:
Zhang Wei-Qiang,
Zhang Wei-Qiang,
Tara Birtwhistle,
more...
:
Guy Maddin,
Guy Maddin
see all cast/crew...
: Not Rated
: Zeitgeist Films
: Foreign, Horror, Vampires, Experimental/Avant-Garde, Canada
: 75 min.
: English
see additional details...
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Idiosyncratic Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin resurrects the style and visual grammar of the silent cinema in this ambitious screen adaptation of the Royal Winnepeg Ballet's acclaimed dance production, which incorporates elements of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula and F.W. Murnau's film Nosferatu. In 1897, a strange and mysterious visitor from the East, Dracula (Zhang Wei-Qiang), arrives in London, and soon puts the wealthy and pleasure-loving Lucy (Tora Birtwhistle) under his spell. Dracula next sets his sights on the virginal Mina (Cindy Marie Small), but when the vampire's machinations begin to alter her personality, her fiancé, Jonathan (Johnny Wright), realizes something is very wrong, and vampire hunter Von Helsing (David Moroni) is brought in to slay the monster. Dracula, Pages From a Virgin's Diary was originally produced for Canadian television; after winning praise from a number of critics, the film was screened at a number of international film festivals before receiving a theatrical release in the United States. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Special features: - Audio commentary by director Guy Maddin
- Behind-the-scenes report, featuring interviews with Guy Maddin, producer Vonnie Von Helmolt and choreographer Mark Godden
- Special video piece on the construction of the sets
- Radio interviews with Guy Maddin and Vonnie Von Helmolt
- Extensive production photo gallery
 Jonathan Marlow's conversation with Guy Maddin, begun in March with a film-by-film discussion of his early work, picked up again in October, focusing on the later features: Dracula, The Saddest Music in the World and Cowards Bend the Knee. Full article >>
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| Definitely not "Van Helsing"
by talltale
June 17, 2004 - 6:30 AM PDT
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4 out of 5 members found this review helpful
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| DRACULA: PAGES FROM A VIRGIN'S DIARY is no "Van Helsing." It's nothing like the Hammer horrors, either, and only slightly similar to the early Lugosi movies. It does have the look of a silent film (Director Maddin loves this sort of thing, doesn't he?). Part of me would like to trounce this twitty and precious piece of fluff. But damn it all, the thing kind of sticks with you. It's so sexual--in ways both obvious and not. And once you've experienced it, you'll probably agree that ballet is not a bad medium for the Count. Maddin overstates his case for Drac being "the other" (you know: immigrants from the east). That said, this relatively short (75-minute) movie is a strange and lingering treat. |
| Well it's ballet, isn't it?
by RHorsman
May 27, 2004 - 12:00 PM PDT
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5 out of 8 members found this review helpful
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| My problem with Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary may lie with the expectations I brought, not the project itself. I was expecting Guy Maddin's take on Dracula, and while there is some of that, essentially the film is Maddin's stylistic gloss on Mark Godden's adaptation and choreography. Godden's piece doesn't really bring much new to the oft told (even in ballet form) tale of Dracula and the choreography is not especially notable. Very much Guy-light in comparison to Careful or Twilight of the Ice Nymphs. If you're new to Maddin, watch one of those for your introduction instead. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 7.16)
85 Votes
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