Customer Reviews

Dracula - Pages from a Virgin's Diary

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Actually, if you stop and think about it, the idea of filming a ballet as a silent movie makes perfect sense. But because this rather obvious comparison has never occurred to us before the decision of director Guy Maddin ("Careful," "Tales From the Gimli Hospital") to film Mark Godden's "Dracula" as adapted and choreographed for Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet seems like a masterstroke. I was not surprised that somebody would write a ballet based on Dracula, but it turns out that is not exactly what happened here. The music in "Dracula - Pages from a Virgin's Diary" is by Gustav Mahler, taken from his first and second symphonies, neither of which was written as dance music for Bram Stoker's gothic horror novel, but Godden and Maddin make it all work. So that is too surprises delivered to the audience before Dracula ever starts dancing.

For those familiar with the novel or the various film versions of "Dracula" that have tried to stay in the vicinity of Stoker's original text, the story picks up in England with Lucy Westernra (Tara Birthwhistle) trying to pick between her three suitors, Dr. Jack Seward (Matthew Johnson), Arthur Holmwood (Stephane Leonard), and Quincy Morris (Keir Knight), not to mention creepy bug-eating Renfield (Brent Neale). When Lucy falls prey to the vampire's curse, Dr. Van Helsing (David Moroni) arrives to teach the unbelievers what to do when someone they love becomes one of the undead.

The second half of the ballet deal with the effort by Dracula (Wei-Qiang Zhang) to take Mina (CindyMarie Small) away from her intended, Jonathan Harker (Johnny A. Wright), and the flight back to Castle Dracula. But if Lucy is the pivotal character in the first half the film, and Birthwhistle's performance is the most thrilling in the ballet, then it clearly all comes down to Dracula in the second half. The vampire's final fate will certainly strike a chord with those aware of the more perverse habits of the historical Vlad the Impaler, who served as the inspiration for Stoker's Dracula. Those familiar with the story will have no trouble following along, but the copious use of title cards fill in any and all gaps. Fortunately they become much less frequent in the ballet's climax, where dance becomes the vital medium of expression.

Visually, "Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary" is as fascinating as Abel Gance's "Napoleon" or Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane." Maddin shot the film in black & white on both 16mm and Super 8 stock, used special effects and aging techniques to simulate the grainy and shadowy images of silent films, and tinted frames various colors to accent items. The inside of Dracula's cape and most of the blood in the film appears bright red. Those familiar with the standard techniques of silent films (wipes, iris shots, soft framing, intertitles, tinting) will find that Maddin employs them and then turns them into something more suited to his own tastes (you can listen to the director's audio commentary to get insights into all the strange and weird things he did in putting Mark Godden's ballet on screen, such as using Bram Stoker's text as much as possible for the titles and chocolate syrup for the blood in the opening credits).

Maddin avoids sustained shots; there must be at least a dozen cuts in every single minute of this 75-minute film. When you check out the Behind the Scenes segment on the DVD you will see what Winnepig audiences saw on stage with this version of "Dracula," but there are relatively few moments that are recognizable of that production in the film. Shooting the footage was just the first part of the artistic process for Maddin. Fans of the silent cinema may well be more impressed with this film than devotees of the ballet or those who like vampire movies.

Not surprisingly the emphasis is on the eroticism inherent in the story that is as important as the horror. The sets for the convent and Dracula's castle invoke the height of German Expressionism, but the soft shapes and curves of the walls also emphasize the sensual. All of this serves as a setting for the sensual dancing. The coy sensuality of Lucy and her beaus because charged with a more overt sexuality when she becomes a vampire, while Dracula's coolness only serves to heighten his raw sexual energy. Fans of the ballet will probably not appreciation all of the hoops Maddin makes them jump through to watch the dancing here, but I think fans of Dracula will really enjoy this bold twist on the old tale.

Movement could be interpreted in the same manner that the symbols of the alphabet are, as a series of letters create a word while a number of words form a sentence. In dance the viewer can observe each separate movement though the combination of a successive number of movements that generate a bigger meaning. The dance ultimately leads the audience on a journey with feelings, adventure, and much more. Through the help of ballet the Canadian auteur Guy Maddin restores Bram Stoker's character Dracula in an artistic mirror image of F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror from 1922 or Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979).

