Transmedia production of Bram Stoker's Dracula was and continues to be, since its first publication as a novel, a pervasive, all-encompassing, vampiric water-mark on the cultural identity of the English speaking world. From plays, literary spin-offs, and graphic novels, to film noir, sitcoms, commercials, and even kids' shows, such as the Count on Seseme Street, the character, atmosphere, and story of Dracula is an identifiable phenonenom that is so in-grained and venerably revered in our cultural study that it is hard to seperate a time when one was not acquainted with at least the superficial details of the monster and/or the ambiance and milieu associated with the creatures of the night. In other words, no one in today's time comes to the classic Dracula, a virgin. From our cultural infancy, we are raped by society's obsession with vampires, and this vampire hysteria, this 'vampyria' if you will, is symbiotically cleaved to the social standards of classic horror, establishing itself as a quintessential, and very profitable, component of classical culture and social engineering.
"Dracula's export as a local historical figure, which started in the 15th century with the invention of the printing press, his revival in Irish version in the 19th century as a Gothic romance, his huge vogue as a threatening invader and sex-symbol launched by the movie industry in the 20th century, and his ironical return to his native land as a Halloween prop in the 21st, point to Dracula's incredible ability to transgress national borders, as well as to speak various cultural languages" (Popa,47)
Almost any child will probably be able to tell you the name of the elegant, caped monster foremost in the image next to this text. Bram Stoker's Dracula is not only a classic book that has spawned many plays and film adaptations, thrilling gothic horror enthusiasts for over a century, but the very name "Dracula" has become a household name in popular culture. As children, Halloween serves as our first source of "monster" education, and we are not very old before we become familiar with the images of cult classics such as Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, werewolves, ghosts, and mummies. Frankenstein's monster being an almost exception (most children consign the name of Frankenstein to the monster itself), Dracula is the only legendary monster whose name we learn first, thereby making the name of "Dracula" synonymous with "Vampire"; and even probably for many, "Vampire" is indistinguishable from "Dracula". Hence, from a young age, "Dracula" becomes the dark prince of all vampire legend.
"His character answers to the popular taste for mystery, ambiguity, and danger, leading by far a series of "monstrous" heroes that blur the traditional boundaries between wickedness and decorum, and that includes, among others, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, R.L. Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll, and A. Conan Doyle's Moriarty" (Popa, 45).
These observations leave us with the question: From where, then, did today's standard image of Dracula perpetuate?
Transmedia of Dracula began almost the moment it was published. Bram Stoker himself pushed to have his novel adapted to a play, writing and directing a production called Dracula, or The Undead, for the sole purpose of securing a stage copyright (wikipedia). Its single performance took place on May, 18, 1897 very shortly after the novel's original publication, and was pronounced "Dreadful" by the manager of the theatre (wikipedia).
It would not be until 1922 before the Dracula story made its way to the big screen. Nosferatu was a silent film adaptation of Dracula, but many details of the original story were changed in an effort to avoid paying royalties to the Stoker estate (Hensley, 63). Character names were changed and the Dracula persona was called "Count Orlok". The film did not deviate from Stoker enough, and the producers were sued despite the changes, and every copy was ordered destroyed (Hensley, 63). Thankfully, a few copies were saved and the film was able to be re-produced when the story of Dracula became public domain.
In 1927, Bela Lugosi starred in a Broadway adaptation, and then went on to star in the first Dracula film, produced in 1931. The Universal film was derived directly from a 1924 stage play, which was in turn based on Bram Stoker's novel. Immediately, it is a much clearer adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. .His portrayal was very different from that of Max Scheck in Nosferatu. The movie was a box office hit, and Bela Lugosi's elegant sexy portrayal set the typecast for the iconic image of "Dracula" for decades.
Transmedia of Dracula began almost the moment it was published. Bram Stoker himself pushed to have his novel adapted to a play, writing and directing a production called Dracula, or The Undead, for the sole purpose of securing a stage copyright (wikipedia). Its single performance took place on May, 18, 1897 very shortly after the novel's original publication, and was pronounced "Dreadful" by the manager of the theatre (wikipedia).
