Why do we love vampires so much? I have watched every version of Dracula in my 79 years on this planet, from the 1922 Nosferatu up to the recent release of Dracula. Luc Besson’s version is also a love story, but the surprise is who Dracula really loved.
Dracula
Dracula is a French Gothic romance written by Bram Stoker and Luc Besson and directed by Luc Besson. It stars Caleb Landry Jones, Christoph Waltz, Zoe Bleu, Matilda DeAngelis, Ewens Abid, and Guillaume de Tonquedec. This version is a more direct adaptation of the novel written by Stoker, but what makes this Dracula stand out is the events leading up to Vlad Tepes’s act of rebellion against a God that Vlad swore his life and kingdom to defend and honour.
Caleb Landry Jones is outstanding as Dracula, but instead of inducing horror in the viewers, we find ourselves drawn into his almost obsessive love with his wife, Elisabeta (Zoe Bleu), and his disappointment with God. Vladimir fought many battles in God’s name, and so he expected the same loyalty to be returned when he asked the bishop to ask God to keep Elisabeta safe from harm while he was fighting the Ottomans.
Welcome to the real world, Vlad! Apparently, God doesn’t do requests, no matter how loyal you are. Just ask a few saints, like Joan of Arc.
While a priest (Christoph Waltz) is at an insane asylum, where Maria (Matilda De Angelis), a close friend of Mina (Zoe Bleu), is being held, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid) is doing business at Dracula’s home. The priest knows exactly what Maria is, but he wants to know her connection to Dracula (Caleb Landry Jones).
I don’t have to go into the details of the Dracula story. We already know it. We have seen enough films, both gory and funny, but even when Dracula was presented as the love story that it is, I think the most important part of the story was never understood. Luc Besson has given us a beautiful and sometimes comical view of Dracula. The scenes with Dracula experimenting with different perfumes in order to attract his wife when she finally reincarnates, and the dancing scenes when Dracula, over his 400-year-life span, attends different affairs to find Elisabeta…are both funny and stunningly beautiful at the same time.
Conclusion
Dracula was so in love with his wife that he denounced God after Elisabeta was killed. This film focuses not only on the loss of Elisabeta and the pain and loneliness Dracula suffered over his long lifespan, but also on the absolute abandonment he faced after turning his back on a God he loved as much as his wife.
This film is a true love story, but not what we are used to in horror films. Even the worst of us are forgiven when we remember that love is never forgotten or denied…and that it is eternal.
You can see Dracula at select theatres across Canada and the United States now.
