The Presentation of the Story Dracula by the Filmmakers

The Presentation of the Story Dracula by the Filmmakers

There have been many film adaptations of the novel 'Dracula' written

by Bram Stoker (1897) the most well known of these is the film

'Nosferatu' (1921) directed by Fredrick Murnau and 'Bram Stoker's

Dracula' (1992) created by Francis Ford Coppola.

I will be discussing the ways the filmmakers have presented the story

'Dracula' by; the ways in which the directors have introduced the

film: their portrayal of Dracula: the use of special effects and

finally the myths and legends used in the destruction of Dracula.

'Bram Stoker's Dracula' by Francis Ford Coppola, and 'Nosferatu'

directed by Murnau have both represented the story Dracula in

different contexts.

'Bram Stoker's Dracula' was produced during 1992 and 'Nosferatu' was

produced in 1921.

Despite the time difference of approximately seventy years both films

they resemble each other in various ways. They are similar in the fact

they both contain a love story. For different reasons both films use

subtitles. 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' uses subtitles for showing the

speech; as the actors are speaking in a foreign language. Coppola

could have had his actors speak English all the way through the film,

but at that time Dracula is human and living in Transylvania. Coppola

has the foreign language so the audience have a clear picture that the

scene is set in a foreign country and so they do not get confused

about where the film is set.

The subtitles used in Nosferatu are used to show the spoken word, as

the film is silent. To an audience watching 'Nosferatu' the subtitles

are very important because they show parts of the fil...

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... novel because it would have classed as copyright. This is why

the film is set in Bremen, Jonathon Harkers wife is called Nina (not

Mina like in the novel) and there are significant changes to the

original storyline.

Both the directors use the special effects available to them at the

time to the limit. It is true that Coppola uses more complex special

effects to give the film a more mystical reality but Murnau is equally

as innovate and creative as Coppola with the special effects he is

able to use.

Coppola is the most inventive director. This is mainly because of the

way he has linked the film with the historical points of the real

Dracula. Coppola also adds the scene of when Dracula goes to war. At

that time the area known as Transylvania was at war with the Turks

(this is not mentioned in the original book).