Bram Stoker's Dracula (Collector's Edition)
I don't know what it is about Dracula, but I just can't seem to get on board with vampires of any kind. Even though Wil has tried to convince me it's really not that awful, I've managed to avoid the movie this long. At this point though, why not try something new for the 365 Movie Challenge.
After having watched the movie:
(Possible spoilers below)
I don't really know what beef was with Dracula. I mean it's a great movie and story, so I can really only sum it up to being stubborn and kind of silly about not watching the movie or even trying to watch it for so long.
Even before I sat down to watch the movie with Wil, he was great enough to kind of highlight a couple things about the movie for me. For example, I had no idea that the costume designer was originally hired as the art director but asked to do costuming only after Coppola noticed some of the wardrobe sketches she had done. I also didn't know that Coppola was also stubborn enough to insist that all the effects in the movie be done practically, which gave the movie a little bit of edge over other Dracula movies. Wil was right though, it did help a little to know those things before watching the movie.
The biggest problem I had with the movie was Keanu Reeves, who was only casted in the role because Coppola wanted to find a male actor who young females would connect with. In other words, he wasn't as concerned about acting capabilities as he was a pretty face. Which Keanu's lack of acting isn't really the only problem with the movie, he doesn't really register English to me and he's too pretty but not necessarily in a good way. I mean certainly there had to have been another attractive actor who was available in 1992. I guess just don't understand why Coppola hadn't settled for a Calvin Klein model from that years spring or summer campaign.
Wil was right, there are some pretty fabulous wardrobe pieces in the movie; although I have to disagree with him about the wedding dress Lucy chooses. I understand it may have been Victorian, but it was just too much for me. I mean, I appreciate the dress and all of the lace that comprised it but it was just too much for me. Although, kudos to the designer, Eiko Ishioka, for his design and color choice. The portion of the movie that occurs in 1897 makes not only the style, but color choice of the dress rather historically accurate.
A picture of Lucy's wedding dress:
I recently found out, and I think it's incredibly interesting, that there has always been a lot of thought that went into a wedding dress. Okay, I guess there really isn't any surprise there, but for example, it wasn't until Queen Victoria married in 1840 wearing a white dress that changed the way we use colors in wedding dresses today.
Prior to the Queen's wedding, it was actually common for women in Scandinavia to wear black on their wedding day. A bit ironic, because Black has become the accepted color for mourning. A lot of women who married after Queen Victoria, chose to marry in the same color as a way to honor the Queen's choice. As though the Queen would really ever acknowledge people outside of her immediate circle of friends who followed not only her political choices but her choices in fashion as well. At some point there after it was then decided that white would symbolize purity, but I just kind of think that was some extremely religious person who later set that guideline. Which basically means prior to the wedding of Queen Victoria wedding dresses were made in a multitude of colors, and it was things like the material and the yardage that mattered the most. Think about it, a peasant or lower class woman wouldn't be able to marry wearing layers upon layers of velvet and lace. So for all you brides who want to wear canary yellow on your wedding day: just remind your guest that it's a perfectly acceptable choice and if it weren't for Queen Victoria they could have worn the same canary yellow, velvet dress with a forty foot train you're going to wear on your big day.
Final thoughts: I really don't know what my beef was with watching Dracula or any of the Dracula movies for that matter. I mean, the story is actually pretty awesome and is full of sexual undertones during a very Victorian England so why wouldn't I have been interested? At the very least, I'm glad I watched the movie. It was better than I thought it would be, and it's one that I would recommend everyone watching at least once.
P.S. If anyone ever does marry in a canary yellow, velvet dress that has a forty foot train, I need to see pictures!
OFFICIAL COUNT 75 DOWN 290 TO GO
Next up: City Slickers
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