Unlike the previous Murnau and Herzog vampire films Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary has purposely shifted its storyline from a typical chronological order to a tossed jumble. This cinematic mixture generates an unconscious imagery with a surrealistic touch where the audience senses the moments of suspense and alarm. There are also emotions such as deep desire and lust which also emerge through the vivid movements of the dancers that once again bring this tale of the dark prince coming to England. Some might assume that the unorganized pattern of the film would affect the experience in a negative way. However, Maddin skillfully induces this nightmare into a surrealistic concoction that allows for the combination of feelings to trickle down to the audience in an artistic manner.

The sexual element of vampires is kept intact in Maddin's film, as he also continues to develop this taboo ridden theme. The film opens with Lucy (Tara Birtwhistle) dreaming, which is illustrated through a number of bizarre shots that have been edited together that deal with the arrival of Dracula (Wei-Qiang Zhang). This nightmare brings out a contradictory desire that Lucy contemplates while scribbling in her journal, "Why can't they let a woman marry three men?" These three men are Arthur Holmwood (Stephane Leonard), Jack Seward (Matthew Johnson), and Quincy Morris (Keir Knight) who all have been suitors to Lucy. However, due to societal convention she must choose one of the men. Throughout the film the viewers will face several situations that deal with the lustful theme, as the vampire desires more from his victims while Van Helsing (Dave Moroni) tries to stop him.

The film creates the same ambience that silent black and white films did before the time of color and sound films. The music that accompanies the film is by Mahler, which induces additional suspense and anxiety. There are some sounds that have been added to the film that highlights characters and situations in such a manner to points out the importance of the situation. Besides the audio the images have also been manipulated through a wide range of color filters that brings about different moods to the film while picture softness on the edge increases the viewers focus on what is pertinent on the screen. Maddin also playfully uses colors, as he later did in The Saddest Music in the World (2003), by enhancing scenes with the color red where there is blood or strong emotion involved.

Dracula: Pages of a Virgin's Diary offers a sublime artistic journey where Maddin converges distinct notions with the vague subconscious. In the area where these two meet we find a surreal dream world with erotic undertones and threatening elements. The union of erotic and fright causes an unknown cerebral notion that enhances the angst in the story. Together with the movement of the dancers the angst is personified and the audience gets an opportunity to visually feel the internal conflict between all of the characters in the film, which in due course ends with a terrific cinematic experience.

There have been many film versions of Bram Stoker's tale of vampires, DRACULA, but none have been done with such grace and raw sexuality as this film version (called DRACULA: PAGES FROM A VIRGIN'S DIARY) based on the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's production. Directed by Guy Maddin to Gustav Mahler's music and Mark Godden's choreography, the ballet covers the old story of the vampire Count Dracula (Zhang Wei-Qiang) and his seductions of Lucy Westernra (Tara Birtwhistle) and Mina Murray (CindyMarie Small) until his ultimate destruction at the hands of Dr. Van Helsing (David Moroni). With its stark black and white images, mixed with various color tinitings and almost painted-on highlights the film is both stark and beautiful in its presentation.
Since this film is essentially a filmed ballet, all of the acting is done in mime. As a result, the film is given an almost silent film (complete with sub-titles) atmosphere to the whole proceedings. Zhang Wei-Qiang makes for a romantic, yet imperiously aloof Dracula, while CindyMarie Small is just the right blend of innocence and desire as Mina. However, it is Tara Birtwhistle's Lucy and David Maroni's Van Helsing that truly capture the attention. Birtwhistle exudes both playfulness and raw sexuality in her stunning portrayal, while Maroni's intense bearing makes him a formidable foe for Dracula.
The entire ensemble does wonderful work and the film goes at a good clip at 74 minutes. However, the film's first half is probably more interesting to non-ballet fans as most of the special effects and wild staging seem to take place here. The DVD has some wonderful extras including some radio interviews with the producer and director, a Canadian news story about the film, photos, and an insightful commentary by Maddin.
For fans of ballet, Dracula, or both, this film is definitely a must-see and something that I would highly recommend.

