Dracula (2002) (TV)

Director:

Roger Young

Writers (WGA):

Bram Stoker (novel)
Roger Young (teleplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

29 May 2002 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

An Ancient terror lives on in the new world.

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Slitting The Throat Of A Child | Blood | Child Murder | Murder | Budapest Hungary

Cast

Patrick Bergin	...	Vladislav Tepes / Dracula
Giancarlo Giannini	...	Dr. Enrico Valenzi
Hardy Krüger Jr.	...	Jonathan Harker (as Hardy Krüger jr.)
Stefania Rocca	...	Mina
Muriel Baumeister	...	Lucy
Kai Wiesinger	...	Dr. Seward (as Kay Wiesinger)
Alessio Boni	...	Quincy
Conrad Hornby	...	Arthur Holmwood
Brett Forest	...	Roenfield (as Brett Forrest)
Alessia Merz	...	Fair Woman
Piroska Kiss	...	Dark Woman
István Göz	...	Male Nurse (as Istvan Goz)
Barna Illyés	...	Border Guard (as Barna Illyes)
Csaba Pethes	...	Captain of the Tug
Balázs Tardy	...	Tug Crew Member 1 (as Balazs Tardy)
Levente Törköly	...	Tug Crew Member 2 (as Levente Torkoly)
Ilona Kassai	...	Woman at the Hotel
Imola Gáspár	...	Woman at the Manor (as Imola Gaspar)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Csilla Bakonyi
Petra Hauman
Tibor Kenderesi
Andrew Divoff	...	Doctor (uncredited)

Directed by
Roger Young

Writing credits (WGA)
Bram Stoker		(novel)
Roger Young		(teleplay) and
Eric Lerner		(teleplay)

Produced by
Roberta Cadringher	....	producer: RAI
Paolo De Crescenzo	....	producer
Ferdinand Dohna	....	producer: KirchMedia
Michele Greco	....	line producer
Paolo Lucidi	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Harald Kloser
Thomas Wanker

Cinematography by
Elemér Ragályi		(as Elemer Ragalyi)

Film Editing by
Alessandro Lucidi

Casting by
Jeremy Zimmermann

Production Design by
László Rajk

Set Decoration by
Alessandra Querzola

Costume Design by
Ornella Campanale

Makeup Department
Giancarlo Del Brocco	....	makeup supervisor
Anna Tesner	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Luca Bernabei	....	executive in charge of production
Franco Casellato	....	post-production supervisor
József Cirkó	....	executive in charge: Hungary (as Jozsef Cirko)
Ágoston Félegyházy Megyesy	....	assistant production manager: Hungary (as Ágoston F. Megyesy)
Marco Olivieri	....	unit manager
Rosario Ranieri	....	post-production supervisor
Tamás Zákonyi S.	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sergio Ercolessi	....	first assistant director
Gergely Fülöp	....	assistant director
Jan Michelini	....	third assistant director
Franco Maria Salamon	....	second unit director
Csilla Szigeti	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Béla Tollay	....	stand-by props

Sound Department
Paolo Amici	....	sound effects editor
Beau Biggart	....	adr mixer
György Mihályi	....	cable person
Daniele Quadroli	....	sound effects editor
David Quadroli	....	sound effects editor
Mac Ruth	....	sound recordist
Pál Szûrös	....	boom operator
Bruno Ventura	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Furedi Csaba	....	special effects technician
Gabor Kiszelly	....	special effects technician
Ferenc Ormos	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Paolo Acri	....	digital artist
Massimo Cipollina	....	visual effects
Marco Fiorani Parenzi	....	digital compositor
Fabrizio Pistone	....	digital artist
Corrado Rizzo	....	digital effects supervisor
Gian Luca Rizzo	....	digital compositor
Luca Scanferla	....	digital compositor: Proxima
Salvo Severino	....	visual effects
Giuseppe Tagliavini	....	digital artist
Paolo Zeccara	....	visual effects supervisor

Stunts
Giorgio Antonini	....	stunts
László Imre	....	stunts
Péter Katona	....	stunt double: Giancarlo Giannini
Péter Katona	....	stunt performer
Levente Lezsák	....	stunt performer
Franco Maria Salamon	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Csaba Bankhardt	....	grip
Attila Bogyai	....	electrician
Egon Endrényi	....	still photographer
Marci Ragályi	....	focus puller: loader
Imre Sisa	....	key grip
András Váradi	....	director of photography: second unit

Casting Department
Fabiola Banzi	....	casting: Italy
Tamás Kertész	....	extras casting
Cornelia von Braun	....	casting: Germany

