Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary
(DVD)
DIRECTED BY - Guy Maddin
This silent, black and white film, adapted from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's interpretation of Bram Stoker's DRACULA, is Guy Maddin's dramatic masterpiece. It is an atmospheric, gothic work full of dance and eroticism, accompanied by Gustav Mahler's music. Clearly a modern film that has been styled to mimic the earliest works of cinema, DRACULA: PAGES FROM A VIRGIN'S DIARY is grainy and its light is often distorted. It uses large, emphatic title cards that introduce the characters, give loose plot structure, and serve as ironically comic punctuation to the action. There are sound effects that bring reality to some of the more gruesome vampire-hunting sequences. And there are moments of color--for instance, when blood is crudely drawn from the arm of the victim's fiance into a large antique tube, or when Dracula tosses his bright green dollar bills into the air. The film is divided into two chapters dedicated to Dracula's two victims. In the opening sequences, Lucy (Tara Birtwhistle), a pale vampy creature clad in a white gown, flirts with three suitors, but abandons all of them to welcome the elegant and seductive Dracula (Zhang Wei-Quang) into her arms late at night. After Lucy has passed, the focus turns to a more virginal, demure victim: Nina (CindyMarie Small). Pursuing the demon are a group of forthright men bearing stakes, garlic, crosses, and other tools of the trade. With DRACULA, Madden has created a truly inspired work that successfully combines ballet, film, and horror.
GENRES - drama, horror & suspense, music & performance
Film Info
RUNTIME - 75 minutes
RATING - Not Rated
YEAR - 2003
FORMAT - DVD Region All
COUNTRY - Canada
ATTRIBUTES - Widescreen
Related Links:
Official Website
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FESTIVALS
- Auckland International Film Festival 2003 (Auckland, Wellington, New Zealand)
- Foro Internacional de la Cineteca 2003 (Mexico City, Mexico)
- Gerardmer International Fantasy Film Festival 2003 (Paris, France)
- International Film Festival Rotterdam 2003 (Rotterdam, Netherlands)
- NatFilm Festival: Film Festival of Denmark 2003 (Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Palm Springs International Film Festival 2003 (Palm Springs, United States)
- Prague International Television Festival 2002 (Prague, Czech Republic)
- Sitges International Film Festival of Catalonia 2002 (Sitges, Spain)
Awards
- Arts Programming Canada (Winner)
2002 International Emmy Awards - Best Art Direction (Winners)
2003 Blizzard Awards (Winnipeg, Canada) - Best Direction in a Performing Arts Program (Winner)
2002 Gemini Awards (Toronto, Canada) - Best Film, Fantastic Competition (Winner)
2002 Sitges International Film Festival of Catalonia (Sitges, Spain) - Best Performing Arts Program (Winner)
2002 Gemini Awards (Toronto, Canada) - Grand Prix (Winner)
2002 Prague International Television Festival (Prague, Czech Republic)