It would not be until 1922 before the Dracula story made its way to the big screen. Nosferatu was a silent film adaptation of Dracula, but many details of the original story were changed in an effort to avoid paying royalties to the Stoker estate (Hensley, 63). Character names were changed and the Dracula persona was called "Count Orlok". The film did not deviate from Stoker enough, and the producers were sued despite the changes, and every copy was ordered destroyed (Hensley, 63). Thankfully, a few copies were saved and the film was able to be re-produced when the story of Dracula became public domain.
In 1927, Bela Lugosi starred in a Broadway adaptation, and then went on to star in the first Dracula film, produced in 1931. The Universal film was derived directly from a 1924 stage play, which was in turn based on Bram Stoker's novel. Immediately, it is a much clearer adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. .His portrayal was very different from that of Max Scheck in Nosferatu. The movie was a box office hit, and Bela Lugosi's elegant sexy portrayal set the typecast for the iconic image of "Dracula" for decades.
Dracula's swag:
Dracula: the Monster |
Dracula: the Man It is primarily from Bela Lugosi's Dracula that the modern day image of Dracula was garnered. Bela Lugosi, Hungarian from birth, portrayed a handsome and courtly Dracula with slicked-back black hair, cape and tall collar, and royal medallion. His accent was very thick and not disguised at all in the movie. He also wore very little make-up for the part (wikipedia). His portrayal was so paragonic that he quite literally embodies Dracula culture for decades. There is a little similarity in Bela Lugosi and Bram Stoker's Dracula. We see the "lofty domed forehead" and the "massive" brooding eyebrows. However, Bela Lugosi ears do not seem prominently pointy, nor does he have a mustache or appear old as does Bram Stoker's. Bela Lugosi defined Dracula as a sexual idol, and therefore depictions of him must be young enough to produce this sensuality and enamour an audience who is obsessed youth culture. Even in Bram Stoker's Dracula the movie, we are introduced to him as the old man, and yet he transforms once again into a young handsome seductive and sympathetic villain. We can see Bela Lugosi's image of Dracula in everything from hundreds of film adaptations to comics to Count Chocula cereal to Count von Count in Seseme Street. This image is the one imitated for Halloween costumes of vampires as well. Dracula as a handsome man quickly seduced our culture. From this film on, Dracula has a certain finesse and sexiness that made the adoring public sympathetic to him, and willing to be seduced. Throughout the centuries, adaptations and film sequels use Dracula as a symbol for society's need to play with evil. It is okay for us to be seduced by him-- our apathy towards our consentual "rape" by his character is justified because we can allow ourselves to be "fooled" by his supernatural strength combined with a beautiful human-ness and embodiment of the ideal of manhood. |
DRACULA'S PAD:
"Suddenly, I became conscious of the fact that the driver was in the act of pulling up the horses in the courtyard of a vast ruined castle, from whose tall black windows came no ray of light, and whose broken battlements showed a jagged line against the sky... (Chapter 1) He insisted on carrying my traps along the passage, and then up a great winding stair, and along another great passage, on whose stone floor our steps rang heavily. At the end of this he threw open a heavy door, and I rejoiced to see within a well-lit room in which a table was spread for supper, and on whose mighty hearth a great fire of logs, freshly replenished, flamed and flared... There are certainly odd deficiencies in the house, considering the extraordinary evidences of wealth which are round me. The table service is of gold, and so beautifully wrought that it must be of immense value. The curtains and upholstery of the chairs and sofas and the hangings of my bed are of the costliest and most beautiful fabrics, and must have been of fabulous value when they were made, for they are centuries old, though in excellent order. I saw something like them in Hampton Court, but they were worn and frayed and moth-eaten. But still in none of the rooms is there a mirror. There is not even a toilet glass on my table, and I had to get the little shaving glass from my bag before I could either shave or brush my hair. I have not yet seen a servant anywhere, or heard a sound near the castle except the howling of wolves... The view was magnificent, and from where I stood there was every opportunity of seeing it. The castle is on the very edge of a terrific precipice. A stone falling from the window would fall a thousand feet without touching anything! As far as the eye can reach is a sea of green tree tops, with occasionally a deep rift where there is a chasm. Here and there are silver threads where the rivers wind in deep gorges through the forests. But I am not in heart to describe beauty, for when I had seen the view I explored further. Doors, doors, doors everywere, and all locked and bolted. In no place save from the windows in the castle walls is there an available exit. The castle is a veritable prison, and I am a prisoner!" Dracula, Bram Stoker Chapter 2 |
Dracula's castle, or pad as I have called it, is the epitome of gothic horror location. Bela Lugosi's Dracula film helped further establish that imagery so much so that even traditional haunted houses are reminiscent of the Dracula castle. It is pertinent to mention that the real "Dracula's Castle" in Romania is actually being used as a haunted house today.
