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dinoandrade · 4 years

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“DRACULA”: BOOK vs. MOVIES

Part 5: The Final Battle & The Death Of Dracula

Welcome to the fifth and final part of my essay comparing Bram Stoker’s novel “Dracula” to those film versions most commonly referred to as those “faithful to the novel.” To understand why I wrote this please check out parts one through four.

BUT FIRST...

As before this essay is NOT spoiler free. And whether you love or hate any of the films being compared here is beside the point and a subject best left to posts dedicated to film critique. This essay is SOLELY about which films are the most faithful to the novel... period.

And one final reminder of those versions most touted as “faithful” that I compared:

“Nosferatu: a Symphony of Horror” (1922) aka “Max Schreck Version”.

“Count Dracula” (1970) aka “Christopher Lee Version”.

“Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1973) retitled “Dan Curtis’ Dracula” aka “Jack Palance Version”.

“Count Dracula” (1977) aka “Louis Jordan version.”

“Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992) aka “Coppola version”.

And now...

PART FIVE: THE FINAL BATTLE & THE DEATH OF DRACULA

Stoker’s novel ends with a rip-roaring chase through Transylvania’s Borgo Pass as Dracula’s Gypsy minions try to spirit the Count away in a large wooden crate mounted on a horse drawn cart. As the sun has not yet set, Dracula is still in a weakened state, thus the Gypsies are desperate to get the Count to the relative safety of Castle Dracula. However, the vampire hunters - Johnathan Harker, Quincey Morris, Dr. Seward and Arthur Homewood - are in hot pursuit on horseback with an assortment of bladed weapons and Winchester rifles. Already at the castle are Mina and an exhausted Van Helsing.

Seeing the approaching Gypsies, Mina arms herself with a pistol. As she is in the growing thrall of dark supernatural power she marvels over the fact that she feels no fear whatsoever over the coming battle she is about to join.

When the Gypsies reach the castle the final battle rages with gunfire and flashing blades. Soon the Gypsies are either dead or on the run but not before Quincey Morris is mortally stabbed.

In a state of mania, Johnathan Harker leaps onto the Gypsy cart and heaves the crate containing Dracula to the ground, then Harker and Quincey rip open the lid just as the sun sets. Dracula’s eyes glow red with triumph as his powers are restored but he’s too late as Harker slashes the Count’s throat with a vicious swipe of his blade, followed instantly by Quincey Morris who, in a final dying act, drives his Bowie knife into Dracula’s heart, which instantly turns the vampire king to dust.

Surrounded by his fellow vampire hunters the Cowboy Quincey Morris lies dying in Johnathan Harker’s arms. His final words are a quiet declaration that he willing dies in the service of saving the life and soul of such a valiant woman as Mina.

Almost every telling of “Dracula” has a more stage-production-inspired traditional ending, usually involving a final confrontation between Van Helsing and the Count, with the Professor delivering the death blow... even four of the five “faithful” versions I’ve listed here. The Count is killed by sunlight in one. He’s staked through the heart by Van Helsing in two others (one with a wooden stake, one with a wooden spear). And one uniquely ends with Harker and Quincey setting Dracula’s casket on fire in broad daylight so the Count cannot escape.

And while no film presents Stoker’s action ending with 100% accuracy, three of the films do make the attempt with varying degrees of faithfulness. I will take each one in order of accuracy.

Christopher Lee Version:

In the Lee Version there is no chase and no battle with guns and blades. The Gypsies just show up at Castle Dracula with the box containing the Count in what looks like a funeral procession. Johnathan Harker and Arthur Homewood... excuse me, Quincey Morris are lying in wait - and that’s it... no supernaturally powered Mina, no exhausted Van Helsing and no vengeance hungering Doctor Seward... it’s just Harker and Morris. The two lone heroes then “battle” the Gypsies by simply dropping huge square chunks of castle wall on them until the Gypsies run away. The rest of the action does not follow the novel at all. So, this finale is only kinda-sorta faithful but at least there was still a confrontation of sorts with the Gypsy minions so... that’s something anyway.

Louis Jordan version:

On the other hand the Louis Jordan version is the very first adaptation to include both the raucous chase and the battle with guns and blades. However composite character Quincey Homewood is shot and wounded instead of mortally stabbed. When he gets to Dracula’s cart he collapses unable to do more, so he has no hand in killing Dracula. Doctor Seward is present and fights. Van Helsing and Mina are also there but Mina is not driven by supernatural power that makes her bold and fearless and she only wields a gun because Van Helsing gives her a rifle and tells her to use it. Though to her credit she does use it once to kill a Gypsy who is about to stab Harker. The rest of the climax does not follow the novel but until now this was the closest any film had ever come to what Stoker wrote. So kudos to them!

