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Friday Review Challenge
May. 16th, 2025 09:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
earthspirits
Pick a favorite Dracula / Nosferatu inspired film, series and/or book and write a review. You can analyze characters(s), plot, costumes, setting, or whatever strikes your fancy in your review. And above all - have fun!
Friday Review Challenge
May. 9th, 2025 08:36 amearthspiritsPick a favorite Dracula / Nosferatu inspired film, series and/or book and write a review. You can analyze characters(s), plot, costumes, setting, or whatever strikes your fancy in your review. And above all - have fun!
Friday Review Challenge
May. 2nd, 2025 07:16 amearthspiritsSwitching up our Friday Review challenge!
Pick a favorite Dracula / Nosferatu inspired film, series and/or book and write a review. You can analyze characters(s), plot, costumes, setting, or whatever strikes your fancy in your review. And above all - have fun!
earthspirits
Pick a favorite film and character (can be more than one character if you wish), and then analyze, discuss and / or review how their costume(s) define them, in relation to plot and the world of their film.
earthspirits
There's a new Dracula film coming out: "Dracula: A Love Tale" directed by Luc Besson, with Caleb Landry Jones as the titular character. Slated for a French release on July 30, 2025.
I've read some articles and also watched a couple of interviews with the director and star. Besson is basing his plot on Bram Stoker's novel, which he finds "romantic".
Most amusingly, the interviewers commented that Besson's Dracula is "unique" because the character is directly linked to the historical Vlad the Impaler, and the film's plot revolves around his romantic search for his wife Elisabeta's reincarnation. *eye roll*
Not sure if Besson actually believes this. He seems quite aware of Gary Oldman's portrayal in the 1992 Coppola film. And of course, there's been other romantic historic style Draculas (Luke Evens, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Jack Palance come to mind).
Most amusingly, the interviewers commented that Besson's Dracula is "unique" because the character is directly linked to the historical Vlad the Impaler, and the film's plot revolves around his romantic search for his wife Elisabeta's reincarnation. *eye roll*
Not sure if Besson actually believes this. He seems quite aware of Gary Oldman's portrayal in the 1992 Coppola film. And of course, there's been other romantic historic style Draculas (Luke Evens, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Jack Palance come to mind).
That said, I'm curious to see how this film will approach the classic story. It's a dual time-line plot, set in 15th Century Romania and in 19th Century Paris during the Belle Epoque.
Above is a pic of Besson and Jones in costume. I do like the design of his armor. I watched an interview of Jones on set. He was in another costume for the interview, a black vaguely medieval outfit. No idea what his costuming will be for the Parisian scenes.
Watching the interview with Jones, I couldn't really get a feel for how he's approaching Dracula. The actor is pleasant, but seems rather bland. Perhaps he's more dynamic in character. That said, I do like the idea of a Belle Epoque setting, which could be intriguing - especially if the Paris opera, ballet, and Montmartre's Impressionist arts scene were included. Of course, Besson may not go in that direction, but one can hope.
Above is a pic of Besson and Jones in costume. I do like the design of his armor. I watched an interview of Jones on set. He was in another costume for the interview, a black vaguely medieval outfit. No idea what his costuming will be for the Parisian scenes.
Watching the interview with Jones, I couldn't really get a feel for how he's approaching Dracula. The actor is pleasant, but seems rather bland. Perhaps he's more dynamic in character. That said, I do like the idea of a Belle Epoque setting, which could be intriguing - especially if the Paris opera, ballet, and Montmartre's Impressionist arts scene were included. Of course, Besson may not go in that direction, but one can hope.
earthspiritsPick a favorite film and character (can be more than one character if you wish), and then analyze, discuss and / or review how their costume(s) define them, in relation to plot and the world of their film.
earthspiritsPick a favorite film and character (can be more than one character if you wish), and then analyze, discuss and / or review how their costume(s) define them, in relation to plot and the world of their film.
(no subject)
Apr. 8th, 2025 07:09 ambleodswean
Robert Eggers saw the 1922 Nosferatu at the age of nine and developed a lifelong vision for his own Nosferatu. His is a finely ground folk horror lens and he views the world through it.
( Read more... )
earthspiritsPick a favorite film and character (can be more than one character if you wish), and then analyze, discuss and / or review how their costume(s) define them, in relation to plot and the world of their film.
Wouldst thou like to die deliciously?
Apr. 1st, 2025 06:50 ambleodsweanLet's talk about Egger's women. Let's discuss the female characters in Nosferatu and how Eggers portrays them, what they represent, and how we should view them in the vampire mythos, Stoker's Dracula, and the legacy of the Nosferatu films that came before.
earthspiritsPick a favorite film and character (can be more than one character if you wish), and then analyze, discuss and / or review how their costume(s) define them, in relation to plot and the world of their film.
earthspiritsThe 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.