Dracula's castle in the 1931 film is characterized by its crumbling structure perched precariously upon the top of a mountain. Inside the great stone walls is more stone, and lots of cobwebs. Though cobwebs are not mentioned in the Bram Stoker text, they have become synonymous with creepy, haunted, vampyric scenes. Bela Lugosi doesn't seem to mind them one bit, and even goes as far as to preserve the mass of cobwebs spanning the grand staircase by simply disappearing and reappearing on the other side, much to poor Reinfield's horror. Further imagery we see echoed in modern vampire settings is the dereliction of everything. Everything is old, like the vampire. Howling is also characteristic of spooky settings. All these things directly affect the reader/viewer in an uneasy, uncanny way. Today, Dracula is not Dracula unless something of his style or setting harks back to these traditions that have standardized Draculian vampyria.
Dracula's castle in the 1931 film is characterized by its crumbling structure perched precariously upon the top of a mountain. Inside the great stone walls is more stone, and lots of cobwebs. Though cobwebs are not mentioned in the Bram Stoker text, they have become synonymous with creepy, haunted, vampyric scenes. Bela Lugosi doesn't seem to mind them one bit, and even goes as far as to preserve the mass of cobwebs spanning the grand staircase by simply disappearing and reappearing on the other side, much to poor Reinfield's horror. Further imagery we see echoed in modern vampire settings is the dereliction of everything. Everything is old, like the vampire. Howling is also characteristic of spooky settings. All these things directly affect the reader/viewer in an uneasy, uncanny way. Today, Dracula is not Dracula unless something of his style or setting harks back to these traditions that have standardized Draculian vampyria.
Works Cited
Ciasen, M. Attention, Prédation, Counterintuition: Why Dracula Won't Die. 2012 Style, 46(3/4), 378.
Hensley, W. E. (2002). The Contribution of F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu To the Evolution of Dracula. Literature Film Quarterly, 30(1), 59.
Philadelphia, D., & Ressner, J. Wake Up and Smell the Garlic. 2004. Time International (Canada Edition), 163(17), 11.
Richards, Leah. Mass Production and the Spread of Information in "Dracula": "Proofs of so wild a story." English Literature in Transition, 1880-1920. 2009, Vol. 52 Issue 4, p440-457. 18p.
Popa, Ileana F. Cultural Stereotypes: From Dracula's Myth to Contemporary Diasporic Productions. VCU Digital Archives,. 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10156/2005
Billson, Anna. Vampires: There Will Always Be Blood. 2012. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/9635998/Vampires-there-will-always-be-blood.html
Ciasen, M. Attention, Prédation, Counterintuition: Why Dracula Won't Die. 2012 Style, 46(3/4), 378.
Hensley, W. E. (2002). The Contribution of F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu To the Evolution of Dracula. Literature Film Quarterly, 30(1), 59.
Philadelphia, D., & Ressner, J. Wake Up and Smell the Garlic. 2004. Time International (Canada Edition), 163(17), 11.
Richards, Leah. Mass Production and the Spread of Information in "Dracula": "Proofs of so wild a story." English Literature in Transition, 1880-1920. 2009, Vol. 52 Issue 4, p440-457. 18p.