Coppola Version:

Coppola’s also has the mad chase and battle with guns and blades. Johnathan Harker, Doctor Seward, Arthur Homewood, and Quincey Morris are all there and fight valiantly exactly like in the novel. And like the novel an exhausted Van Helsing and Mina are also present with Mina possessed by supernatural power that drives her to fearlessness. Though unlike the novel the supernatural power drives Mina to defend Dracula with a gun rather than use the gun against Dracula’s minions - which when you think about it kinda makes more sense as it’s a dark power that is gripping her soul.

But then like the novel Quincey is stabbed, Harker faces Dracula just as the sun sets and cuts the vampire’s throat and in a final dying act Quincey drives his Bowie knife into Dracula’s heart. Coppola deviates from the novel at this point in that Dracula does not die immediately and burst into ashes and Quincey Morris dies in Doctor Seward’s arms and not Johnathan’s as written. But I rather liked that particular deviation as Doctor Seward and Quincey Morris were both failed suitors of Lucy Westenra and driven by vengeance, so I found it fitting that one heartbroken suitor dies in the arms of the other heartbroken suitor.

In the end, all of this makes Coppola’s the only “Dracula” film ever made to not only include all the combatants from the novel, the heroic dying deeds of the American Cowboy, and most amazingly of all, the first and ONLY “Dracula” film to show the precise mechanism of Dracula’s death by way of a slashed throat and a cowboy’s Bowie knife through the heart just as Stoker wrote it.

Sure, ultimately in Coppola’s version it is Mina who eventually drives the Bowie knife home to end the Count, but I have ZERO problem with this embellishment. Purists may get upset, but after decades of Mina being reduced to “Damsel in distress” I say why not let the stout-hearted woman finally be the one to destroy the Count.

Winner: Coppola version

AND THE ULTIMATE WINNER IS...

After 5 days worth of essay, in the end it turns out to be pretty obvious that it all comes down to two... the Louis Jordan version and the Coppola version. As to which is the most faithful to Stoker’s work is up to you as it depends on what is most important to you as viewer and reader.

If it is historical accuracy and strict adherence to Stoker’s plot and overall authentic period tone then Coppola’s version is disqualified for the way it more or less bullet-points the plot to make room for the added subplots, its gothic dream-like tone, and all those wild embellishments this film so gleefully revels in. Thus the Louis Jordan version is the hands-down winner. No question.

However, if adherence to Stoker’s characters is more important to you then one can only favor the Coppola version. What with it’s more accurate depictions of Johnathan Harker, Dr. Seward, Arthur Homewood and Van Helsing. Being the ONLY filmed version to include the complete story of the American Cowboy Quincey Morris. And of course a portrayal of Mina that finally gives her a true arc worthy of the bold character Stoker had written. Add to that the most faithful rendition of the final battle yet filmed and the only film EVER to include the novel-accurate killing blows to Dracula and my personal choice is Coppola’s.

But that’s just me, the ultimate choice...

...is yours.

AFTERTHOUGHT

Two things:

First, here is a novel written in 1897 that ends with a raucous chase, a gun battle featuring Winchester rifles, a fearless heroine wielding a pistol and a Cowboy from Texas who kills the King of the Vampires with a Bowie knife. Frankly, I find it astounding that in the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’, jingoistic Hollywood didn’t crank out a slew of Dracula films that focused mainly on those elements, with brave American Quincey Morris as the central figure. You would think as kids we would have all grown up believing the story of “Dracula” was about a noble Gary Cooper-esque Cowboy vampire hunter vs. the Prince of Darkness. Only to then someday read the book and be shocked that Quincey Morris wasn’t the main hero.

And finally, regarding future cinematic tellings of “Dracula”... sure, the Jordan version sacrificed characters for plot and the Coppola version sacrificed plot for characters so there’s still plenty of room for someone to finally make the definitive faithful version... but, if I’m to be completely honest I am far less interested in that as I am in a version told entirely from valiant Mina’s point of view. Dracula vs. Van Helsing has been done time and time again on stage, film and television. In fact, they just did it again on Netflix. It’s time for a true MINA vs. Dracula movie. Such a film is more than 100 years overdue... and I would love to see it.

To all of you who read some or all of this essay, I say thank you. I hope you enjoyed it or at the very least found it to be a nice diversion. I truly wish I could invite you all over for a “Dracula” movie marathon. For I would then quote the Count:

“Welcome to my house... come freely, go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring.”

