads that were used to cross the border were ripped up, and guards closed off the traffic. Eventually the barriers were reinforced with concrete and blocks. People who lived near the border were ejected out of their homes and were remade into border control areas. While reading “Berlin Wall,” I found that the walls were eventually built 12 feet tall and 4 feet wide. The east side of the wall was called the “Death Strip.” On the “Death Strip” there was watch towers, machine guns, soldiers, guards, and even german shepherds. There were at least 171 people killed trying to get across the Berlin Wall. From 1961 to 1989 there were over 5,000 East Germans who some how managed to get across. People would jump from buildings, climb over the wall, fly over in hot air balloons, and crawl under through sewers, or even drive through weak parts of the wall. The construction of the wall helped stop a number of deflections enormously, and played a large role on the
This essay shows the subtle differences that can occur between directors, even when they are basing the movie off of almost the exact same script. Almost no two movies are exactly alike, no matter how hard the directors and actors might try. Minor personality differences and scene changes greatly affect the atmosphere and meaning of the same movie. One example of this is the movie Romeo and Juliet. This movie tells the gripping story of two young lovers who are forbade to see each other because of a viscous feud between the two families. I'll be looking at the older 50's version of Romeo and Juliet and comparing it to the newer version of Romeo and Juliet.
Nosferatu (1922) is a notorious horror-film directed by F.W. Murnau, and is credited for being the first film adaptation of the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. Although Nosferatu and Dracula share obvious similarities, the two works are also in stark contrast of one another in terms of characterization, particularly concerning the character of Dracula. Ultimately, this variation between the novel and its film adaptation highlights the theme of vampirism being associated with sexuality versus disease and the plague.
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.
In the years between 1949 and 1961, a mass of East Germans had fled to West Germany. Some of the people included skilled workers and high end intelligent people. The result of the East losing such successful people the economic was destroyed. In response, the Communist government of the German Democratic Republic also known as East Germnay built a barrier to close off East Germans' access to West Germany. This barrier was known as the Berlin Wall.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is analogous to the 1958 movie Horror of Dracula. Dracula, a novel from 1897, is a story of a group of friends who come together, to not only fight for themselves, but also to fight for each other, and the curse of the vampire. They fight for peace and clarity, in order to resume their daily lives. The Horror of Dracula, A 1958 film, is a story of two men coming together to save their family from the curse of the vampire. Between both the film and the novel: the overall context, characters, and myths remain similar, however small differences develop each story, leading to each ending. The movie, based off of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, has a storyline that remains focused on the novel. Between both the movie and the novel,
Over the years people have given new out looks on the original vampire, Dracula. He was a tall non-attractive looking man who would never come out during the day. Hollywood however has made new vampire stories such as Twilight, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries/The Originals that have new ideas of a vampire. These novels/books all have differences, but some still have key characteristics of the original vampire.
“The Bull Moose” by Alden Nowlan and “Downfall” as sung by Trust Company is a fine display of the relations between what people can see on the outside and what we hide inside ourselves by the workings of the figurative language, connotations and metaphors used. To begin the comparison between each in a literal sense would be to compare an animal to a human being, at which the comparison breaks down after the more basic levels: living, breathing, moving, feeding, etc. Is this really so true that animals do not find the same or similar points of breaking that rest inside every animal? I think that every animal and human has a point at which when seeing no other option will either break down or rise in display of a last show of mighty power.
Given how Near Dark is considered one of the best vampire films ever made, one may be shocked at how few individuals have seen the masterpiece. It is difficult to argue that that 80's was one of the better time periods for cinematic bloodsuckers. With films such as The Lost Boys, The Hunger, and Near Dark in theaters, it was truly a golden age for Dracula's children of the night. Kathryn Bigelow's presentation of her moody examination of white-trash vampires is very intriguing. Near Dark in and of itself shows an interesting dichotomy in terms of its genre, or genres: part western, part vampire flick (albeit never once is the word “vampire” even used or mentioned in the film throughout its duration itself), and part film.