Bram Stoker's Dracula - A Love Story

     There is no greater love story that tugs at my heart than Bram Stoker's Dracula. The movie arrived in theaters in 1992 and I remember doing a persuasive paper in high school on how the genre of this movie should be drama (romance) instead of horror.  I didn't persuade anyone that I know of.  Most agreed that it is a horror movie and no way romantic.  There might be some now, reading this, that question how I come to the conclusion of finding the movie romantic so let me shine some light on the subject.

     At the beginning Vlad Dracula goes off to battle against the Turks.  He was strong on the battlefield bringing home the victory.  The Turks, angry at Dracula for his conqueroring, sent a letter off to Dracula's wife, Elisabeta saying that her husband has met his fate out in the battlefield.  Saddened and heartbroken she plummet out the window and into the moat below thus killing herself.  Upon Dracula's return to share his joyous victory with his wife he instead finds her dead.  The priests tell Dracula that Elisabeta's soul is damned forever in hell because she took her own life.  Dracula becomes irrate and damns God's name and declares that he will rise from the grave to avenge Elisabeta with all the powers of darkness. 

     Fast forward a few hundred centeries.  A real estate agent, Jonathan, heads off to Transylvania to do some dealings with Count Dracula.  They converse and the Count finds a picture of Jonathan's fiancee, Mina who I personally believe is the reincarnated Elisabeta.  Dracula, having Jonathan held against his wishes at the castle, quickly heads off to London to see Mina for himself.  He sees her on the street and under his breath begs her to look at him.  She glances in his direction.  Now some people argue that he put a trance on Mina.  I disagree.  How many times have we been at a public place wishing for a certain person across a room to look in your direction?  How many times do we sit by the phone commanding it to ring and have that special person be on the other end?  We have all had that feeling that we are being stared at only to look up and find that someone is looking in our direction.  We are not tranced when it happens.  I believe there is a deep vib that we can send out to others without having to say anything at all.  That was all Count Dracula was doing at this point.  He so desperately wanted Mina to look in his direction for her to take notice of him.  It wasn't a trance.

     Dracula is persistant and persues Mina.  At first she repels herself away from him.  Afterall, she is engaged.  She should have no interest in other men.  The more they start talking she finds herself being pulled toward Dracula.  Again, some people consider this part of the trance but no.  She finds herself comforted by his voice.  His touch was soothing.  When she spoke about his castle and his princess she did so with much emotion.  Her heart was realizing that her soul mate was standing before her.  Like a magnet their souls were being pulled towards each other.  Nothing else mattered, just each other.  Dracula, after all these years, was getting his Elisabeta back. 

     Then Jonathan had to ruin it all and escape from the castle.  He sent word out to Mina and she quickly hopped a boat across the sea to meet up with Jonathan to wed him.  On her voyage her heart was breaking but she didn't understand it.  She still loved Jonathan but there was a deeper love there for Count Dracula.  Her mind said to go to Jonathan but her heart was telling her to run back to her prince.  Needless to say the Count wasn't too thrilled about this.  He was determined to get his Mina back.  One night while the men were out Vampire hunting the Count came to Mina in a mist.  In her slumber he aroused her awake.  Before she even opened her eyes she said, "Come to me, my handsome prince."  She knew it was the Count.  She knew it!  Her heart spoke to her and she knew who was with her.  That's powerful.  He confesses to her what he really is.  She is angry but her heart wouldn't let her stay angry for long.  He wants her to join with him in the realm of the living dead.  When things began to heat up the Count loved Mina so much that he couldn't do that to her.  He knew that being a vampire was not a pleasant thing and he didn't want Mina having to live like that, even if it meant giving her up.  My heart just stops at that moment.  It's a beautiful thing to let go even when it hurts.  But it is even more precious when that loves comes back too.  Mina didn't care.  She wanted to do whatever it took to be a part of his world.  "Take me away from all this death" and with mixed feelings the Count welcomed her to drink of his blood. 

    

Then who comes in to ruin everything again?  Yep, Jonathan.  The Count quickly leaves and the Vampire hunt begins.  A doctor who is part of the team takes Mina under his wing because she has the vampire blood in her stream.  They run off to the castle to hunt down Count Dracula.  The whole time Mina is trying to get back to the castle too but not to kill Count Dracula but to be reunited with him.  She has surrendered to her heart and desires to be with her prince.  Unfortunally, Jonathan doesn't take the hint too well until the end.  The Count is wounded and Mina runs to his side.  Jonathan lets her go be with him.   He should of taken the hint a long time ago!  Mina helps the Count inside and up to what seems like an alter.  They say their sad good-bye's.  Mina has to do the awful task of putting her love out of his misery by putting a steak into his heart and cutting off his head.  With a heavy heart she does so.  She wants her prince to have peace at last. 

   

     Wouldn't it be nice if there can be a love so strong that it can stand the test of time?  Could love span across centuries and be reunited time and time again?   That is what this movie was about.  It was about a love so deep and so connected that it stood against the odds to bond again.  Their lonely spirits trying hard to, unknowingly, reach out to each other.   Could love even be that powerful or is it just a quick emotion that get tangled up by the thoughts that surround it?  It does make you wonder.