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the_scent_of_lilacs2025-03-21 04:20 pm
earthspirits) wrote in the_scent_of_lilacs2025-03-21 04:20 pm
Film Costume / Character Analysis & Review Dracula & Mina (Bram Stoker's Dracula 1992) UPDATED
The exquisite costumes for Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) were designed by Eiko Ishioka. That year, she won the Oscar for Costume Design, and deservedly so. Her work for this film was truly amazing.
For this post, I'll be discussing costumes for the characters of Dracula and Mina / Elisabeta. They each had a lot of intricate costumes (too many for one post), so I'll just be focusing on those that connect them as a couple.
Please note that my essay contains spoilers for the film.
Warnings: There's discussion of death, suicide, and reincarnation, all related to the true love of the characters. One costume photo depicts a character death.
We are introduced to the star-crossed lovers as Vlad Dracula is about to leave for a decisive battle against the Turks, who have invaded Romania. Understandably, his wife Elisabeta is terrified that her prince may not return.
Dracula, here in his original warrior persona, is fearless, bold, and athletic. But he's also a man deeply in love with his bride Elisabeta, who's the center of his world. And it's his absolute devotion and love for her (and hers for him), that drives their character arcs and the plot of the film.
For this dramatic scene, Dracula is attired in unique red "muscle" armor, which features a wolf 's head helmet. This last is of particular interest, as Dracula has a connection to wolves (both in Stoker's book and in the film).
Elisabeta (Mina in her past life) is attired in green, with a motif of golden leaves. These are symbols of life, love and rebirth, and are intimately connected to her character in both lifetimes.
After the battle, vengeful Turks shoot an arrow into the castle, with a note tied to it, boasting that Dracula has been killed.
Believing this terrible lie, the heartbroken princess writes a suicide note: "My prince is dead. All is lost without him. May God unite us in heaven". She then leaps to her death, into the river far below.
Dracula, spurred by a vision that his love is in danger, races back to their home, but arrives too late to save her. As he grieves over her body, still wet from the river, the head priest cruelly tells him that as a suicide, Elisabeta's soul is damned, and that it is God's will.
It's this final outrage that drives Dracula to eventually become a vampire, as he renounces God, and vows he will rise from his own death to avenge hers with all the powers of darkness.
Note: I was able to view a deleted, longer version of this scene.
As Dracula rages against the priests, he cries: "If my beloved burns in hell, so shall I..."
Wish that line had been left in the final cut.
In this scene, set in Victorian times, Dracula wanders the London streets. Everything he sees is in muted colors, people and objects moving too fast, as in a silent movie. But when he lays eyes on Mina, everything changes. The world becomes focused, sounds are clearly heard. Clad in green with a motif of new spring leaves, she stands out from the crowd and their drab clothing. Her outfit symbolizes radiant life, and Elisabeta's rebirth as Mina.
For this meeting, Dracula wears a dove-gray suit and top hat, with blue sunglasses. He's handsome and stylish, the soft appealing grays of his costume representing not only his renewed youth, but a sense of hope and optimism.
It's also significant that this meeting occurs during the day, symbolizing Dracula's desire for a normal life with the woman he loves
Mina, at first stand-offish and unfriendly to Dracula, soon warms to his charm and sweetness, and she agrees to accompany him to the cinematograph. There's just something about him that she finds irresistible.
At first, as they examine the wonders of the cinematograph, the two converse pleasantly, like any young man and woman getting to know one another. But after awhile, Mina (no doubt thinking of Jonathan, her fiancé ) tells him she shouldn't have come, and that she must leave.
Dracula panics, grabbing Mina, and literally sweeping her away to a private corner of the cinematograph. As she struggles against her suddenly frightening companion, he murmurs in Romanian "Elisabetra -Tu eşti dragostea vieţii mele... vieţii mele" (Elisabeta - You are the love of my life... of my life).
A shocked Mina realizes that somehow she knows him. "Who are you?" she asks.
He gently caresses her face. "I have crossed oceans of time to find you."
Roused to blood-lust by his strong emotions, Dracula's eyes glow red, and his fangs distend. With a wolfish snarl, he bends over Mina's throat. But as he stares at her terrified face, he realizes what he's about to do, and visibly shaken by his own animalistic behavior, stops himself just in time. Love has overcome his vampirism.
