Bram Stoker's Dracula

The word “syphilis” doesn't appear anywhere in Bram Stoker's Dracula (it's also still a matter of debate as to whether the author suffered from this terrible ailment while he was writing the book), but the concept of vampirism as a metaphor for sexually transmitted disease has been connected with the tale of the night-dwelling count since the beginning. In this Masterpiece Theatre production, the subject takes center stage as fears of the brain-wasting, personality-altering effects of syphilis turn out to be as horrific as the already familiar neck bites. While this isn't a strict adaptation of Stoker's classic, it still feels particularly and peculiarly Victorian, even though the film also allows an early sense of nascent feminism in its female characters, especially the doomed Lucy (a luscious Sophia Myles). Marc Warren plays Count Dracula as a compromise between Stoker's traditional monster and the sexualized creature of later depictions, but interestingly, the humans turn out to be far more intriguing than the fanged one. Fresh, erudite, and decidedly adult in approach, this is recommended. (M. Johanson)