I came upon this beautiful and unforgettable retelling of the classic Dracula mythos recently.

This is a film that, though quite exceptional, will not be to the liking of all vampire movie fans. It is the brainchild of quirky filmmaker Guy Maddin. Basically, Maddin has taken the ballet(!) "Dracula," performed by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and translated it to film, amplified and adapted, of course, along lines of his very unique surrealistic aesthetic.

I am a fan of all of the fine arts, but I must acknowledge that ballet is my least favorite of them all. But in Maddin's idiosyncratic production, anything other than the evocative rhythmic movements of the characters would diminish the impact of the movie. In addition, Maddin filmed it in "aged" black-and-white (punctuated, at times, by a vibrant and eye-popping crimson) silent films format with occasional captions. Furthermore, he utilizes many of the almost ancient "special effects" that the silent filming masters employed: vignetting, tinting for emphasizing certain themes, lightning fast shots, at times almost like still photos, etc. His homage to German Expressionism, especially the works of Murnau, Lang, Dreyer, etc., is clearly reflected both in his sets and in the ways in which the characters move about within these. Also, his accompanying soundtrack is derived from Gustav Mahler's 1st and 2nd Symphonies, and, believe it or not, the whole thing works!

Those who are not well-acquainted with the core elements of the Bram Stoker fable may have some difficulty following the unfolding vistas and scenarios that Maddin juxtaposes, at times, seemingly irrespective of time or space. But for Dracula aficionados, this stylistic device should not pose any problems. Following in the finest traditions of Frank Langella's Dracula, Maddin's Dracula (Wei-Qiang Zhang)is extraordinarily erotic and overpowering. Indeed, all of the actors/dancers who protrayed the various characters in the movie skillfully executed their roles with precision and credibility, even though, as is the case with silent filmmaking, the actors are obliged to "over-act" in order to convey the essence of whomever each one is portraying. What is especially captivating about this production is the overshadowing surrealistic, dreamlike feel.

I cannot recommend this film too highly. It would be a 3-thumbs way up, in my opinion, and worth 9 stars.

What an orgional idea. Many theater companies are scrambling to reproduce this concept live. You must see (and hear)the film to
appreciate this radical concept. He pulls it off, it works!
The music from Gustav Mahler is inspiring and would stand on it's own. Brilliant score. The main dancer (?) is a sight to behold. You almost can't take your eyes off him.

This is a commissioned piece for the Canadian Film Board ( I believe). I had the great fortune to see it on CBC television last Holloween. An Exotic Ballet in Black and White with bits of blood red color appearing just at the most astonishing moments.
A fabulous dancer plays Dracula.

The most unusual and beautiful telling of a favorite myth.
I can't wait until it's released in DVD.

Guy Maddin's ballet adaptation set to Gustav Mahler's First, Second and Ninth Symphonies captures longing, optimism, tragedy, sensuality and madness and almost embodies a classic innocence (except for a few overtly erotic moments). Dracula's victims (Lucy and Mina) feel a force of attraction so powerful, they seem to revel in the seduction and call him from his world of darkness. Not even garlic or crosses seem to dissuade his lust for blood as Lucy (Tara Birtwhistle) reclines helplessly in bed.

Dracula (Zhang Wei-Qiang ) plays the part of a romantic rival, tempting women away from men who fail to meet these women's desires to be needed, as if for life itself. In a seductive play of shadow and light, energetic ballet performances spin in scene after scene of color. Yes, in this black-and-white adaptation, you will find scenes drenched in emerald, rose, deep navy, lavender, sage and crimson. The colors are rich, yet transparent and the fantastic detail of the set is at times almost hidden on the first viewing.

In fact, I recommend watching this movie twice. Once to view the story and romantic choreography, then the second time to take note of the actual set, costumes and use of color. I found it difficult to take in the richness of this movie in one sitting because I found myself concentrating on the story more than the set on the first viewing. The ruby glow in Dracula's eyes and the sapphire glow on the crosses are worth watching twice. You can see how the sets were made in the extras and also choose to listen to the commentary on the second viewing.

