The vampire narrative has been explored throughout literature repeatedly, however, it is Bram Stoker’s Dracula that has retained the most influence in its portrayal of the vampire. Francis Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ was released in 1993 and is widely considered a popular interpretation of the text. Despite merging both the author and title of the original novel in its title, Coppola’s film significantly deviates from the text. Bram Stoker’s Dracula was originally published in 1897 and therefore these pieces of literature were created with nearly a century between them. In this essay, I will be discussing how cultural influences of the time have impacted their treatment of romantic love within the gothic genre. Moreover, I will be discussing how Coppola’s implementation of the romance plot within the vampire narrative results in an entirely different interpretation of the story and the characterisation of the original characters.
In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, it is initially difficult to determine who will be characterised as the hero. Jonathan Harker is not primarily represented as the hero of the text as he essentially facilitates Count Dracula’s travel to England. Although he attempts to, ‘rid the world of such a monster,’ early in the text with a shovel, this action is performed entirely in his own best interest. Moreover, following his encounter with Dracula, he is described by Mina as, ‘thin and pale and weak-looking’ (114). Stoker, therefore, does not give him the physical and personal attributes that would normally be associated with a hero. However, once he joins the “Crew of Light” he begins to develop into the role of the hero. This characterisation of Harker in Dracula is based on the concept of ‘romantic heroism’ founded in tales such as Don Quixote, where the protagonist is a warrior who battles within the domain of magic and monsters, whilst having a loving, beautiful maiden. Critics such as Joseph Crawford have highlighted how this concept assumes the warrior must naturally have a beautiful maiden waiting for him. The theory of ‘romantic heroism’ here is used to create a gothic hero who is willing to sacrifice himself, if necessary, to kill the monster. Moreover, the rest of the ‘Crew of Light’ also take on the role of the gothic hero in their drive to kill Dracula out of their love towards Mina. The text thus confirms Crawford’s discussions as the heroes require a beautiful maiden alongside their fight. Additionally, even Mina is willing to sacrifice herself for the safety of those she loves. In Stoker’s Dracula and Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, the power of love is strengthened by sacrifice. In Coppola’s film, Mina sacrifices her relationship with Dracula to redeem him. In addition, Harker sacrifices his relationship with Mina by allowing her to enter the chapel and redeem him, despite being aware of his dangerous nature. For Quincey Morris, especially, love for Mina and the need to save her results in the loss of his life. In Coppola’s interpretation of the text, Quincey’s death, however, does not generate the same amount of sympathy as Dracula’s. Quincy’s death is depicted by Coppola as pointless and almost comic. Coppola associates love with sacrifice in the text through the relationship between Mina and Dracula, however, he satirises the theory of ‘romantic heroism’ Stoker explores in his novel. Through the male characters of the text, Stoker combines romantic love with heroism within the realm of gothic fiction.
Alternatively, Coppola’s version allows for the development of the romantic and possibly even heroic vampire. He dramatically changes the characterisation of Dracula found in Stoker’s novel and earlier adaptations of the novel such as Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau’s Nosferatu. Stoker’s Dracula is characterised as selfish with a thirst for blood and power. Dracula’s departure from Transylvania is founded on his urge to expand his power. He seeks to expand his race of the “Undead” and dissolve the distinction between life and death. Alternatively, Coppola’s Dracula longs to leave the castle out of his desire to pursue Mina, his dead wife’s double. Moreover, during Dracula’s interactions with the female characters in the novel he does not seem to have any other purpose for them other than to manipulate and drain them from their blood. He refers to them as, ‘[his] creatures, to do [his] bidding’ (326), who will also prove to be useful as hunters when he wants to feed. His objective when turning Mina is therefore restricted to quenching his thirst and extending his power. In Coppola’s film, Dracula promises Mina ‘life eternal, everlasting love’ and yearns to have her be his, ‘loving wife forever’ (1:39:30). Dracula is also given the quality of self-control that is not found in Stoker’s Dracula as when prompted by Mina to transform her into a vampire he states, ‘I cannot let this be’ (1:40:44). Coppola’s Dracula is given heroic qualities that were restrictively reserved for the heroes in gothic fiction and not the villains.
