Dracula 1931 vs 1992 - Essay Example

Candy Soonthornvech Dracula: 1931 vs. 1992 Dracula is a ic novel written by Bram Stoker in 1897. It has been adapted several times. Each new film grew from the last, adding new dimensions to the figure of Count Dracula. Some believe that the original is always best. However, this is not entirely true of the various adaptations of Dracula. It is true that even today whenever anyone thinks of Dracula, they think of Bela Lugosi, who played Count Dracula in 1931, with his distinctive accent, inflection and hypnotic stare that had made him “The best Dracula ever” according to the Los Angeles Times.

And this opinion has remained in some ways over the last eighty years. Tod Browning, the director, and Bela Lugosi brought the world what is arguably the most famous monster in history. This version is however, very slow-paced with low-lit sets. The film does not show Dracula ever biting into his victims’ necks, though. The film may have come alive if it had been made as a silent movie a few years earlier. In a non-talking film you have to show the horrors; you cannot convey horror through dialog as was attempted in 1931.

It would be better if in between the dialogue, it had included sound effects or background music. When comparing to the 1992 Dracula, one finds the latter much more explicit. Director Coppola sticks to the original narrative of Bram Stoker but brings to life the horror and fear that the novel sometimes allows one to overlook. Dracula himself is seen both as the old count that Jonathan Harker meets and the younger, more suave version of the Count, who comes to London to woo Mina. The 1992 version also uses a lot of rich color and costumes to emphasize the gothic nature of the story.

The script is truer to Stoker’s work, retaining characters like Holmswood and Quincey Morris who are usually skipped in other productions. All in all, the 1992 version may not be as iconic as the 1931 Dracula played by Lugosi, but in maintaining the terror of the story, it succeeds just as well, if not better.Work Cited:http://junwooh12.wordpress.com/2010/04/13/1931-dracula-vs-1992-dracula/