I really couldn't think of a title to describe this post but basically I'm going to list my favourite portrayals of Dracula characters e.g. my favourite Mina Harker was Zoe Tapper in Demons. Hopefully you'll get it and enjoy it. It's a bit of a dream cast, although some aren't what I would call perfect and are just the better ones, so from what I've seen of these portrayals I'd want most of these people to play these characters in one movie or tv show rather than being split up as they are.
Dracula is so big in pop culture and there's so many adaptations, some are trying to do the original story and others just take the characters and put them something new. I'll start by listing what adaptations I have seen so you know this list doesn't include every single one but it means you can recommend another one. I'd love to watch them all no matter how bad it might be (some of them are really bad). Also I'm not including Nosferatu as it's not official but also no one from that is in this list so I guess it doesn't matter.
Adaptations I've seen:
Dracula (BBC, 1977)
Bram Stoker's Dracula (Columbia, 1992)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer "Buffy vs. Dracula" (2000)
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (20th Century Fox, 2003)
Van Helsing (Universal, 2004)
Dracula (BBC, 2006)
Demons (ITV, 2009)
Dracula Untold (Universal, 2014)
Dracula (NBC, 2014)
Dracula - Richard Roxburgh
Richard's Dracula is an example of the character being lifted from the original story and planted into a new one. This Dracula comes from Van Helsing and fights against the titular character (although this is Gabriel Van Helsing and a monster hunter as is often misconstrued). Dracula is trying to create a whole army of vampires with his bride but needs a lot of energy to hatch them, which he planned to get from Frankenstein's monster but uses a werewolf as the monster is thought dead. The reason I love Richard's portrayal of Dracula is he appears how I imagined him to in his young form (the older form is so often ommited): unconventually attractive. Now Richard is good looking but you don't hear about women or men crushing on him. I think the make up truly gives him an undead look. But at the same time he is attractive and seductive. I believe Dracula should be not very attractive in appearance but his words and actions seduce you. Also Richard gets the anger correct. In the novel, Dracula has a calm demeanour but occasionally goes into a full blown rage which Richard nails.
Mina Harker - Zoe Tapper
Mina is a very hard character to pick a favourite as I think so many adaptations get her right. She is my favourite character from Dracula and probably my favourite literary heroine. Peta Wilson in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was my first Mina but I only saw her as a vampire lady at the time as I didn't know the Dracula story. Zoe in Demons was my second Mina and the character was pretty close to fully explained thanks to an episode centred around she and her son, Quincy. It also highlighted chapter 21 in the novel so I never forget that number and what happens within. Mina is a headstrong character, feminine yet fits in well with the band of men who are her heroes. They value her and she holds her own against their opinions of keeping her out of the action. Mina in Demons at first appears as a blind pianist with psychic abilities. But when we get the episode focussed on her we learn that she IS Mina Harker, which is astonishing as the story is set in present day, and she is still a vampire. The vampiric characteristics are subdued by dialysis which renders her blind, but when she ingests her own blood they come back to the surface. I've picked Zoe because she is still a vampire (mostly), headstrong, but also displays the vulnerability that the character had in the novel. While Peta's Mina is similar, I believe that she is too studious and determined. Judi Bowker from the BBC adaptation and Jessica De Gouw from the NBC adaptation also come pretty close.
Jonathan Harker - Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Choosing a favourite Jonathan is hard as he is a character that is sidelined in favour of a Dracula/Mina romance and portayed as a wet blanket. I feel this isn't how the character was written in the novel but is just a hard one to translate into media without falling into that trap. While Oliver's Jonathan wasn't in an accurate adaptation, I believe he is the strongest portrayal. He maintains composure and you can truly see the fight in his eyes against Dracula. That is about all I can say really, bless him.
Dr. Seward - Tom Burke
The 2006 BBC dracula was a very recent watch as I knew it was accessible to me and I wanted my list to be as inclusive as I could make it. I was going to pick Mark Burns as my favourite Dr Seward from the older BBC Dracula but even though i preferred him to Richard E. Grant's portrayal, I didn't feel he stood out. However, even though the 2006 version wasn't great, Tom Burke really stood out. This was a Seward who really exuded confidence and appeared heroic. Watching him I just knew he was my favourite in the whole adaptation.
Quincy Morris - Billy Campbell
There are only two Quincy's to choose from, but technically only one as one of them was an amalgamation with Holmwood. I also like Billy Campbell so I guess it was always going to be him I chose. He embodies the American cowboy really well. The only negative in would say it that Quincy in the novel seems to be more muscled and tough when the situation calls for it. Billy's Quincy is still a gentleman to the ladies though.
Arthur Holmwood - Carey Elwes
While I think Carey's Holmwood doesn't have a lot of character, he embodies the rich lord who throws his money at their quest to kill the beast that killed his fiancee. You can also see how much he cares for Lucy behind his stiff upper lip. Dan Stevens' portrayal was too changed, selfish and violent for me to choose his.
Lucy Westenra - Susan Penhaligon
Lucy is a character interpreted in many ways. Her curiosity and sensuality when a vampire blurs lines in different portrayal such as Sadie Frost's more sexual version. As much as it was a great idea to have Lucy portrayed as a lesbian in the NBC adaptation, it deviates from the fact that Lucy attracted three suitors. Sophia Myles, while brilliant, just seemed too mature for my liking. That leaves Susan Penhaligon. Susan plays Lucy as the innocent young girl she is, full of curiosity and adventure. Declining in health but hypnotised by Dracula, you really feel for her and feel the same emotions as the friends in her life and death.
Renfield - Jack Shepherd
Renfield is an often forgotten, insignificant or changed character in adaptations. For me there were only two contenders for this which were Jack Shepherd and Tom Waits. I felt that Tom Waits portrayal was too crazy. I know that's a weird thing to say considering he's a lunatic. But this is an ordinary man driven to lunacy by Dracula. Jack Shepherd shows this much more and you can sympathise with the character more.
Dr. Abraham Van Helsing - Frank Finlay
Let's get things straight. Van Helsing is not a vampire/monster hunter. Frank's Van Helsing is a doctor who has an amazing bedside manner, as he should be. I would love to have this cuddly old man look after me if I was unwell but I can also see him hunting down Dracula with the same passion (but not too much) as it was written in the novel. Anthony Hopkins' starts well but they turn him into a hunter and almost a fanatic which I don't like. I found David Suchet's portrayal deviated too far from the original to choose him but I believe if he was playing Van Helsing as written I might have chosen him.
What do you think? Do you agree with my choices? I hope I didn't ramble too much.
Lotty
xx
