Rating: 
Summary: Guy Maddin films the ballet "Dracula" as a silent movie
Review: Actually, if you stop and think about it, the idea of filming a ballet as a silent movie makes perfect sense. But because this rather obvious comparison has never occurred to us before the decision of director Guy Maddin ("Careful," "Tales From the Gimli Hospital") to film Mark Godden's "Dracula" as adapted and choreographed for Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet seems like a masterstroke. I was not surprised that somebody would write a ballet based on Dracula, but it turns out that is not exactly what happened here. The music in "Dracula - Pages from a Virgin's Diary" is by Gustav Mahler, taken from his first and second symphonies, neither of which was written as dance music for Bram Stoker's gothic horror novel, but Godden and Maddin make it all work. So that is too surprises delivered to the audience before Dracula ever starts dancing.For those familiar with the novel or the various film versions of "Dracula" that have tried to stay in the vicinity of Stoker's original text, the story picks up in England with Lucy Westernra (Tara Birthwhistle) trying to pick between her three suitors, Dr. Jack Seward (Matthew Johnson), Arthur Holmwood (Stephane Leonard), and Quincy Morris (Keir Knight), not to mention creepy bug-eating Renfield (Brent Neale). When Lucy falls prey to the vampire's curse, Dr. Van Helsing (David Moroni) arrives to teach the unbelievers what to do when someone they love becomes one of the undead. The second half of the ballet deal with the effort by Dracula (Wei-Qiang Zhang) to take Mina (CindyMarie Small) away from her intended, Jonathan Harker (Johnny A. Wright), and the flight back to Castle Dracula. But if Lucy is the pivotal character in the first half the film, and Birthwhistle's performance is the most thrilling in the ballet, then it clearly all comes down to Dracula in the second half. The vampire's final fate will certainly strike a chord with those aware of the more perverse habits of the historical Vlad the Impaler, who served as the inspiration for Stoker's Dracula. Those familiar with the story will have no trouble following along, but the copious use of title cards fill in any and all gaps. Fortunately they become much less frequent in the ballet's climax, where dance becomes the vital medium of expression. Visually, "Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary" is as fascinating as Abel Gance's "Napoleon" or Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane." Maddin shot the film in black & white on both 16mm and Super 8 stock, used special effects and aging techniques to simulate the grainy and shadowy images of silent films, and tinted frames various colors to accent items. The inside of Dracula's cape and most of the blood in the film appears bright red. Those familiar with the standard techniques of silent films (wipes, iris shots, soft framing, intertitles, tinting) will find that Maddin employs them and then turns them into something more suited to his own tastes (you can listen to the director's audio commentary to get insights into all the strange and weird things he did in putting Mark Godden's ballet on screen, such as using Bram Stoker's text as much as possible for the titles and chocolate syrup for the blood in the opening credits). Maddin avoids sustained shots; there must be at least a dozen cuts in every single minute of this 75-minute film. When you check out the Behind the Scenes segment on the DVD you will see what Winnepig audiences saw on stage with this version of "Dracula," but there are relatively few moments that are recognizable of that production in the film. Shooting the footage was just the first part of the artistic process for Maddin. Fans of the silent cinema may well be more impressed with this film than devotees of the ballet or those who like vampire movies. Not surprisingly the emphasis is on the eroticism inherent in the story that is as important as the horror. The sets for the convent and Dracula's castle invoke the height of German Expressionism, but the soft shapes and curves of the walls also emphasize the sensual. All of this serves as a setting for the sensual dancing. The coy sensuality of Lucy and her beaus because charged with a more overt sexuality when she becomes a vampire, while Dracula's coolness only serves to heighten his raw sexual energy. Fans of the ballet will probably not appreciation all of the hoops Maddin makes them jump through to watch the dancing here, but I think fans of Dracula will really enjoy this bold twist on the old tale.
