The Different Adaptations of Dracula

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Ever since Bram Stoker wrote his entrancing novel people have been adapting it, and the story is one of the most reproduced ideas in history. Each innovation of the novel influences the story for the creators own purpose, and in doing so generates another version of Dracula. Count Dracula has become an infamous character in history, and has been captured in many different mediums, such as the Japanese anime and manga series Vampire Hunter D, which follows Draculas son D in his adventures (Kikuchi). However, one of the adaptations that endures in modern minds is the 1992 film by Francis Ford Coppola, Bram Stoker's Dracula. This version of Dracula was meant to be loyal to the novel, but it diverged from the original in many ways.

Bram Stoker wrote his infamous novel, Dracula, during the turn of the century in 1897, and the Victorian era novel is heavily influenced by the time in which it was written. Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula is influenced by the period in which it was produced, and it diverges from the novel in the sexualisation of women, the humanization of Dracula, the representation of friendship, and the depiction of science. Dracula is a classic story that can represent the current era’s fears and desires. Although the story changes in Coppola’s Dracula, in comparison to the original, it is not the first time Dracula has been adapted according to the era, and it will not be the last.

The women in Coppola’s film all seem to exhibit the sexuality of women, and are represented as lustful demons. Lucy Westenra (Sadie Frost) is one of the most sexualised characters, and in the film even before she was turned into a vampire, she is shown as a sex crazed fiend. Furthermore, the three vampire women at Dracula’s castle are also...

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...negative manner. These changes are a representation of the cultural acceptance of each topic during the different eras. The almost 100 year gap in the creation of each work of art, shows that Dracula is a classic novel that will forever be adapt and changed according to the creators personal bias.

Works Cited

Bram Stoker's Dracula. Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. Perf. Gary Oldman. 1992. Columbia Tristar home vidéo, 1999. DVD.

Kikuchi, Hideyuki, Yoshitaka Amano, and Kevin Leahy. Vampire hunter D. Milwaukie, OR: DH Press ;, 2006. Print.

"Oscar Wilde - Biography." Oscar Wilde. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. .

Stoker, Bram, and Glennis Byron. Dracula. Peterborough, Ont.: Broadview Press, 1998. Print.

When Harry met Sally. Dir. Rob Reiner. Perf. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. 1989. 4 Front Video, 1993. DVD.

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