There are countless TV and movie adaptations of "Dracula." No single adaptation is perfect, but some of them are quite good. Unfortunately, this one falls under the disappointing category.
The storyline deviates a lot from Bram Stoker's book. I guess the changes wouldn't bother me if I thought the "substitute" plot was any good - but it's not. This version of the story focuses on Lord Holmwood's battle with syphilis; in a weird twist, he actually brings Dracula to England in the hopes that the vampire can cure him. Holmwood also deceives Lucy at great length, concealing his condition from her even though they're married (this doesn't make any sense to me, actually; surely he would move heaven and earth to delay the wedding until AFTER Dracula cures him?)
As a result of this plot tinkering, the subtexts of Stoker's novel are dragged out into the light in a somewhat tedious fashion; this is no longer a fantasy story, or a commentary on social diseases, it's ABOUT social diseases. Hmm - I don't think I like that. It's too unsubtle for me.
I also don't really like this version's intense focus on the Seward / Holmwood / Lucy love triangle. It boils the whole story down to teenage love shenanigans. In fact, the entire production feels so juvenile that the arrival of Van Helsing, an actual adult (played by David Suchet, who can actually act!) comes like a breath of summer wind, or some-such pleasant thing.
This version also tries too hard to look "right." Dracula's castle is shot in weird green-o-vision, and the cutting is so fast you'll think the thing has been edited together by monkeys.
On the positive side, I enjoy Suchet's performance, and the production values are pretty good overall, my gripes notwithstanding. Marc Warren might have been a decent Dracula, though he doesn't have enough screen time to make an impression. And hey, Sophia Myles looks oh-so-good in those period dresses; her appearance boosted my rating up a star or two.
As a whole, though, this is weak stuff. I used to rely on the BBC to produce quality, intelligent TV for a sophisticated audience, but for the past few years it seems to me that they've been pitching low, so to speak. Shame, that.
The storyline deviates a lot from Bram Stoker's book. I guess the changes wouldn't bother me if I thought the "substitute" plot was any good - but it's not. This version of the story focuses on Lord Holmwood's battle with syphilis; in a weird twist, he actually brings Dracula to England in the hopes that the vampire can cure him. Holmwood also deceives Lucy at great length, concealing his condition from her even though they're married (this doesn't make any sense to me, actually; surely he would move heaven and earth to delay the wedding until AFTER Dracula cures him?)
As a result of this plot tinkering, the subtexts of Stoker's novel are dragged out into the light in a somewhat tedious fashion; this is no longer a fantasy story, or a commentary on social diseases, it's ABOUT social diseases. Hmm - I don't think I like that. It's too unsubtle for me.
I also don't really like this version's intense focus on the Seward / Holmwood / Lucy love triangle. It boils the whole story down to teenage love shenanigans. In fact, the entire production feels so juvenile that the arrival of Van Helsing, an actual adult (played by David Suchet, who can actually act!) comes like a breath of summer wind, or some-such pleasant thing.
This version also tries too hard to look "right." Dracula's castle is shot in weird green-o-vision, and the cutting is so fast you'll think the thing has been edited together by monkeys.
On the positive side, I enjoy Suchet's performance, and the production values are pretty good overall, my gripes notwithstanding. Marc Warren might have been a decent Dracula, though he doesn't have enough screen time to make an impression. And hey, Sophia Myles looks oh-so-good in those period dresses; her appearance boosted my rating up a star or two.
As a whole, though, this is weak stuff. I used to rely on the BBC to produce quality, intelligent TV for a sophisticated audience, but for the past few years it seems to me that they've been pitching low, so to speak. Shame, that.