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rainydawgradioblog · 4 years

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a covidsation with shelby leone

Next up is Shelby Leone, a fellow English major attending Seattle University and a stunningly talented multidisciplinary artist, writer, and musician. Last November, I was lucky enough to book their band Cherry Lip at my former DIY space, Red Room (RIP !!). Big thanks and love to Shelby for this thoughtful and insightful commentary.

Lola Gil: Tell me about Cherry Lip and yourself. How long have y’all been playing together? Which artists are you most inspired by? How would you describe your sound?

Shelby Leone: I am a musician and writer based in Seattle. I’ve been around the scene first doing poetry readings and then playing music for three years now, and I played with Cherry Lip for a little less than a year. The sound of that project was really influenced by my bandmate Bobby’s love of Bossa and my love of sounding like a jaded nightclub singer. The band’s sound changed with our members as well, as we sort of interchanged whoever was available to play bass and keys and guitar. Sometimes it got kinda psych rock and others it was kinda Bossa indie rock.

Personally, I love Amy Winehouse, Alex Turner, Japanese Breakfast, Devendra Banhart, it’s hard to name only a few lol.

LG: Are you planning on releasing any music soon?

SL: Yes, depending! Recording at home is awesome, but what people don’t really touch on often is how expensive some of these DIY kids’ equipment is. Between mics and software and other do-dads you see in these set ups, things can add up financially, so I’m slowly working towards finding a way to record something that is well-made from the cozy comfort of my basement.

LG: Have you been involved in any other creative projects outside of Cherry Lip recently?

SL: I am working on a few! I’m an interdisciplinary bitch. Right now, I am working on a book of poetry, an illustrated zine (drawn by my best friend and reason for being, Quincey Caldwell), as well as some musical projects of my own :)

Recently, it has all shifted though too. Since implementing social distancing in my life, I’ve been working with recordings done by my friends and bandmates before we couldn’t go to each other’s houses and make stuff face-to-face. Everything is being done over text, and it’s not the same... but it’s not impossible to keep making things.

LG: How have you been personally affected by COVID? What has your quarantine experience been like so far?

SL: I literally had just begun to hit my stride in the scene, playing and booking shows for the Cherry Lip project. I got really into it. I was even thinking about hosting a show to raise money for the Bernie Sanders campaign in my backyard. All in all, I had around three or four events drop, which doesn’t seem like much, but when you’re an artist who is just getting started, every opportunity to show people what you’ve worked so hard on is worth something.

I mean house shows, venue shows, art shows, they’ve all come to a halt. In person, at least. I miss it so much, I have this big hole in my chest. I really love the community aspect of the DIY scene, even with its complications and problems. I miss seeking my weekend friends at shows, people I never saw unless we were dancing together or playing in bands on the same bill, or chatting on someone’s porch. I am lucky to live with so many people who feel the same, we’ve been filling our time trying to keep our own little creative colony connected.

LG: What music have you been listening to recently? What’s your go-to quarantine album?

SL: Jessica Pratt’s self titled release is so good for times like these. When I got laid off of my dishwashing job, I just laid on my bed and listened to it all the way through like three times. Also not to be that guy, but King Krule’s new record, Man Alive! is the kind of underwater anguish I need right now. I also just love melodrama.

LG: Are there any spring shows that you were particularly looking forward to attending that got cancelled?

SL: Ha Ha! lol...so yeah. My best friend got me tickets to see AJJ for Christmas and it was supposed to be in March... I am so sad. High school me will have to wait a tad longer to see their favorite band.

LG: How do you think the Seattle music scene is going to shift post-COVID?

SL: Something I know in my gut is that there is more than one single scene in Seattle. It’s this living organism made of pockets of microscenes. So speaking for the limb I find myself in most often, I think we strangely needed the break. Needed a revitalization. Right now, artists are getting antsy and for a lot of them, this means new work or new motivation to get out of the house. So hopefully that means that we come back with new life. We might have the change to make something really cool here, if the world sticks around to see it. Idk maybe not.

LG: In this funky and isolating era of social distancing, how do you think artists can support each other? How do you think social media is facilitating and/or inhibiting connection within Seattle’s creative community?

SL: I have been supporting artists as much as I can, both physically and monetarily. If you can, buy a print off of Instagram or share a Bandcamp song. Tip a cam girl, share an artist’s work on your story. It’s about staying connected to each other for more than the cloudy “need to be seen” feeling that lurks in the undertones. Right now, social media is purely social for the first time in a while, and I am grateful to be around and be an artist in an era where a complete shut down of in-person experiences does not totally stop the art form being shared.

-Lola Gil

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