Rating:
Summary: Guy Maddin films the ballet "Dracula" as a silent movie
Review: Actually, if you stop and think about it, the idea of filming a ballet as a silent movie makes perfect sense. But because this rather obvious comparison has never occurred to us before the decision of director Guy Maddin ("Careful," "Tales From the Gimli Hospital") to film Mark Godden's "Dracula" as adapted and choreographed for Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet seems like a masterstroke. I was not surprised that somebody would write a ballet based on Dracula, but it turns out that is not exactly what happened here. The music in "Dracula - Pages from a Virgin's Diary" is by Gustav Mahler, taken from his first and second symphonies, neither of which was written as dance music for Bram Stoker's gothic horror novel, but Godden and Maddin make it all work. So that is too surprises delivered to the audience before Dracula ever starts dancing. For those familiar with the novel or the various film versions of "Dracula" that have tried to stay in the vicinity of Stoker's original text, the story picks up in England with Lucy Westernra (Tara Birthwhistle) trying to pick between her three suitors, Dr. Jack Seward (Matthew Johnson), Arthur Holmwood (Stephane Leonard), and Quincy Morris (Keir Knight), not to mention creepy bug-eating Renfield (Brent Neale). When Lucy falls prey to the vampire's curse, Dr. Van Helsing (David Moroni) arrives to teach the unbelievers what to do when someone they love becomes one of the undead. The second half of the ballet deal with the effort by Dracula (Wei-Qiang Zhang) to take Mina (CindyMarie Small) away from her intended, Jonathan Harker (Johnny A. Wright), and the flight back to Castle Dracula. But if Lucy is the pivotal character in the first half the film, and Birthwhistle's performance is the most thrilling in the ballet, then it clearly all comes down to Dracula in the second half. The vampire's final fate will certainly strike a chord with those aware of the more perverse habits of the historical Vlad the Impaler, who served as the inspiration for Stoker's Dracula. Those familiar with the story will have no trouble following along, but the copious use of title cards fill in any and all gaps. Fortunately they become much less frequent in the ballet's climax, where dance becomes the vital medium of expression. Visually, "Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary" is as fascinating as Abel Gance's "Napoleon" or Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane." Maddin shot the film in black & white on both 16mm and Super 8 stock, used special effects and aging techniques to simulate the grainy and shadowy images of silent films, and tinted frames various colors to accent items. The inside of Dracula's cape and most of the blood in the film appears bright red. Those familiar with the standard techniques of silent films (wipes, iris shots, soft framing, intertitles, tinting) will find that Maddin employs them and then turns them into something more suited to his own tastes (you can listen to the director's audio commentary to get insights into all the strange and weird things he did in putting Mark Godden's ballet on screen, such as using Bram Stoker's text as much as possible for the titles and chocolate syrup for the blood in the opening credits). Maddin avoids sustained shots; there must be at least a dozen cuts in every single minute of this 75-minute film. When you check out the Behind the Scenes segment on the DVD you will see what Winnepig audiences saw on stage with this version of "Dracula," but there are relatively few moments that are recognizable of that production in the film. Shooting the footage was just the first part of the artistic process for Maddin. Fans of the silent cinema may well be more impressed with this film than devotees of the ballet or those who like vampire movies. Not surprisingly the emphasis is on the eroticism inherent in the story that is as important as the horror. The sets for the convent and Dracula's castle invoke the height of German Expressionism, but the soft shapes and curves of the walls also emphasize the sensual. All of this serves as a setting for the sensual dancing. The coy sensuality of Lucy and her beaus because charged with a more overt sexuality when she becomes a vampire, while Dracula's coolness only serves to heighten his raw sexual energy. Fans of the ballet will probably not appreciation all of the hoops Maddin makes them jump through to watch the dancing here, but I think fans of Dracula will really enjoy this bold twist on the old tale.
Rating:
Summary: Sensuous and Dreamy Dracula
Review: Guy Maddin's ballet adaptation set to Gustav Mahler's First, Second and Ninth Symphonies captures longing, optimism, tragedy, sensuality and madness and almost embodies a classic innocence (except for a few overtly erotic moments). Dracula's victims (Lucy and Mina) feel a force of attraction so powerful, they seem to revel in the seduction and call him from his world of darkness. Not even garlic or crosses seem to dissuade his lust for blood as Lucy (Tara Birtwhistle) reclines helplessly in bed.