( click for discussion and more photos )
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.
( click for discussion and more photos )
earthspiritsPick a favorite film and character (can be more than one character if you wish), and then analyze, discuss and / or review how their costume(s) define them, in relation to plot and the world of their film.
Have fun!
Schalcken the Painter
Mar. 15th, 2025 06:21 pmearthspiritsSchalcken the Painter is a brilliant 1979 BBC film adaption of Joseph Sheridan le Fanu's gothic tale "Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter" (1839) - Inspired by the haunting artwork of real life 17th Century Dutch artist, Godfried Schalcken.
As an artist, I'm always fascinated by films about art and artists, and I love ghost stories and artistic horror. Thus I was delighted this evening to finally be able to see this lost masterpiece in its entirety. It stars Jeremy Clyde as Schalcken (who does bear a remarkable resemblance to the artist), Maurice Denhem as Gerrit Dou (A Dutch artist who was the real Schalcken's mentor), and Cheryl Kennedy as Dou's beautiful niece, Rose.
The film is an evocative tie-in to Dracula / Nosferatu lore, as well as to the entwined motifs of Demon Lover and Death and the Maiden. Other motifs in the film are women being treated as "property" by men, and how greed and the lust for wealth and fame can corrupt an artist's soul, even to the point of betraying those they profess to love.
There is another vampiric connection. Not only was Sheridan le Fanu the author of "Camilla", the 1872 novella about a seductive female vampire, he was also mentor and employer of fellow Irishman, Bram Stoker (who worked for Sheridan le Fanu's newspaper, The Dublin Evening Mail).
While Schalcken the Painter is a short film (only 70 minutes), it's lush and beautifully acted by all, with incredible attention to detail (the 17th Century Dutch costumes and sets are gorgeous), and it's all wonderfully atmospheric, with its realistic dark candle-lit interiors. There's also lavish use of the real Schalcken's artwork throughout.
Rating / Warnings:
Please note that the film is for mature audiences only, as it does depict nudity and sexual situations.
Also, a warning to fellow animal lovers: There's a couple of brief scenes where the young male art students are drawing a still-life of flowers and dead animals (I'm assuming they're not real, and are hopefully just props?). There's also a scene where the students are awkwardly attempting to "play" with a live cat (who in my opinion, doesn't look too happy with the situation). Thankfully, the cat wasn't harmed, but I found the scene rather disturbing, and didn't like the so-called "playfulness" of the students. Perhaps that scene was supposed to be symbolic of the way the men in the story treat the various female characters.
Link to the full film on Youtube: m.youtube.com/watch
As an artist, I'm always fascinated by films about art and artists, and I love ghost stories and artistic horror. Thus I was delighted this evening to finally be able to see this lost masterpiece in its entirety. It stars Jeremy Clyde as Schalcken (who does bear a remarkable resemblance to the artist), Maurice Denhem as Gerrit Dou (A Dutch artist who was the real Schalcken's mentor), and Cheryl Kennedy as Dou's beautiful niece, Rose.
The film is an evocative tie-in to Dracula / Nosferatu lore, as well as to the entwined motifs of Demon Lover and Death and the Maiden. Other motifs in the film are women being treated as "property" by men, and how greed and the lust for wealth and fame can corrupt an artist's soul, even to the point of betraying those they profess to love.
There is another vampiric connection. Not only was Sheridan le Fanu the author of "Camilla", the 1872 novella about a seductive female vampire, he was also mentor and employer of fellow Irishman, Bram Stoker (who worked for Sheridan le Fanu's newspaper, The Dublin Evening Mail).
While Schalcken the Painter is a short film (only 70 minutes), it's lush and beautifully acted by all, with incredible attention to detail (the 17th Century Dutch costumes and sets are gorgeous), and it's all wonderfully atmospheric, with its realistic dark candle-lit interiors. There's also lavish use of the real Schalcken's artwork throughout.
Rating / Warnings:
Please note that the film is for mature audiences only, as it does depict nudity and sexual situations.
Also, a warning to fellow animal lovers: There's a couple of brief scenes where the young male art students are drawing a still-life of flowers and dead animals (I'm assuming they're not real, and are hopefully just props?). There's also a scene where the students are awkwardly attempting to "play" with a live cat (who in my opinion, doesn't look too happy with the situation). Thankfully, the cat wasn't harmed, but I found the scene rather disturbing, and didn't like the so-called "playfulness" of the students. Perhaps that scene was supposed to be symbolic of the way the men in the story treat the various female characters.
Link to the full film on Youtube: m.youtube.com/watch
