Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary- By Michael Carlisle

 Title: Dracula: Pages From A Virgin's Diary

Year: 2003

Director: Guy Maddin
Country: Canada
Language: English

The mad poet of Manitoba strikes again with this wildly atmospheric take of the seductive and horrific life of Count Dracula. Again Guy Maddin uses his unique silent style of filmmaking to make Dracula: Pages From a Virgin’s Diary, which is arguably the best filmed account of Dracula since the 1922 classic Nosferatu. Living in an era where vampires have been reduced to teenage heartthrobs via Twilight, it is incredibly refreshing to see that older visions of what a vampire could and should be have not necessarily died or faded away. The most incredible thing about Maddin’s Dracula is that it is a ballet. The actors express great emotion on their faces and bodies, as well as transfer speech into movement. If Black Swan is the greatest film about ballet, then this film is the greatest ballet film. Though, how many ballet films are there? A unique man has made an incredibly unique film.

Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diary looks and feels like a silent film of the late 20’s, yet also has the feel of an odd Salvador Dali film. It contains the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s  production of “Dracula”, which is choreographed and produced by Mark Godden. The silent era-like music and visuals are incredibly effective to adding to the gothic mood to this film. If you were to make a frightening yet poetic and graceful film about Dracula’s legend this would definitely be the way to do it. Unfortunately, there have been too many satires and poor films about the head honcho of vampires that we tend to forget how amazing a film about Dracula could be. Do not pass on this film, just because you’ve seen too many poor takes on the subject matter.

Maddin’s Dracula sometimes feels like a scene or two is missing, not because there is missing footage, but because it does not care about chronology. You will not have a realistic A to B movie, instead you’ll be faced with a film that works like a dream, jumping from A to C to Z without hesitation or remorse. It’s a film based on something familiar, but works in a way that no film could ever dream of. He also takes advantage of his silent-era style of film-making by capturing images that evoke great emotion. He uses tinting to show an eerie- blood filled scene.

The film is about Count Dracula’s seductiveness. Indeed, there is a whole counter culture that deals with the erotic implications of vampires. Somehow it is orgasmic to have a pair of fangs sink deep into your neck. Maddin jumps on this theory and uses it to the film’s advantage. Maddin’s bold imagery show us the legendary vampire, his seemingly sexual encounters, and the man known as Van Helsing who is determined to take Dracula down. Though, this is less about a battle of good versus evil and more about the secret world of the Vampire. I have seen many films about Vampires, but none like Maddin presents.

In conclusion, though this may be an incredibly hard film to find, I recommend to watch it and analyze every scene. Examine how Maddin has taken a familiar story and taken it to enormous heights. Then I suggest you buy a ticket to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and check out the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra live, perhaps when they play their version of Dracula again. While Maddin’s Dracula is not his best film, it surely is a treat to see. Praise it! 3.5/5