Saw Dracula: Pages From A Virgin's Diary, another film by Guy Madden, the guy who directed The Saddest Music in the World. This is a film of a ballet telling the story of Dracula. The plot hews very close to the original novel, with three suitors and Minah and Lucy and all. There's one strange addition: Lucy's mother is kept on Victorian life-support, in a glass coffin fed with pipes which snake all around the stage. This a very obtrusive addition which I don't know what to make of.
Apart from that, the characters dance about very nicely. Guy Madden does his underexposed thing and makes it look like a strange film from a bygone era. The extreme retro feel of the film nicely compliments the even older story line, making it seem not true to history, but different, strange, parallel-universe-ish. It's an interesting film.
Unfortunately, it is somewhat homework. As with all of these strange films, they're a nice place to visit but by the end you're ready to come back home. I hate to leave this film on such a down note, but it really does drag a bit. It's worth seeing the first 10 minutes or so. Then you can move on.
No comments:
Post a Comment