Popa, Ileana F. Cultural Stereotypes: From Dracula's Myth to Contemporary Diasporic Productions. VCU Digital Archives,. 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10156/2005
Billson, Anna. Vampires: There Will Always Be Blood. 2012. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/9635998/Vampires-there-will-always-be-blood.html
Dracula Resources/Works Cited-
I do not own any pictures posted on this site or any other section of this site. I have listed below the URLs of the pictures I have used.
Dracula collage picture:
http://funpagez.webs.com/Backgrounds/desktop/large04/draculacollage.jpg
Seseme Street Count:
http://blog.redclayinteractive.com/uploads/TheCount.jpg
Count Chocula:
http://www.derok.net/countchocula/images/count%20chocula%20box%20old.jpg
History of Dracula on Film, YOUTUBE:
http://youtu.be/7uwfJmkJn14
Dracula costume: man
http://gettoptens.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Dracula-10-best-halloween-costume-ideas-2013.jpg
Dracula costume, kid:
http://images.halloweencostumes.com/products/9712/1-1/toddler-transylvanian-vampire-costume.jpg
Dracula costume, older kid:
http://images.halloweencostumes.com/products/4649/1-1/boys-classic-vampire-costume.jpg
Dracula's castle 1: http://henryjenkins.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/dracula-castle.png
Dracula's castle 2: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qeg1OcClj7U/SP1_StaVblI/AAAAAAAAA0g/D9indPd10ZM/s400/dd19.JPG
Dracula's castle 3: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS9sELbyecDEb29oX43oC0ZGZ3BaWX-WePET6-DcbvvBtjZd8UWXg
Dracula's castle 4: http://www.studiosl.com/assets/images/dracula-castle-entrance.jpg
2 Dracula's: http://www.alcohollywood.com/wp-content/uploads//ep111-dracula.jpg
Dracula monster: http://tiffanyvalentine.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/bram-stokers-dracula-9.jpg
Dracula JRM: http://fast.swide.com/wp-content/uploads/best-new-vampire-movies-tv-series-2013-5-dracula.jpg
Dracula and Costello: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTV4XYHHFD-BeYc3-7tq7c_rhxhawbeWbki4TSf9CS7-Zsd1fZ29A
Nosferatu's Shadow: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRqcybmOWRvnAg_ClWLIbmwID2iUZDrF9KBVxL0l9HBoEwe4_Xk
Bram Stoker's film emblem: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTgsBMmswF887jjRiWRIx0f7Gzs1MiCv12Xnj2OYxsl_dIBXnp9LA
Dracula and Buffy: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mXJtQ5ZefuQ/UHYc6zCLRLI/AAAAAAAAHBk/clQpNybH1Fk/s1600/Buffy+vs+Dracula+2000.jpg
Christopher Lee Dracula: http://thefilmfellas.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dracula.jpg?w=630
Count Orlock: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QVruKt2cLew/T9KU0bN8eaI/AAAAAAAAAa0/4najtZWn6iA/s320/Count_Orlok_Nosferatu.jpg
Bela Lugosi's Dracula movie poster: http://unrealitymag.bcmediagroup.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2010-11-10-11-05-38-3-dracula-1931.jpeg
Nosferatu movie poster: http://cdn8.openculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Nosferatu_Theatre_Poster.jpg
Dracula Playhouse Poster: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Dracula_by_Hamilton_Deane_%26_John_L._Balderston_1938.jpg
Buffy and Master: http://static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130615070724/buffy/images/e/e0/Buffy_vs_the_Master.jpg
"Blade" vamp: http://www.herogohome.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Blade2TestTubeVampires.jpg
Nosferatu, Count Orlok sucking blood: http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/nosferatu-4.jpg
True form of Dracula from Bram Stoker's Dracula movie: http://tiffanyvalentine.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/bram-stokers-dracula-9.jpg
Tomb of Dracula comic book: http://i.annihil.us/u/prod/marvel/i/mg/6/e0/4bb4f2843839f/detail.jpg
Two Draculas: http://geekshizzle.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/dracula-1992.jpeg
Bele Lugosi Dracula still: http://beladraculalugosi.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/publicity-photo-for-draculas-broadway-run.jpg
I do not own any pictures posted on this site or any other section of this site. I have listed below the URLs of the pictures I have used.
