I really liked this version of 'Dracula'. Okay, so there are changes made from the original novel, but that's something all the various TV and movie adaptations are guilty of (even 1992's 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' - the most faithful version made so far - took liberties with the character of Dracula himself, trying to turn him into a sympathetic, romantic figure).
At least this time, most of the changes served a purpose, as they were perfectly in keeping with what this particular adaptation was trying to achieve. Sex has always been one of the major themes of 'Dracula' and the vampire myth. Vampirism is a blatant metaphor for the sexual act (they're both forms of fluid transaction) and the Count represents pure, animalistic, sexual liberation at odds with the extremely repressed attitudes of Victorian society. Having Holmwood suffering from syphilis and unable to consummate his marriage to Lucy was an extremely clever twist. She grows increasingly frustrated and in doing so, subconsciously and unwittingly invites Dracula into her bed (the scene in which the Count seduces her while her husband lies asleep next to them was surprisingly twisted). A key scene that foreshadows this is when news reaches the Holmwood household that the storm-tossed Demeter is going to run aground on the beach below, and Lucy tells Mina that she wants to "see death". Lucy is so stifled and empty without physical love, that she's even prepared to experience the only thing that might match it's intensity. To her, life without passion is no life at all.
In contrast, Mina is the polar opposite to her friend, even confessing to Lucy that she has no desire to "touch" her fiancé, Jonathan Harker. This is why Dracula actively pursues Mina after casually killing and vampirising Lucy - he represents both the life-affirming and destructive aspects of open sexual behaviour and obsession. He is both liberator and destroyer. Lucy gave herself to him freely, so she is ultimately of no great interest to him - just another casual conquest. But the virginal, closeted and repressed Mina represents a greater challenge - his corruption and degradation of her will be far sweeter than the uncomplicated seduction of Lucy.
The fate of the two friends is intriguing: Lucy pays for her sexual awakening with an early death, but she has experienced the pure, undiluted passion that she so desperately wanted, and without which she regarded her life as worthless. Compare with Mina, who (even though the story concludes with a hint of a possible romance with Seward), will forever be pining after her dead fiancé, and apparently has nothing to look forward to but a long, lonely and passionless life as a spinster.
Regarding the cast, Sophia Miles was the perfect Lucy, and helped make her far more rounded than the usual spoilt, flighty character seen in most other adaptations. Stephanie Leonidas as Mina was often eclipsed next to Miles, and struggled to make much of an impression. Marc Warren skillfully underplayed the Count, suggesting a constant brooding menace just under the surface, threatening to erupt.
This version is not without problems. The pacing works well throughout most of it's running time, but the last twenty minutes is incredibly rushed. As a result, the heroes' confrontations with Lucy and subsequently the Count are just too brief and therefore not very satisfying. Lucy in particular doesn't put up much of a fight, and basically just lies down and allows herself to be staked. And the final twist - revealing Dracula still alive on the streets of London - is underwhelming, because it was so clearly foreshadowed (after the Count is staked, then collapses and begins to dissolve into smoke, an anxious Van Helsing repeatedly asks Seward if he's sure the heart was pierced). It would have been far better to have a glimpse of a still-active Lucy, especially as Holmwood appeared to have botched her staking (the stake seemed to be buried in her midriff instead of her heart).
At least this time, most of the changes served a purpose, as they were perfectly in keeping with what this particular adaptation was trying to achieve. Sex has always been one of the major themes of 'Dracula' and the vampire myth. Vampirism is a blatant metaphor for the sexual act (they're both forms of fluid transaction) and the Count represents pure, animalistic, sexual liberation at odds with the extremely repressed attitudes of Victorian society. Having Holmwood suffering from syphilis and unable to consummate his marriage to Lucy was an extremely clever twist. She grows increasingly frustrated and in doing so, subconsciously and unwittingly invites Dracula into her bed (the scene in which the Count seduces her while her husband lies asleep next to them was surprisingly twisted). A key scene that foreshadows this is when news reaches the Holmwood household that the storm-tossed Demeter is going to run aground on the beach below, and Lucy tells Mina that she wants to "see death". Lucy is so stifled and empty without physical love, that she's even prepared to experience the only thing that might match it's intensity. To her, life without passion is no life at all.
In contrast, Mina is the polar opposite to her friend, even confessing to Lucy that she has no desire to "touch" her fiancé, Jonathan Harker. This is why Dracula actively pursues Mina after casually killing and vampirising Lucy - he represents both the life-affirming and destructive aspects of open sexual behaviour and obsession. He is both liberator and destroyer. Lucy gave herself to him freely, so she is ultimately of no great interest to him - just another casual conquest. But the virginal, closeted and repressed Mina represents a greater challenge - his corruption and degradation of her will be far sweeter than the uncomplicated seduction of Lucy.
The fate of the two friends is intriguing: Lucy pays for her sexual awakening with an early death, but she has experienced the pure, undiluted passion that she so desperately wanted, and without which she regarded her life as worthless. Compare with Mina, who (even though the story concludes with a hint of a possible romance with Seward), will forever be pining after her dead fiancé, and apparently has nothing to look forward to but a long, lonely and passionless life as a spinster.
Regarding the cast, Sophia Miles was the perfect Lucy, and helped make her far more rounded than the usual spoilt, flighty character seen in most other adaptations. Stephanie Leonidas as Mina was often eclipsed next to Miles, and struggled to make much of an impression. Marc Warren skillfully underplayed the Count, suggesting a constant brooding menace just under the surface, threatening to erupt.
This version is not without problems. The pacing works well throughout most of it's running time, but the last twenty minutes is incredibly rushed. As a result, the heroes' confrontations with Lucy and subsequently the Count are just too brief and therefore not very satisfying. Lucy in particular doesn't put up much of a fight, and basically just lies down and allows herself to be staked. And the final twist - revealing Dracula still alive on the streets of London - is underwhelming, because it was so clearly foreshadowed (after the Count is staked, then collapses and begins to dissolve into smoke, an anxious Van Helsing repeatedly asks Seward if he's sure the heart was pierced). It would have been far better to have a glimpse of a still-active Lucy, especially as Holmwood appeared to have botched her staking (the stake seemed to be buried in her midriff instead of her heart).