Vampire hunting is a main theme throughout this story. Van Helsing appears as a coarse mad scientist who is determined to save his patients from Dracula's blood draining tendencies and yet his concern for Lucy seems less than professional. Dracula seems to treat Lucy with more care as he drains the life force from her body. In fact, you may start to feel sympathy for Dracula, who seems much less of a seducer and almost a supplier of pleasure for his victims. Van Helsing observes Dracula dancing with Lucy through binoculars. This creates a circle in the center of the screen, which significantly reduces the picture size for moments at a time. The scenes shift in tone and size on a constant basis.

The fantastic detail, inventive fantasy sets, delicate women in romantic luminous gowns makes this a lush dreamy Dracula movie. If you keep waiting for the vampires to turn to dust, it never happens. They even seem to recover from brief moments in the sunlight.

There are a few moments of tongue-in-cheek humor instead of blood-drenched terror. Dracula bleeds coins and has stashes of emerald bills, which seems to represent an economic rather than physical threat to his romantic rivals.

Overall, I have to say this is stunningly beautiful and as fantasy as ballet could be. The scenes of Dracula and Lucy dancing in the snowy graveyard take romance to spectacular levels. If you dislike horror and love romance, then this Dracula adaptation is sure to please. The horror seems more like a mythological dance, so it doesn't appear threatening or allow you to become emotionally involved or even terrified.

If you hit "pause," you may enjoy reading a few pages from the diary. If you enjoy creating moods for movies, the Archipelago Botanicals Ambiant tea light candles melt into a shimmering crimson liquid. Definitely watch this by candlelight because it helps to emphasize the play of light and shadow.

~The Rebecca Review

Dracula has made it to film more often than any other novel. From the original Nosferatu and Bela Lugosi's iconic Dracula to Hammer's Horror of Dracula and modern classic Bram Stoker's Dracula (just to name a few) there has been no shortage of filmmakers lining up to adapt the most legendary of literary works of horror to the silver screen. So the popular preconception is that there is nothing left to be done with it; no way to show us this story in a way we haven't already seen before. WRONG! I mistakenly passed this film over several times, the title evoking images of so-called "erotic thrillers" like Embrace of the Vampire; high on cheap thrills, low on artistic value. Again, WRONG! "Dracula: Pages From a Virgin's Diary" is a suprisingly fresh take on the classic vampire tale that appears as though it was filmed nearly a century ago. The format: a silent film/ ballet filled with sweeping orchestral music, unfulfilled female leads, sensual and evocative dance, and a whole new kind of vampire suave. If you're a fan of classic film, do not miss it.

At first, I felt the need to treat this film as a novelty, an oddity in the age of CG effects and spurting blood. But as the familiar story unfolded in this unfamiliar medium, I found myself mesmerized by the rhythms, the outstanding performances, and the sparse, creative use of color. There is a shot where Dracula's eyes light up red that absolutely stunned me when i saw it. In fact, crimson makes several appearances in this predominantly black-and-white affair, usually in the form of blood. Tinting effects also serve to highlight the visual feast as well as the moods of the individual characters. While this and the occasioanlly distracting changes in film quality may annoy at times, it is consistent with the exremely old-school style that this film shoots for and hits right on the mark.

The performances are fantastic across the board with Wei-Qiang Zhang proving to be as daunting and debonair a Count Dracula as we've seen since Bela Lugosi himself put on the cape. CindyMarie Small plays the unfulfilled Mina Murray, gone to see her betrothed Jonathan Harker who is at a convent after escaping from Castle Dracula. Having been ravaged by Drac's brides, Harker is emotional unable to give Mina what she needs physically.....and in comes the Count to take advantage. The love triangle is played out entirely in dance with deserved kudos all around. But the show is stolen (for me) by Tara Birtwhistle playing Lucy Westenra, a character who has often been unappreciated in past film adaptations. Birtwhistle's performance dominates the first half of the film and her death scene is one of the best sequences I've ever seen in a horror film. Her manic and subtley sexual combination of dancing and acting as she descends into the undead abyss is what really drew me in and sold me on this film.

