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Dracula: Dead and Loving It
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dracula: Dead and Loving It | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Mel Brooks |
| Produced by | Brooksfilms Ltd, Castle Rock Entertainment |
| Written by | Bram Stoker Rudy De Luca Mel Brooks Steve Haberman |
| Starring | Leslie Nielsen Peter MacNicol Steven Weber Amy Yasbeck Mel Brooks Lysette Anthony |
| Music by | Hummie Mann |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 22, 1995 |
| Running time | 88 min. |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Dracula: Dead And Loving It is a 1995 movie directed by Mel Brooks. It is a parody of Dracula by Bram Stoker, and of some of the movies the novel inspired. The film's visual style and production values are particularly evocative of the Hammer Horror films. Among the many movies spoofed are the classic Dracula (1931), starring Bela Lugosi, and Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992).
This is Brooks' most recent directorial effort.
Contents |
- Leslie Nielsen as Count Dracula
- Peter MacNicol as Thomas Renfield
- Steven Weber as Jonathan Harker
- Amy Yasbeck as Mina Murray
- Mel Brooks as Dr. Abraham Van Helsing
- Lysette Anthony as Lucy Westenra
- Harvey Korman as Dr. Jack Seward
- Mark Blankfield as Martin
- Megan Cavanagh as Essie
- Gregg Binkley as Woodbridge
- Clive Revill as Sykes
Solicitor Thomas Renfield (MacNicol) travels all the way from London to Transylvania to meet an important client. His destination is a place called "Castle Dracula." As he nears the end of his journey, the sun sets, and the stagecoach driver refuses to take him any further. Kindly villagers plead with him to turn back. Saying "You don't understand; I'm expected!" Renfield continues on foot.
Renfield arrives safely and meets Count Dracula (Nielsen), a charming but rather strange man who is, of course, a vampire. Dracula signs papers finalizing the purchase of Carfax Abbey in England, and Renfield retires for the night. He wakes when two Brides of Dracula come gliding seductively in. They are about to finish him off when the Count appears and orders them out of the room. He then casts a hypnotic spell on the suggestible Renfield, making him his slave.
Dracula and Renfield soon embark for England. During the voyage, Dracula dines upon the ship's crew, starting with the second mate, eventually killing everyone by the time he reaches England. He goes ashore, leaving Renfield behind. When Renfield (by this time raving mad in the style of Dwight Frye) is discovered alone on the ship, he is confined to a lunatic asylum.
Meanwhile, Dracula visits an opera house, where he introduces himself to his new neighbors: Doctor Seward (Korman), owner of the asylum where Renfield is being held, and a believer in enemas as a sovereign remedy for mental illness; Seward's assistant, Jonathan Harker (Weber); Seward's nubile daughter Mina (Yasbeck), engaged to Harker for the past five years; and Seward's ward, the equally nubile Lucy (Anthony). Dracula flirts with Lucy and, later that night, enters her bedroom and feeds on her blood.
The next day, Mina discovers Lucy still in bed late in the morning, looking strangely pale. Seward, puzzled by the odd puncture marks on her throat, calls in an expert on obscure diseases, Dr. Abraham Van Helsing (Brooks). Van Helsing informs the skeptical Dr. Seward that Lucy has been attacked by a vampire. After some hesitation, Seward and Harker allow garlic to be placed in Lucy's bedroom to repel the vampire. Dracula releases Renfield from the asylum, and orders him to get rid of the garlic. Renfield, however, can't resist first lifing the covers of Lucy's bed and taking a peek. Lucy screams, and Seward and Harker rush in and recapture Renfield. Dracula then uses mind control to make Lucy leave her room, and kills her in the garden.
Van Helsing meets Dracula and begins to suspect him of being the local vampire; he also becomes embroiled in a last-word competition with the Count. Lucy, now a vampire herself, rises from her crypt, drains the blood from her guard, and tries to attack Harker. Van Helsing rushes in just in time and chases her back to her coffin with a crucifix. Jonathan drives a stake into Lucy's heart, causing an improbable amount of blood to gush out ("She just ate!" explains Van Helsing, standing well back, having done this kind of thing before).
Dracula's next victim is Mina, but he has bigger plans for her; he wants her to be his undead bride through all eternity. He spirits her away to Carfax Abbey, where they dance, and he sucks her blood. Mina does not loathe the Count, as she does in Stoker's novel; in fact, she seems to enjoy his attentions. The following morning, she is unusually frisky, and tries to seduce the prudish Jonathan. Van Helsing becomes suspicious at this strange behavior. Noticing a scarf around Mina's neck, he removes it, revealing two puncture marks.
Van Helsing devises a plan to reveal Count Dracula's secret identity. He invites the Count to a ball, and places a huge mirror, covered with a curtain, on one of the walls. Dracula arrives, and dances the Csárdás with Mina. Suddenly, the curtain over the mirror is dropped, and guests are stunned to see Mina's reflection seemingly dancing by itself. Dracula grabs Mina and escapes out a window. Renfield, also at the ball, impulsively shouts after him "Master! Master!. . .I mean, Mister! Mister!" He is immediately locked up again, while Van Helsing, Seward, and Harker search for Dracula.
Van Helsing deduces that Renfield is Dracula's slave, and so might know where he keeps his coffin. He lets him out of his cell, and the three men secretly follow him to Dracula's lair. Once discovered, the Count locks himself in a room to finish making Mina his bride. His pursuers break down the door, and they fight. Van Helsing, noticing sunlight creeping into the room, starts opening the blinds. As his body begins to burn, Dracula transforms himself into a bat and flies up into the darkness of the attic ceiling.