Critics have thus argued that throughout gothic fiction the heroes are becoming continuously darker. In Stoker’s Dracula, it is Count Dracula’s otherness that terrifies both the reader and the other human characters in the text. When Mina first sees Dracula, she states, ‘For an instant my heart stood still, and I would have screamed out, only that I was paralysed’ (306). Mina is thus in an extreme state of terror when she encounters Dracula in the novel. However, Coppola’s contemporary Dracula does not generate the same state of terror because of his familiarity. The audience can identify with Dracula and almost relate to him by giving him human qualities such as self-control, shame and the ability to love. There is a moment of vulnerability and shame when Mina discovers Dracula over Lucy when he states, ‘No, do not see me!’ (0:42:41). Dracula is unable to perform the morally evil act of draining Lucy’s blood in front of Mina. He is ashamed of his monstrosity and his ‘bloodless lusting’ (1:37:28) nature. These qualities contribute to the lack of fear the audience experiences towards his character. Dracula takes on the role of the ‘anti-hero’ in Coppola’s film. Unlike Harker who is morally correct, Dracula’s actions are morally wrong, however, he is redeemed by his romantic love. Coppola initiates a sense of empathy towards his character by introducing us to Dracula before he becomes a blood-thirsty vampire. The audience is encouraged to identify with his character as oppose to Jonathan and the others who seem to be obstructing Dracula’s aim to reunite with his old love.
Furthermore, in Coppola’s interpretation, the protagonist undergoes a major physical transformation from the pale and unsympathetic Count Dracula to the attractive Count De Vil. Here we have a Dracula who is made more human through his appearance. Dracula’s unhuman appearance remains consistent throughout the novel. Stoker’s narrative technique enables the reader is to view Dracula from different perspectives. However, the ‘general effect of extraordinary pallor’ (25), Jonathan discusses in his analysis of Dracula’s appearance remains a staple in the other characters’ descriptions of him. Van Helsing and Mina both attest to the whiteness of his being and it is his extreme paleness and strange movement that highlights his lack of humanity. In addition, in Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, Dracula’s abilities are extended in his ability to walk around London during the day. In Stoker’s Dracula, vampires are only able to move around at night and are thus associated with darkness. This further humanises Coppola’s Dracula and allows for the progression of the love story as it is this ability that produces the first encounter between Mina and Dracula in the film. Stoker’s Dracula leans towards the genre of gothic horror, whereas Coppola’s film fails to produce the same terror. Therefore, Coppola’s film conforms to the genre of gothic romance. In consequence, Coppola’s adaptation has been interpreted as a retelling of the “Beauty and the Beast” legend as oppose to Stoker’s novel.
The romance plot is central to Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’. This romance between Mina and Dracula validates any actions committed by the couple that could be considered morally questionable. In Stoker’s novel, critics have argued that there is an established moral universe. Stoker makes it easy to identify the humans as the morally righteous characters and the vampires as the villains. In Coppola’s film, however, the characters cannot be identified as entirely good and bad. Mina, despite being initially established as Harker’s faithful fiancé, soon becomes a vampire’s lover. Dracula, moreover, is characterised as the gothic monster in the text, yet is also viewed by Mina as a ‘sweet prince’ (1:10:10). In Coppola’s film, romantic love seems to dominate the characters’ decision making and justify their morally wrong actions. However, sex without love is condemned in Coppola’s film through the character of Lucy. Lucy is punished for her sexual encounter with Dracula. Critics have argued that she is doomed from the point where she secures three suitors. This seems possible as it is her uncontrollable sexual desire that leads to her death. In Stoker’s novel, nonetheless, the sexual encounters between Dracula and the women are justified by representing him as irresistible. Mina and Lucy are portrayed as powerless through their inability to resist him. For Coppola, in the twentieth century the exploration of female desire is less controversial. Thus, the hypnotic power of Dracula is inserted for dramatic effect in Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ because both Lucy and Mina are willing participants in their encounters with Dracula and do not require hypnotism. Coppola represents Mina as lustful and adulterous in her pursuit for love with Dracula. Despite his initial reluctance to turn her into a vampire, Mina urges him to allow her to drink his blood. In result, critics have argued that the theme of love alters Mina’s original character.