"Dracula: Pages From a Virgin's Diary" may never receive the aplomb or following of past adaptations, but I would consider it among the most daring and unique films ever made. While the stylized ballet, ancient look, jarring changes in film grain, and occasionally silly subtitles may turn off some viewers -not to mention the fact that this is a black and white silent film- serious film fans or even vampire afficianados shouldn't hesitate to give this a try. The story may be difficult to follow for those who are unfamiliar with the novel so if you haven't read it, climb out from your cave and go pick Stoker's novel up. Then check out "Dracula: Pages From a Virgin's Diary" for a one of a kind experience.

This is one of those films people will be talking about for years to come. It's a truly unique and beautiful work. The amazing thing is that Maddin (or rather his under appreciated cinematographer) uses the camera like a ballet dancer. So you've got lots of kinetics going on three levels: The Dancers, the incredible camera work as it flows with the movement, and the cool fast Montage editing made famous by Russian director's from the 20's like Vertov, Kuleshov and Eisentein.
No doubt about it, the plum role is Lucy Westenra and it always has been. The first half of the film is gorgeous as she steals the show from Dracula himself. I liked the Renfield make-up too, which brings to mind Lon Chaney's lost vampire from "London After Midnight"
So what spoiled the soup for me? The Intertitles are Horribly done and stupid as Maddin tries to thwack us over the head with his post-modern 21st century glibness. Worst of all is that the titles look modern, like some junky Photoshop file pasted over the incredible 16mm black & white film. They really break the visual and metaphorical illusion that you're watching some long forgotten silent film. They're not funny nor informative, just badly done and poorly thought out.

The director's comments are OK. Most director's talk too much, and DVDs give them a shameless chance to indulge. But this is worth watching to see how they filmed the ballet. For you film buffs, the guy is using a 16mm Bolex with only 100 feet of film at a time. That means he can only shoot for 20-30 seconds before having to stop and re-crank the clockwork motor! This camera guy really did it old school, and it shows how film making was back in the dawn of cinema. Vampire fans, Film Buffs, & Anne Rice afficianadoes will love this. Just close your eyes during the intertitles....

Here's an oddball DVD for your collection -- a silent Dracuala movie, done artfully in black and white with an Asian Dracula, that is also a music video to the symphonies of Gustav Mahler, a ballet, and a music video. Got all that?

It's a bit hard to tell from watching and listening to this what they had in mind with this piece of art. Produced in Manitoba, of all places, for the Canadian Broadcasting System in 2002, the manifest content is a movie about an Asian Dracula and a group of virgins. This story is told through silent filmmaking in largely arty black & white photography; there are some splashes of color on occasion.

All the while, the visual imagery and occasional on-screen script is cast to the Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 of Gustav Mahler, his "Titan" and "Resurrection" symphonies. The credits says the music is courtesy of Naxos, the Canada-based low priced label, meaning they are the versions conducted by Michal Halasz and Antonio Wit, respectively.

The soft-grained attacks in both symphonies seem to match the soft focus of the art film. These are not among the best recordings of the music, which is secondary to the film but will be the reason some viewers maintain interest in such unusual fare.

Many of the virgins, as well as the Dracula character, perform ballet throughout the film, giving this movie more the character of an extended music video. The dancing is nice and everyone is very lovely to watch, but I wondered what was going on when they all started dancing every now and again, especially when it followed scenes of angry Van Helsing types in floppy hats driving stakes through the hearts of vampires.

The storytelling is punctuated with repetitive scenes that appear to be clipped from earlier frames and inserted again, and the music is equally discombobulated, as pieces of the scores of the two symphonies play through chronologically, then repeat, then come back again later. The whole thing was somewhat off putting to me, to be honest.

In the final analysis, this is more like a 75-minute music video-dream sequence than ballet, Dracula movie, silent movie or exposition of Mahler symphonies. It is an interesting art film with a dreamy coutenance but I doubt I would ever want to watch this thing repeatedly.

Nor could I stay interested in it for the music, which is pretty bland compared to the better Mahler recordings that are available. I think more electrifying performances of the music, perhaps better edited, would have done more to create prolonged viewer interest.