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Imre Béres	....	dresser
Imre Béres	....	tailor
Claudette Lilly	....	assistant costume designer
Krisztina Vavrinecz	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Valentina Mariani	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Jan Holzner	....	score recording engineer
Thomas Schobel	....	composer: additional music
Dave Tinsley	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Csaba Annus	....	driver: pre-production
Csaba Bagossy	....	driver: wardrobe

Other crew
Gabriella Csoma	....	production coordinator
Brigitta Kosztandi	....	accountant
Balázs Kovács	....	extras coordinator
Luca Manzi	....	story editor
Franco Penna	....	production accountant
Roberto Penna	....	production auditor
Andrea Piria	....	accountant
Laszlo Rorariusz	....	location manager (as Laszlo Rorarius)
Franco Maria Salamon	....	master of arms
Simona Sciannimanico	....	production coordinator
Béla Vaszary	....	medical coordinator
Laura Vergelli	....	dialogue adaptor
Gabriella Winkler	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Lux Vide (as A Lux Video)
• Beta Film (in association with)
• RaiTrade
• Rai Fiction
• KirchMedia

Distributors

• Anchor Bay Entertainment (UK) (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Force Video (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2006) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2009) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2003) (Brazil) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Multifilm Special Effects
• Proxima

Also Known As:

"Dracula's Curse" - USA (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence and sexuality

Runtime:

USA:104 min (DVD version) | Italy:173 min (2 part TV-miniseries)

Country:

Italy | Germany

Language:

Italian | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:12 | Argentina:13 | USA:R (certificate #40315) | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company:

Lux Vide

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: After it is discovered that Lucy is missing, the group is discussing what has happened and Jonathan is standing behind a window in which two crewmembers are reflected.

Movie Connections:

Version of Bram Stoker's Dracula (1974) (TV)

Surprisingly faithful adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula" -- deserves better attention!

Dracula is a major presence in our house (along with his relatives the Mummy, the Wolf Man, Frankenstein, zombies, ...) I cannot claim to have seen all of the many films which are descendants of Bram Stoker's original work -- the "Dracula" name has been applied to everything from sex farce to psychological allegory, and some of it is pure trash. But we have seen more than our share of not only Dracula movies but also vampire movies in general, as well as any number of play adaptations.

It seems that most Dracula movies are not adaptations of the book, but rather adaptations of previous movies. Admittedly, the book is devilishly hard to stage/film, as it is structured as a series of excerpts from journals, difficult to weave into a consistent narrative flow. But one often gets the impression that the directors (or screenwriters!) of some of the films haven't bothered to read Stoker's novel, contenting themselves with merely screening some previous efforts.

So it is always with some trepidation we watch a new "Dracula" film, bracing ourselves for yet another schlock assault with only passing connection to the original. (Not that we are against schlock per se -- only when it masquerades to deceive.) Frankly, the cover art and copy of "Dracula's Curse" didn't give us much hope of quality.

Thus, we were pleasantly surprised to find that it is a well-appointed, thoughtful, and reasonably faithful version of Bram Stoker's book. Obviously, the production team had not only read the book but understood it, and labored to bring it to the screen as accurately as possible. In this, it stands head and shoulders above most "true to the novel" versions, including Coppola's (don't get me started on *that* one...)

The film does strike several sour notes -- the flying effects are in my opinion quite overused, and in fact unnecessary -- and at several points is at odds with tradition. (Vampiric insensitivity to sunlight will jar most people.) But many of these "traditions" are actually creations of earlier films, as careful reading of the novel will show. The ending is also rather rushed, as though the production was running out of money and could not afford the chase across Europe to save Mina.

The multinational cast does take a bit of getting used to, with as many accents as there are actors. But even this is true to the spirit of Stoker, who inserted an "exotic" American and the European Van Helsing into his story to lend it an international flavor.

Some of the casting plays against movie convention; Dracula (Patrick Bergin) in particular is at odds with what many people expect of the bloodsucking count. He looks far more authentically Romanian than any other Dracula we have seen (like a cross between Robert Goulet, Harvey Keitel, and Lech Walesa). Unfortunately, as the "aged" Dracula he looks distractingly like Scots comic actor Billy Connolly. But he has appropriate menace as well as some regal bearing, and is closer to Stoker's description than most.

The film is set in the present day, but by clever and deft scripting allows whole sections to feel as though they are set during Stoker's time. The locations and settings are sumptuous; the film makes very effective use of Budapest scenery to set the mood. Great care was obviously taken to achieve interesting camera angles.

And more of Stoker's dialogue is present than in perhaps any other version of the story, including the Louis Jourdan mini-series.

For someone who has only seen other "Dracula" movies, this one may seem slow and overstated. But to anyone who has read the book and enjoyed it, this movie is a refreshing attempt to bring Bram Stoker's original vision to the screen. Rather than rely on gratuitous gore and nudity, this production builds on mood and a fluid sensuality. Just as Stoker intended.