Dracula (Zhang Wei-Qiang ) plays the part of a romantic rival, tempting women away from men who fail to meet these women's desires to be needed, as if for life itself. In a seductive play of shadow and light, energetic ballet performances spin in scene after scene of color. Yes, in this black-and-white adaptation, you will find scenes drenched in emerald, rose, deep navy, lavender, sage and crimson. The colors are rich, yet transparent and the fantastic detail of the set is at times almost hidden on the first viewing.
In fact, I recommend watching this movie twice. Once to view the story and romantic choreography, then the second time to take note of the actual set, costumes and use of color. I found it difficult to take in the richness of this movie in one sitting because I found myself concentrating on the story more than the set on the first viewing. The ruby glow in Dracula's eyes and the sapphire glow on the crosses are worth watching twice. You can see how the sets were made in the extras and also choose to listen to the commentary on the second viewing.
Vampire hunting is a main theme throughout this story. Van Helsing appears as a coarse mad scientist who is determined to save his patients from Dracula's blood draining tendencies and yet his concern for Lucy seems less than professional. Dracula seems to treat Lucy with more care as he drains the life force from her body. In fact, you may start to feel sympathy for Dracula, who seems much less of a seducer and almost a supplier of pleasure for his victims. Van Helsing observes Dracula dancing with Lucy through binoculars. This creates a circle in the center of the screen, which significantly reduces the picture size for moments at a time. The scenes shift in tone and size on a constant basis.
The fantastic detail, inventive fantasy sets, delicate women in romantic luminous gowns makes this a lush dreamy Dracula movie. If you keep waiting for the vampires to turn to dust, it never happens. They even seem to recover from brief moments in the sunlight.
There are a few moments of tongue-in-cheek humor instead of blood-drenched terror. Dracula bleeds coins and has stashes of emerald bills, which seems to represent an economic rather than physical threat to his romantic rivals.
Overall, I have to say this is stunningly beautiful and as fantasy as ballet could be. The scenes of Dracula and Lucy dancing in the snowy graveyard take romance to spectacular levels. If you dislike horror and love romance, then this Dracula adaptation is sure to please. The horror seems more like a mythological dance, so it doesn't appear threatening or allow you to become emotionally involved or even terrified.
If you hit "pause," you may enjoy reading a few pages from the diary. If you enjoy creating moods for movies, the Archipelago Botanicals Ambiant tea light candles melt into a shimmering crimson liquid. Definitely watch this by candlelight because it helps to emphasize the play of light and shadow.
~TheRebeccaReview.com
Rating:
Summary: The single best ballet movie ever
Review: Pairing the singular vision of Guy Maddin with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's production of "Dracula" was sheer genius: "Dracula," with its emphasis on the advent of modernity and corporeal corruption and repressed sexuality, is the ideal vehicle for Maddin's peculiar talents. What's more, using ballet dancers allowed him the opportunity to make a completely silent film (scored only with excerpts from Mahler's first and second symphonies). The results are stunning: this film has the most beautiful cinematography of any I've seen in years, the performances are superb, and Maddin even allows his trademark campy humor to creep into the titles (though not so much that it becomes annoying). The most beautiful sequences are danced in Lucy Westenra's mansion near the beginning, but the only thing is spectacular.
Rating:
Summary: Immigration is the Bogeyman
Review: Sure, it's no treat to be bitten by a Dracula, but when that uncouth, unclean, represents not only a soulless life beyond this, but the force of immigration in Europe through the two World Wars, then it's time to break out the mythopoetic garlic.
Rating: 
Summary: mesmerizing
Review: the other reviewers have paid tribute to the dancing, the cinematography, the costumes, and other wonderful technical aspects of this fabulous but somewhat schizoid film.
no one seems to have mentioned the humor. most of the humor occurs at the beginning, and led me to think this was going to be a spoof of dracula movies and silent films. however, the ballet is quite wonderfully serious and tragic, and beautifully danced, so i was left wondering why the initial spate of visual and verbal humor, some of which was quite hysterically funny and some of which is inexcusably sophomoric. the scenes with renfield are indescribable, and well worth watching.
do, as one other reviewer suggests, watch it more than once--there are so many fascinating things to enjoy that one viewing is definitely not enough.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful interpretation of a dark classic!!!