Renfield flings open a trapdoor and shouts "This way, Master!", flooding the room with light and reducing his master to ashes. Mina, sweet and innocent once more, leaves with Jonathan; Renfield mourns Dracula for a moment, then becomes Seward's slave; and Van Helsing shouts "Pushta!" at the pile of vampire-ashes, thinking he's finally getting the last word (at the end of the credits, however, Dracula retorts).
This list is not exhaustive, but intended to convey a sense of the differences between the film and the novel:
- Dracula has only two Brides.
- Renfield goes to Transylvania and is hypnotized rather than bitten. He is found, insane, aboard the Demeter.
- Dracula does not "youthen."
- The characters of Arthur Holmwood and Quincey Morris are omitted.
- Dr. Seward is Mina's father, not Lucy's suitor. Lucy is his ward.
- Van Helsing has killed vampires before.
- Harker kills Lucy after she's rises as one of the Undead.
- Dracula does not have multiple coffins. He can only change into a weird little manlike bat, not a wolf.
- Dracula must sleep by day (and has "day-mares").
- Dracula is accidentally killed by Renfield, who exposes him to the sun, and thus survives the story.
- Lover at Picnic: Would you care for some wine?
Dracula: I never drink...wine. [pause] Oh, what the hell. Let me try it. (drinks) It's good!
- Mina: All right, you don't have to touch anything. I'll touch you!
- Jonathan Harker: (After seeing Lucy Westenra in her coffin) My God! Now she's dead.
Abraham Van Helsing: No she's not!
Harker: She's alive?
Van Helsing: She's Nosferatu.
Harker: She's Italian?
- Jonathan Harker: Please, Lucy! I'm British!
Lucy Westenra: So are these. (Referring to her breasts)
- Dracula: Renfield, you were having a nightmare.
Renfield: A nightmare? But it was so real, so vivid. Two voluptuous women; grinding, heaving. How to describe it? [pause] Have you ever been to Paris?
- Dr. Seward: Allow me to introduce Professor Abraham Van Helsing. He's a doctor of rare diseases as well as a man of theology and philosophy.
Van Helsing: And gynecology.
Dr. Seward: Oh, I didn't know you had your hand in that, too.
- Dracula:(looking at bat guano on the stairs) Children of the night... What a mess they make.
- Dracula:(waking in panic after a bad dream) I was having a daymare.
- (Harker has just driven a stake through vampire-Lucy's heart and been sprayed twice with bucketfuls of blood. Van Helsing wants him to give her a third whack)
Van Helsing (encouragingly): She's almost dead!
Jonathan Harker (throwing aside the mallet): She's dead enough!
- (After returning from staking Lucy)
Dr. Seward: I don't understand it! He's covered in blood and there's not a drop on you!
Van Helsing: My friend, I have been to many, many stakings—you have to know where to stand! Everything in life is location, location, location.
- (Renfield has just been caught peeking at Lucy in her bedroom)
Dr. Seward: Give him a you-know-what.
Renfield: Not another enema!
Dr. Seward: Yes, and another, and another, until you come to your senses!
- Renfield: (opens trapdoor letting in sunlight) This way, master!
Dracula: (as he is reduced to ash) Renfield, you asshole!
- Renfield: (shouting after Dracula as he flees from the ball) Master! Master!... I mean.. Mister! Mister!
(Later on in the movie)
Van Helsing: And he called Count Dracula Master!
Harker: I thought he said Mister!
Van Helsing: No, that was only a ruse, to fool the feeble minded! ...No offense.
- Dracula: And now I take my ...
- Van Helsing: Hmmph.
- Dracula: ... leave. I see Van Helsing, you are a man who likes to have the last word. I will not be drawn into such a childish exercise.
- Van Helsing: It is immaterial to me who has the last word.
- Dracula: (Pausing at the door) We will carry on this conversation tomorrow. Goodnight.
- Van Helsing: Goodnight.
- Dracula: (Closing the door) Cavaluca.
- Van Helsing: (Making his way towards the door) It is obvious that culture is dying out in his part of the world. (Throws open the door) Putsa.
- Dracula: (Walking past the window) Sylvania.
- Van Helsing: That man, he never gives up!
- During Lucy's impalement scene Steven Weber was not made aware of the volume of blood that would shoot up from the dummy. Mel Brooks has indicated that this was done to ensure a natural reaction. Weber, completely drenched, is clearly trying not to laugh as he delivers his line.
- The scene where Renfield furtively devours insects while having a polite tea with Dr. Seward was the first to be scripted; according to the writers, the rest of the movie was built around it.
- Lysette Anthony also starred in another vampire-themed show, the re-imagined Dark Shadows.
- Dracula and Van Helsings exchange in which Helsing yells "PUTSA!" and Dracula shoots back "Sylvania!" is a reference to Rocky and Bullwinkle villains Borris and Natasha from Potsalvania.
- During the scene where Harvey Korman and Steven Weber try to break down the door, Mel Brooks spouts a chant similar to words said by Kenneth Mars when the villager broke down a door in a previous Brooks film Young Frankenstein.
- In the transylvanian market square scene, Anne Bancroft plays a bit part as the mad gypsy woman. In real-life, she is director Mel Brooks' wife.
Dracula: Dead and Loving It at the Internet Movie Database
| Films Directed by Mel Brooks |
| The Producers | The Twelve Chairs | Young Frankenstein | Blazing Saddles | Silent Movie | High Anxiety History of the World, Part I | Spaceballs | Life Stinks | Robin Hood: Men in Tights | Dracula: Dead and Loving It |