Confused and still frightened, Mina flees from Dracula. But a wolf, escaped from the zoo, has somehow entered the premises. Screaming, the terrified crowd stampedes toward the exit, and Mina is caught in the chaos. As she attempts to escape, she is abruptly confronted by the snarling wolf.
Dracula leaps into action, commanding the animal to back away, and come to him. The wolf, recognizing the prince's power over beasts (and that he's a kindred soul), leans against him, now completely passive.
The prince beckons to Mina. Surprised at her own audacity, she goes to him. She smiles happily as the two of them pet the wolf, their gloved hands intertwining. I believe the gloves symbolize secrets - that despite a budding bond, there's much that remains hidden as to their true relationship to one another.
His arms around the wolf, Dracula gazes over its head at Mina. His facial expression is gentle and loving. "He likes you." Of course, he's really referring to himself.
Soul calls to soul, and on an intuitive level, Mina wants to be with Dracula, her true love, despite her engagement to Jonathan.
Mina agrees to meet Dracula on another evening, this time at an intimate absinthe house. The costumes for this scene tie-in perfectly to the film's beginning, when Dracula and Elisabeta bid each other a final farewell.
For the Victorian time period, the colors and motif for each character have been beautifully transposed. Mina wears a gown in Dracula's signature red (subconsciously acknowledging her connection to him), while he wears a black coat embroidered with golden leaves, the symbol of Elisabeta / Mina. It's his way of expressing hope, and alignment with his soulmate.
Also of note: They are not wearing gloves here, symbolizing a new level of trust and intimacy, as they freely interact with each other, touching, and being touched.
In this lushly romantic scene, Mina remembers her past life as Elisabeta, bringing Dracula to tears. As the two waltz together, lost in their own private world, they're in perfect harmony, their ancient love rekindled, but still fragile.
When Dracula and Mina later consummate their love, she's clad in white and he in black, symbolizing life and death.
The prince is deeply ashamed of what he has become. He also loves Mina too much to condemn her to vampiric life.
But her love is as devoted as his, and she chooses to become one with him.
He tells her: "Mina, to walk with me you must die to your breathing life, and be reborn to mine. I give you life eternal. Everlasting love. The power of the storm. And the beasts of the earth. Walk with me, to be my loving wife, forever."
It's a powerful and very moving scene.
For this post, I'll be discussing costumes for the characters of Dracula and Mina / Elisabeta. They each had a lot of intricate costumes (too many for one post), so I'll just be focusing on those that connect them as a couple.
Please note that my essay contains spoilers for the film.
Warnings: There's discussion of death, suicide, and reincarnation, all related to the true love of the characters. One costume photo depicts a character death.
We are introduced to the star-crossed lovers as Vlad Dracula is about to leave for a decisive battle against the Turks, who have invaded Romania. Understandably, his wife Elisabeta is terrified that her prince may not return.
Dracula, here in his original warrior persona, is fearless, bold, and athletic. But he's also a man deeply in love with his bride Elisabeta, who's the center of his world. And it's his absolute devotion and love for her (and hers for him), that drives their character arcs and the plot of the film.
For this dramatic scene, Dracula is attired in unique red "muscle" armor, which features a wolf 's head helmet. This last is of particular interest, as Dracula has a connection to wolves (both in Stoker's book and in the film).
Elisabeta (Mina in her past life) is attired in green, with a motif of golden leaves. These are symbols of life, love and rebirth, and are intimately connected to her character in both lifetimes.
After the battle, vengeful Turks shoot an arrow into the castle, with a note tied to it, boasting that Dracula has been killed.
Believing this terrible lie, the heartbroken princess writes a suicide note: "My prince is dead. All is lost without him. May God unite us in heaven". She then leaps to her death, into the river far below.
Dracula, spurred by a vision that his love is in danger, races back to their home, but arrives too late to save her. As he grieves over her body, still wet from the river, the head priest cruelly tells him that as a suicide, Elisabeta's soul is damned, and that it is God's will.
It's this final outrage that drives Dracula to eventually become a vampire, as he renounces God, and vows he will rise from his own death to avenge hers with all the powers of darkness.
Note: I was able to view a deleted, longer version of this scene.