Dracula collage picture:
http://funpagez.webs.com/Backgrounds/desktop/large04/draculacollage.jpg
Seseme Street Count:
http://blog.redclayinteractive.com/uploads/TheCount.jpg
Count Chocula:
http://www.derok.net/countchocula/images/count%20chocula%20box%20old.jpg
History of Dracula on Film, YOUTUBE:
http://youtu.be/7uwfJmkJn14
Dracula costume: man
http://gettoptens.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Dracula-10-best-halloween-costume-ideas-2013.jpg
Dracula costume, kid:
http://images.halloweencostumes.com/products/9712/1-1/toddler-transylvanian-vampire-costume.jpg
Dracula costume, older kid:
http://images.halloweencostumes.com/products/4649/1-1/boys-classic-vampire-costume.jpg
Dracula's castle 1: http://henryjenkins.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/dracula-castle.png
Dracula's castle 2: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qeg1OcClj7U/SP1_StaVblI/AAAAAAAAA0g/D9indPd10ZM/s400/dd19.JPG
Dracula's castle 3: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS9sELbyecDEb29oX43oC0ZGZ3BaWX-WePET6-DcbvvBtjZd8UWXg
Dracula's castle 4: http://www.studiosl.com/assets/images/dracula-castle-entrance.jpg
2 Dracula's: http://www.alcohollywood.com/wp-content/uploads//ep111-dracula.jpg
Dracula monster: http://tiffanyvalentine.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/bram-stokers-dracula-9.jpg
Dracula JRM: http://fast.swide.com/wp-content/uploads/best-new-vampire-movies-tv-series-2013-5-dracula.jpg
Dracula and Costello: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTV4XYHHFD-BeYc3-7tq7c_rhxhawbeWbki4TSf9CS7-Zsd1fZ29A
Nosferatu's Shadow: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRqcybmOWRvnAg_ClWLIbmwID2iUZDrF9KBVxL0l9HBoEwe4_Xk
Bram Stoker's film emblem: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTgsBMmswF887jjRiWRIx0f7Gzs1MiCv12Xnj2OYxsl_dIBXnp9LA
Dracula and Buffy: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mXJtQ5ZefuQ/UHYc6zCLRLI/AAAAAAAAHBk/clQpNybH1Fk/s1600/Buffy+vs+Dracula+2000.jpg
Christopher Lee Dracula: http://thefilmfellas.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dracula.jpg?w=630
Count Orlock: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QVruKt2cLew/T9KU0bN8eaI/AAAAAAAAAa0/4najtZWn6iA/s320/Count_Orlok_Nosferatu.jpg
Bela Lugosi's Dracula movie poster: http://unrealitymag.bcmediagroup.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2010-11-10-11-05-38-3-dracula-1931.jpeg
Nosferatu movie poster: http://cdn8.openculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Nosferatu_Theatre_Poster.jpg
Dracula Playhouse Poster: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Dracula_by_Hamilton_Deane_%26_John_L._Balderston_1938.jpg
Buffy and Master: http://static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130615070724/buffy/images/e/e0/Buffy_vs_the_Master.jpg
"Blade" vamp: http://www.herogohome.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Blade2TestTubeVampires.jpg
Nosferatu, Count Orlok sucking blood: http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/nosferatu-4.jpg
True form of Dracula from Bram Stoker's Dracula movie: http://tiffanyvalentine.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/bram-stokers-dracula-9.jpg
Tomb of Dracula comic book: http://i.annihil.us/u/prod/marvel/i/mg/6/e0/4bb4f2843839f/detail.jpg
Two Draculas: http://geekshizzle.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/dracula-1992.jpeg
Bele Lugosi Dracula still: http://beladraculalugosi.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/publicity-photo-for-draculas-broadway-run.jpg