Scenes We Hate: Bram Stoker's Dracula
Filed under: Romance, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fandom
For starters, I just want to make it perfectly clear that I have nothing against Winona Ryder. Veronica Sawyer will remain as one of my favorite characters of all time, and her Bjork on Rock N' Roll Jeopardy has yet to be matched. But, let's be honest, period pieces were never her thing (maybe with one exception ... but that's a big maybe). In 1992 Francis Ford Coppola released Bram Stoker's Dracula, and I've never been able to look at her the same way again.
Dracula is hardly a perfect movie, and by no means am I dumping all the blame on Winona's doorstep. But all the beautiful costumes and references to La Belle et la Bête couldn't save what was once described as a "fruitcake of a movie"; and the cherry on that fruitcake is this scene between Gary Oldman (as the bloodsucking Prince of Wallachia) and Ryder as Mina Harker. What should have been romantic and emotional (not to mention hot) is for me the cinematic equivalent of watching an amateur lightweight get into the ring with Muhammad Ali (and can you guess who the lightweight is?). Ryder's delivery is stilted and awkward, Oldman is hamming it up for all it's worth, and I will forever be cringing in my seat.
Dracula Fun Facts (Courtesy of IMDB):
- In an attempt to elicit more emotion, director Francis Ford Coppola shouted "whore" and "slut" at Winona Ryder while filming the scene when Van Helsing catches Mina with Dracula.
- Prince Vlad's scream after he drives his sword into the cross is not the voice of Gary Oldman. Lux Interior, lead singer of punk band The Cramps, recorded the scream and it was dubbed in.
- Earnings from the film was enough to save Zoetrope (Francis Ford Coppola's studio) from bankruptcy after suffering from financial difficulties and liabilities of $27 million over the past 3 years.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-13-2009 @ 8:38PM
Marshall said...
Both of her Oscar nominations have been for period pieces. What the heck are you talking about?
Reply
3-13-2009 @ 9:36PM
Mr. R said...
Funny you point out SNL. Everytime I see this movie, I keep waiting for Gary Oldman to suddenly stop and in his best John Lithgow as Baudelaire scream: - ACTING!...BRILLIANT!-
It's fake but not as fake as "older Keanu"
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3-13-2009 @ 11:38PM
Stephen said...
Funny the Youtube clip title is 'My favorite scene from "Bram Stoker's Dracula"'.
Here's a rehearsal clip of part of the above scene. It kind of looks like Winona is afraid of Gary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS3kkwRCQ3M
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3-15-2009 @ 12:46PM
Folger's Crystals said...
Winona was great in two period pieces -- The Crucible and especially Little Women. IMO the only thing wrong with her performance in Dracula is that her accent is weird and a little distracting. The role as written is pretty thin, and she makes the most of it. But I do agree that Winona and Gary are mismatched: she's much hotter than he is. I can't stand him with all that cheesy facial hair -- totally kills the boner that this scene would otherwise have elicited.
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3-19-2009 @ 6:48PM
PB said...
Jessica, Gary does not ham it up in this scene. He shows emotion that is perfectly appropriate for the character in this context. Do you think he should have stared into space with a blank expression waiting for Winona to say her lines? If he did anything less than he did you would have called his acting "wooden". And Winona is fine too. Jeez! It's so easy to criticize, expecially when you yourself could never get in there and do as well. That scene is beautiful. And Gary is very sexy in this film. There is no need for you to be so critical and offensive.
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3-25-2009 @ 3:21PM
PB said...
Wynona is hotter for YOU. It's true though that somehow they got Gary to look blah in this scene but in the rest of the film when he's not covered up with makeup he is gorgeous. You need to see him in The Scarlet Letter or Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, what a handsome man! He does have his little flaws but they make him all that much cuter. In this scene from Dracula, I agree with you the facial hair is too much; it changes the shape of his face, and so does the particular wig which is different from the others he wears in this film. The lighting does nothing for him and the camera angle from below is unflattering to most people. Gary is on Esquire magazine's list of the 100 Sexiest people on film. He 's also considered to be one of 100 greatest film actors of all time. I don't have that reference but I can get it for you. Bottom line is Gary Oldman is SEXYYY!!
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3-24-2009 @ 5:14PM
Folger's Crystals said...
PB, yes I agree that Gary is fundamentally a good-looking guy. And even in this scene some people may find him attractive. To each his own. At least we agree that the acting is much better than JB has suggested. I totally agree with you about Gary's performance.