When you think of Dracula, what comes to mind? Or for that matter, vampires as a whole? What qualities or traits really make up the quintessential vampire?
Some may envision them to be pale, shadowy figures that lurk in endless darkness. They might live in large Gothic castles, sleep in coffins or speak with a particular Eastern European accent.
Many depictions of vampires highlight their vulnerability to sunlight, but in “Twilight,” the leading vampire Edward Cullen sparkles in the sun. While other depictions, like the comedic kids’ film “Hotel Transylvania,” give their main vampires, Count Dracula and his daughter Mavis, the ability to become bats.
Perhaps their most shocking characteristic, and one that has remained consistent throughout all depictions of vampires, is their draw to human blood. You just can’t have a vampire without their signature long fangs and thirst for blood.
However, even if there’s one thing everyone can agree on, there’s still a myriad of other variable traits that you can ascribe to them.
When I saw that French director Luc Besson’s “Dracula: A Love Tale,” which had a limited release in France last summer, would be released in the U.S., I was curious. What angle could Besson take on the titular character, who has already had so many renditions before? What about this Dracula sets him apart from his silver screen counterparts, especially those from recent years, such as Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu”?
Ultimately, while this movie does try to humanize Dracula by opting to frame him as a man yearning for the return of his wife, it felt like other parts were yearning for attention.
In Besson’s interpretation of the original Gothic tale written by Bram Stoker, a young Romanian prince, Vlad of Wallachia (Caleb Landry Jones), loses his wife to an Ottoman attack, leading him to renounce God and thus be cursed to become Dracula. Convinced that his wife, Elisabeta (Zoë Bleu), could be reincarnated because she had the purest of souls, Dracula spends the next 400 years searching Europe’s courts for her.
When his searches come up dry, he falls into a life of solitude. That is, until Dracula finds out that his reincarnated wife, who now goes by Mina, is engaged to a Parisian solicitor, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid). This reignites Dracula’s search for his wife in Paris, but a wrench is thrown into his pursuit when Harker seeks the assistance of a priest bent on taking out Dracula and his followers.
As a whole, this movie told a more romance-driven narrative around the tale of Dracula that gives him more human qualities.
It has all the classic trappings of a vampire movie. Big gothic castle, dark and brooding Count and, of course, blood-sucking. Yet, it provides slower moments to take in Dracula’s humanity, or rather, the humanity he lost over the 400 years he spent in search of his wife. In particular, an early recounting of his story to Harker shows just how deep in despair the young prince felt after losing his wife.
That doesn’t mean that the more action-packed sequences in the film aren’t equally interesting, as a highlight for me were some of the highly-choreographed scenes. Among those scenes is a fight where Dracula single-handedly takes on dozens of French soldiers, along with a chilling sequence where Dracula regains his youth by feeding off a convent of nuns.
However, while the movie did make an effort to sell the love between Dracula and Mina, it often felt rushed and lacked some depth. It’s undeniable that Jones and Bleu had chemistry, but at the rapid pace it was difficult to believe that Mina could fall for Dracula in such a short time, even if they did have a spiritual link. Mina seems to act on a whim from the moment we’re introduced to her, which just makes it all the more convenient for her to fall for Dracula so quickly.
The movie has also been heavily criticized by other critics who felt that Luc Besson’s take on the movie isn’t the most original, citing that it draws on plot devices and themes found in other movies, such as Francis Ford Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” and Tom Tykwer’s, “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.”
It’s also worth noting that the release of “Dracula: A Love Tale” also comes off lawsuits filed against Besson for his treatment of female employees on his sets. While many of these cases have since been dropped due to a lack of evidence, the details surrounding the allegations have deterred many in online forums from supporting his work, and understandably soured the reception this movie has received.
While I don’t think “Dracula: A Love Tale” is a perfect movie, it managed to deliver its promise of providing a more human and romantic side to a character as iconic as Dracula. Even if the path to Dracula’s acceptance felt unclear and uncertain, at least by the end it felt like a sweet, sanguine kiss — or bite.
