7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.7 |
A young English lawyer, Jonathan Harker, is sent to a gloomy village in eastern Europe. He is captured and imprisoned by the undead vampire Dracula, who travels to London, inspired by a photograph of Harker's betrothed, Mina Murray. In Britain, Dracula begins a reign of seduction and terror, draining the life from Mina's closest friend, Lucy Westenra. Lucy's friends gather together to try to drive away Dracula and rescue Mina.
Starring: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Richard E. GrantHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 70% |
Period | 32% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, Turkish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Cinema's longstanding love affair with the vampire seems as storied as any other, and as varied, too. The undead, creature of the night, bloodsucking subject has seen its share of classic, comedy, exploitative, reimagined, and trendy films over the decades, most all of them with some merit but few -- outside of those classics -- holding much real, meaningful value as cinema's most impressively artistic, emotionally satisfying, deeply meaningful, and profoundly thoughtful Vampire film, legendary Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola's (the Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now) Bram Stoker's Dracula. A film that combines graceful moviemaking with a dark undercurrent, a story that blends deep romanticism with the superficial sins of the flesh, a picture that meshes intimate character study with bloody horrors, the film is a bonafide classic of the medium, one of the quintessential definitions of cinema as art and an enduring masterpiece that's nearly as wonderful as the novel on which it's based.
The costumes are the sets, the shadows speak volumes, the movie dazzles as a perfect example of cinema as art.
Sony really cannot catch a break these days, and particularly with this release. The studio has returned to the well for one of its most popular
catalogue titles in Bram Stoker's Dracula and issued a hotly anticipated "Mastered in 4K" re-release following the hugely controversial first run Blu-ray that arrived on the scene almost eight years ago to the day in a
time in which the format was still in its infancy. That release's transfer was much maligned for, primarily, its color timing (despite apparent approval
from Director
Francis Ford Coppola himself; and that certainly wasn't the only example of a "director approved" transfer meeting with gross disapproval from
the Blu-ray community). This latest transfer presents the film with a superior image in nearly every way, offering significantly sharper and filmic
textures, hugely improved shadow depth and detail, and a more balanced color scheme. The bad news is that, as has been widely discussed
around the forums, there's a new controversy, this time surrounding the movie's framing. This review has been posted in conjunction with a review
of
the 2007 release -- including matching screenshots -- to facilitate user comparison (for a few additional thoughts on both transfers, please click
through above and scroll down to the "Video" portion of the review).
The improvements are easy to see, but so too is the
fairly drastic alterations to the framing. As noted, screenshot captures have been selected to match, as identically as possible, the same shot from
both
versions. Even in shots where there's absolutely no horizontal or vertical movement in the camera -- stills, essentially -- there's a noticeable shift
upwards and leftwards. Take a look at screenshot #15 in both reviews, a foreboding nighttime establishing shot of Castle Dracula. There's camera
movement in
the
shot, but the captured frame was selected when the movement stops and settles on the same position for a few seconds. Notice the shift? Now
look at screenshot
#24, a
scene in which the camera slowly approaches Mina writing at her desk, pushing inward but offering no up and down or side-to-side movement in the
process. The shots may not be perfectly matched to the millisecond, but they're
certainly close enough to offer a valid examination, particularly as it's evident there's practically no discernible difference to image depth of field.
Again, the newer image appears shifted upwards and leftwards, and aligning, say, the tip of the
mouse cursor with a corner on a window, or to make it really easy, the Blu-ray.com watermark, offers a fairly startling contrast in framing.
Most other screenshots, including that of the title card, yield the same results.
Curiously, a still shot (beyond moving clouds) from the film's beginning, screenshot #27, offers no perceptible framing movement whatsoever.
Is it a problem? That's up to each individual viewer to decide. Audiences who know the movie backwards and forwards and who have watched it
more than Coppola and the editors themselves might notice it, but the casual viewer isn't going to miss anything. Does that make it OK?
Well, again, that's up to the individual viewer, though the "correct" answer is always "no, a movie should look exactly as intended." Again, however,
this is dealing with a previously problematic transfer of a movie that's nearly a quarter-century old, and it's not always quite so simple as it should
be, for whatever reason. How much of a strike against the release is a little off-kilter framing when pitted against a picture quality that is otherwise
a massive improvement over the original? It's not like the picture as presented here is unwatchable, printed sideways, mashed or stretched into an
inaccurate
aspect ratio, or otherwise butchered beyond all hope. Bram Stoker's Dracula looks amazing in this release, setting aside the
controversy.