Unlike in Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, Stoker’s Mina conforms to the domestic model of the “Angel in the house”. She takes on the role of the Gothic heroine in the novel as she manages to retain the image of purity throughout. The Gothic heroine is associated with qualities of innocence and passiveness with the possibility of being corrupted. Mina both conforms and digresses from the role of the gothic heroine through her independence and transgressive nature . Stoker assigns qualities to Mina such as her intelligence and ability to use modern technology that associate her with the figure of the ‘New Woman’ instead. In Stoker’s Dracula, Mina confesses sharing with Lucy a sexual appetite that, ‘should have shocked the “New Woman”’ (99). Nevertheless, by marrying Harker in the end, she conforms to the common convention of the Gothic heroine. Coppola’s Mina, alternatively, quickly moves away from the figure of the “Angel in the house” and evolves into Dracula’s lover and a temptress. In Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, Mina deviates entirely from the role of the Gothic Heroine and is depicted as a seductive temptress during the sexual and erotic scene in which Dracula bites Mina. She claims that she, ‘wanted this to happen’ (1:36:09) when Dracula makes his appearance. In addition, the characters’ positioning in this scene is implicit of a sexual experience. This scene is entirely altered by Coppola and is necessary for the romance plot between Dracula and Mina. In Stoker’s Dracula, romantic love is associated with purity. Stoker’s Mina considers herself impure and refers to her flesh as ‘polluted’ (316) following her encounter with Dracula. The moment in which Mina sucks Dracula’s blood is symbolic of marriage in the text. Dracula consummates his relationship with Mina by having her drink his blood and reiterates words paralleling those of a Catholic marriage ceremony, ‘flesh of my flesh; blood of my blood; kin of my kin; my bountiful winepress for a while; and shall be later on my companion and later’ (306). This moment, nonetheless, is not a romantic one as it is in Coppola’s film. Van Helsing regards this moment as, ‘the Vampire’s baptism of blood’ (357). Stoker gives this scene a religious undertone by likening it to the sacrament of baptism, whereas, Coppola designs this scene as an erotic and romantic sexual encounter between Dracula and Mina.
The tagline of Coppola’s film ‘Love Never Dies’ clearly illustrates that the film is centred around the theme of love. The principal theme of love, in result, alters Dracula’s death scene. In the novel, it is ‘Jonathan’s great knife’ (400) in combination with Quincey’s efforts that kill Dracula in the final scene. This is a climactic moment in the novel in which the heroes of the text defeat their villain. However, Coppola severely alters this scene by having Mina kill Dracula. She forces the knife into Dracula’s heart with the intention of reuniting him with this great love. Moreover, Dracula is killed in the same place where he transforms into a vampire in the arms of his dead wife in the prologue. A romantic element is thus added to Dracula’s death that is not present in the text. These invented scenes allow for this film to be viewed as a ‘New Age’ love story and are in keeping with the film’s tagline ‘Love Never Dies’. Dracula’s desire for eternal salvation is achieved when Mina kills him. There is also the suggestion that Dracula will be eternally united with his beloved. Coppola, therefore, establishes Dracula’s death scene as a romantic one. Alternatively, in the text this is a moment of defeat for Dracula and a triumphant moment for the others who have rid the world of a terrible evil. The romantic plot, therefore, requires that Mina kill Dracula as an act of mercy, rather than allow the men to kill Dracula in their pursuit of vengeance.
In Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, Dracula is excluded from both romantic and spiritual love. Stoker’s Dracula turns to vampirism to defeat the Turks, whereas, Coppola’s Dracula is angry with God when his wife is denied of having a proper burial with the Church. In Coppola’s film, Dracula’s transformation is the product of extreme rage and in result he is alienated from God. Dracula’s battle here is with God and the only person who can relieve him of this battle is Mina. Rather than depicting her as a maternal figure as Stoker does in his novel Dracula, Coppola represents Mina as the central figure in bringing about Dracula’s death and salvation. This concept of spiritual love is explored by Stoker through the ‘Crew of Light’ as it is through the spiritual power of love they are able to kill Dracula. However, for Coppola, spiritual and romantic love are connected instead of being juxtaposed. In Stoker’s novel, Mina pities him, however, in Coppola’s remake she is deeply in love with him. The killing of Dracula in Coppola’s film is done by Mina out of love, and thus critics have argued that Coppola gives Mina the ability to turn a violent act into a redeeming and liberating act of love.
Literature featuring the unsympathetic and villainous vampire, nonetheless, carried on well into the 20th century. Coppola’s characterisation of Dracula as the romantic hero departs from Stoker’s novel, and instead can be aligned with other writers such as Anne Rice and Fred Saberhagen who had begun to establish conventions of the gothic romance and the image of the sympathetic vampire who is troubled by loneliness. Having said this, it is important to consider Coppola’s reasoning for implementing the romance plot into the vampire narrative. On one side, it can be argued that Coppola explores a different set of concerns by converting the story into a romance. Through the genre of romance, Coppola challenges gender stereotypes of women by depicting Mina as a lusty character as oppose to the innocent maiden in Stoker’s Dracula. Moreover, the theme of alienation is explored more thoroughly in Coppola’s film than it is explored in the original novel. This modern theme of alienation is in keeping with the struggle men and women faced at the time in adapting to a fast-changing culture. Stoker’s novel, nevertheless, still manages to explore the concept of the new woman and thus challenge gender stereotypes whilst simultaneously exploring other political concerns. Therefore, this suggests that Coppola inserts romance into the vampire narrative to appeal to an audience which favours the romance plot. During the late 19th century various other romantic films were released such a remake of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Coppola is thus incorporating a romance plot into the vampire narrative to attract an audience and in consequence generate revenues from his film. Coppola markets his film as a romance film through his tagline “Love Never Dies” as oppose to a classifying it as primarily a horror film.
In Stoker’s Dracula, the scene in which Jonathan is attacked by the female vampires in Dracula’s castle is entirely lustful and lacking any romance. Jonathan refers to a ‘burning desire’ and draws the reader to their ‘red lips’ (45). This blood-thirsty and lusty characterisation of these female vampires is continued, nonetheless, in Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’. In Stoker’s novel, however, the vampire is only associated with eroticism, whereas Coppola incorporates scenes of eroticism in combination with vampire romance. The romance is a new element in gothic vampire narratives. In Stoker’s novel, the vampire narrative is not set up as a gothic romance as it only seems to play around with themes of eroticism. Dracula is not weakened by love in the text, instead he is weakened by his ‘child brain’ (341), highlighted by Professor Van Helsing. The novel is not centred around love because it is written to address the issues of the time such as the role of religion, the technological revolution, imperialism, the New Woman, racism and cultural threats to Europe. These issues are no longer repressed in the modern society in which Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ was filmed.
In conclusion, Coppola significantly digresses from Stoker’s novel Dracula in his 1990s remake Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’. Although Stoker does insert romantic elements into his novel through the relationships between Mina and the other human men, romance is not the central theme of the text. Stoker’s vampire narrative is darker and explores greater concerns of the time that Coppola fails to represent. Coppola’s characterisation of Dracula represents the emergence of the sympathetic and romantic vampire. The combination of gothic romance with the vampire narrative becomes popular in later vampire narratives such as Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight. Therefore, Coppola feels it is necessary to insert a love story in his remake of Stoker’s novel to appeal to a contemporary Hollywood audience and achieve economic success. The need to appeal to his audience thus becomes more important to Coppola than remaining faithful to the text. In consequence, Coppola’s gothic romance lacks the depth of the original gothic novel Dracula.