As Dracula rages against the priests, he cries: "If my beloved burns in hell, so shall I..."
Wish that line had been left in the final cut.
In this scene, set in Victorian times, Dracula wanders the London streets. Everything he sees is in muted colors, people and objects moving too fast, as in a silent movie. But when he lays eyes on Mina, everything changes. The world becomes focused, sounds are clearly heard. Clad in green with a motif of new spring leaves, she stands out from the crowd and their drab clothing. Her outfit symbolizes radiant life, and Elisabeta's rebirth as Mina.
For this meeting, Dracula wears a dove-gray suit and top hat, with blue sunglasses. He's handsome and stylish, the soft appealing grays of his costume representing not only his renewed youth, but a sense of hope and optimism.
It's also significant that this meeting occurs during the day, symbolizing Dracula's desire for a normal life with the woman he loves
Mina, at first stand-offish and unfriendly to Dracula, soon warms to his charm and sweetness, and she agrees to accompany him to the cinematograph. There's just something about him that she finds irresistible.
At first, as they examine the wonders of the cinematograph, the two converse pleasantly, like any young man and woman getting to know one another. But after awhile, Mina (no doubt thinking of Jonathan, her fiancé ) tells him she shouldn't have come, and that she must leave.
Dracula panics, grabbing Mina, and literally sweeping her away to a private corner of the cinematograph. As she struggles against her suddenly frightening companion, he murmurs in Romanian "Elisabetra -Tu eşti dragostea vieţii mele... vieţii mele" (Elisabeta - You are the love of my life... of my life).
A shocked Mina realizes that somehow she knows him. "Who are you?" she asks.
He gently caresses her face. "I have crossed oceans of time to find you."
Roused to blood-lust by his strong emotions, Dracula's eyes glow red, and his fangs distend. With a wolfish snarl, he bends over Mina's throat. But as he stares at her terrified face, he realizes what he's about to do, and visibly shaken by his own animalistic behavior, stops himself just in time. Love has overcome his vampirism.
Confused and still frightened, Mina flees from Dracula. But a wolf, escaped from the zoo, has somehow entered the premises. Screaming, the terrified crowd stampedes toward the exit, and Mina is caught in the chaos. As she attempts to escape, she is abruptly confronted by the snarling wolf.
Dracula leaps into action, commanding the animal to back away, and come to him. The wolf, recognizing the prince's power over beasts (and that he's a kindred soul), leans against him, now completely passive.
The prince beckons to Mina. Surprised at her own audacity, she goes to him. She smiles happily as the two of them pet the wolf, their gloved hands intertwining. I believe the gloves symbolize secrets - that despite a budding bond, there's much that remains hidden as to their true relationship to one another.
His arms around the wolf, Dracula gazes over its head at Mina. His facial expression is gentle and loving. "He likes you." Of course, he's really referring to himself.
Soul calls to soul, and on an intuitive level, Mina wants to be with Dracula, her true love, despite her engagement to Jonathan.
Mina agrees to meet Dracula on another evening, this time at an intimate absinthe house. The costumes for this scene tie-in perfectly to the film's beginning, when Dracula and Elisabeta bid each other a final farewell.
For the Victorian time period, the colors and motif for each character have been beautifully transposed. Mina wears a gown in Dracula's signature red (subconsciously acknowledging her connection to him), while he wears a black coat embroidered with golden leaves, the symbol of Elisabeta / Mina. It's his way of expressing hope, and alignment with his soulmate.
Also of note: They are not wearing gloves here, symbolizing a new level of trust and intimacy, as they freely interact with each other, touching, and being touched.
In this lushly romantic scene, Mina remembers her past life as Elisabeta, bringing Dracula to tears. As the two waltz together, lost in their own private world, they're in perfect harmony, their ancient love rekindled, but still fragile.
When Dracula and Mina later consummate their love, she's clad in white and he in black, symbolizing life and death.
The prince is deeply ashamed of what he has become. He also loves Mina too much to condemn her to vampiric life.
But her love is as devoted as his, and she chooses to become one with him.
He tells her: "Mina, to walk with me you must die to your breathing life, and be reborn to mine. I give you life eternal. Everlasting love. The power of the storm. And the beasts of the earth. Walk with me, to be my loving wife, forever."
It's a powerful and very moving scene.