Review: There have been many film versions of Bram Stoker's tale of vampires, DRACULA, but none have been done with such grace and raw sexuality as this film version (called DRACULA: PAGES FROM A VIRGIN'S DIARY) based on the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's production. Directed by Guy Maddin to Gustav Mahler's music and Mark Godden's choreography, the ballet covers the old story of the vampire Count Dracula (Zhang Wei-Qiang) and his seductions of Lucy Westernra (Tara Birtwhistle) and Mina Murray (CindyMarie Small) until his ultimate destruction at the hands of Dr. Van Helsing (David Moroni). With its stark black and white images, mixed with various color tinitings and almost painted-on highlights the film is both stark and beautiful in its presentation.
Since this film is essentially a filmed ballet, all of the acting is done in mime. As a result, the film is given an almost silent film (complete with sub-titles) atmosphere to the whole proceedings. Zhang Wei-Qiang makes for a romantic, yet imperiously aloof Dracula, while CindyMarie Small is just the right blend of innocence and desire as Mina. However, it is Tara Birtwhistle's Lucy and David Maroni's Van Helsing that truly capture the attention. Birtwhistle exudes both playfulness and raw sexuality in her stunning portrayal, while Maroni's intense bearing makes him a formidable foe for Dracula.
The entire ensemble does wonderful work and the film goes at a good clip at 74 minutes. However, the film's first half is probably more interesting to non-ballet fans as most of the special effects and wild staging seem to take place here. The DVD has some wonderful extras including some radio interviews with the producer and director, a Canadian news story about the film, photos, and an insightful commentary by Maddin.
For fans of ballet, Dracula, or both, this film is definitely a must-see and something that I would highly recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Dancing Dracula
Review: This is a commissioned piece for the Canadian Film Board ( I believe). I had the great fortune to see it on CBC television last Holloween. An Exotic Ballet in Black and White with bits of blood red color appearing just at the most astonishing moments.
A fabulous dancer plays Dracula. The most unusual and beautiful telling of a favorite myth.
I can't wait until it's released in DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Surreal and beautiful images tainted by goofy subtitles.
Review: This is one of those films people will be talking about for years to come. It's a truly unique and beautiful work. The amazing thing is that Maddin (or rather his under appreciated cinematographer) uses the camera like a ballet dancer. So you've got lots of kinetics going on three levels: The Dancers, the incredible camera work as it flows with the movement, and the cool fast Montage editing made famous by Russian director's from the 20's like Vertov, Kuleshov and Eisentein.
No doubt about it, the plum role is Lucy Westenra and it always has been. The first half of the film is gorgeous as she steals the show from Dracula himself. I liked the Renfield make-up too, which brings to mind Lon Chaney's lost vampire from "London After Midnight"
So what spoiled the soup for me? The Intertitles are Horribly done and stupid as Maddin tries to thwack us over the head with his post-modern 21st century glibness. Worst of all is that the titles look modern, like some junky Photoshop file pasted over the incredible 16mm black & white film. They really break the visual and metaphorical illusion that you're watching some long forgotten silent film. They're not funny nor informative, just badly done and poorly thought out. The director's comments are OK. Most director's talk too much, and DVDs give them a shameless chance to indulge. But this is worth watching to see how they filmed the ballet. For you film buffs, the guy is using a 16mm Bolex with only 100 feet of film at a time. That means he can only shoot for 20-30 seconds before having to stop and re-crank the clockwork motor! This camera guy really did it old school, and it shows how film making was back in the dawn of cinema. Vampire fans, Film Buffs, & Anne Rice afficianadoes will love this. Just close your eyes during the intertitles....
Rating:
Summary: Awesome interpretation
Review: What an orgional idea. Many theater companies are scrambling to reproduce this concept live. You must see (and hear)the film to
appreciate this radical concept. He pulls it off, it works!
The music from Gustav Mahler is inspiring and would stand on it's own. Brilliant score. The main dancer (?) is a sight to behold. You almost can't take your eyes off him.
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