Details are immaculate, with a consistently light and critical grain structure gracing the entire movie. Sharpness is striking, and it's so refined that it
makes the previous release look downright blurry in comparison. Colors -- particularly Dracula's
red attire clashed against the dreary shadowy blacks and fatigued grays inside his castle -- look magnificent with more depth, nuance, and balance
than the previous release, though the contrasts in coloration aren't strikingly different (darker scenes are the most obviously altered, presenting
here with less a heavy blue push and more a deeply and naturally black and gray push; look at screenshot #12, which also serves as a great
example of just how sharper and more intimately detailed this transfer is compared to the other). Shadow details -- critical to the movie
-- are terrific. It's a positively beautiful image, and it's a shame that the framing controversy is devouring the otherwise superb work Sony
has done with the movie. That's not to defend the studio for the framing, though. That's simply stating that there's much more positive to take away
from this
release than there is negative.
This Blu-ray release of Bram Stoker's Dracula features a brand new soundtrack. A Dolby Atmos track, and the corresponding Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack core, replace the previous disc's LPCM 5.1 uncompressed offering. This new track, while only sampled for the purpose of this review as the core 7.1 presentation, is astounding. There's a fantastic blend of subtlety and wide and major sound dispersal that gives the track a large range of elements to command, and it handles them all with uncanny precision. Score is well defined and plays with an immersive posture. Stringy instrumental details are exacting, and the blend of haunting atmospherics and moody, chilling music help to not only better define the film's aural spacing but also open it up to the audience. Ambient effects are naturally placed and maneuver with ease. Whether the smallest effects, like a buzzing fly in the asylum; moderately aggressive elements, like trotting horses on London streets; or more dominant effects, like thunderclaps; the track's basic sound elements are detailed and expertly positioned. Perhaps the finest examples of precisely placed sound details come in Dracula's castle where a blend of elements, such as flapping bat wings, screams, gusty winds, and other sounds combine to create one of the moodiest, and here most precisely defined, listening experiences available. Dialogue enjoys firm, natural placement in the center with natural reverberation when the situation demands. This is an intense, invigorating, and fully satisfying listen from Sony.
Bram Stoker's Dracula ushers in Sony's new "Supreme Cinema Series" line of collectible Blu-ray releases. This special edition (the release is
also available at a lower price and housed in standard Blu-ray packaging) is, essentially, a fancy DigiBook. Rather
than heavy-duty cardboard, the cover is made of a clear plastic that showcases artwork on the front and back. The binding is made of a heavy,
almost faux-leathery material that's blood red and even features blood "dripping" down the front and back. The spine is clean, with only the film's
title -- no studio
logo, no Blu-ray logo -- appearing in gold lettering. Inside is a full-color glossy booklet that contains a written introduction from Francis Ford
Coppola and a 17-page essay on the film, with various full color photos mixed in. The disc comes housed in an attached cardboard sleeve in the
back. It's an attractive presentation, if not just a variation on the standard DigiBook packaging. Supplements new to this release are indicated as
such.
A UV digital copy voucher is included with purchase in the form of a leaflet inserted by the cardboard disc sleeve.
Bram Stoker's Dracula is one of this reviewer's favorite films, and for many reasons. It's widely approachable but intrinsically artistic, overt in story details but subtle in its depth and dramatic nuances, exciting yet grounded within its world, elegantly lavish in design, and very entertaining. The film tells a timeless tale of love and revenge, of good and evil, and does so with an elegance that's far too often missing in cinema. And after eight years, Sony has done (mostly) right by the film as the studio's inaugural release in its new "Supreme Cinema Series" line of premium Blu-ray releases. The increase in picture quality is drastic to the say the least, but a controversial reframing has the Blu-ray community up in arms. The new soundtrack is dynamic and exciting, and this release also includes all of the old supplements as well as several new ones. Even with the framing controversy, this is one of the year's finest releases. It's a shame it's being overshadowed, because this is otherwise a true masterpiece of a release. Highly recommended in general, though film purists may rightly be hesitant to support a release with framing inconsistencies.
1992
1992
25th Anniversary Edition
1992
30th Anniversary
1992
2012
Collector's Edition
2010
2012
Collector's Edition
1982
20th Anniversary Edition
1994
1970
2014-2016
Limited Edition
2015
1987
1970
Includes "Drácula"
1931
1933
Collector's Edition
2005
Alternate Cut
2011
1936
Collector's Edition
1966
2008-2014
Collector's Edition
1962
2012
Count Dracula and His Vampire Bride
1973