Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula | |
---|---|
Written by | Thomas Baum |
Directed by | Joe Chappelle |
Starring | Rudolf Martin Jane March Christopher Brand Peter Weller Michael Sutton Roger Daltrey |
Theme music composer | Frankie Blue |
Original language(s) | English |
Production | |
Producer(s) | Avram 'Butch' Kaplan |
Cinematography | Dermott D. Downs |
Editor(s) | Joe Rabig |
Running time | 91 minutes |
Release | |
Original network | USA Network[1] |
Original release | October 31, 2000[1] |
1456-1476 Vlad Dracula of Transylvania fights Ottoman Turks; Ottoman Empire (1299-1922). Spoiler Warning: this tells the entire story, so stop as you approach. Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula tells the story of Vlad Dracula, the historical figure who gave Bram Stoker's Dracula his name. Vlad is a dispossessed noble, and a patriot who fights the occupation forces of the Turks hoping to avenge the murder of his father by Romanian nobles and the capture of his brother by the Ottoman sultan.
Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula (alternately titled Dracula: The Dark Prince and Dark Prince: Legend of Dracula[2]) is a horror-war television film, which premiered in the United States on the USA Network on Halloween, October 31, 2000. It is about Vlad III Dracula, 'the Impaler', the historical figure who gave Bram Stoker's Dracula his name.
Plot[edit]
Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula tells the story of Vlad Dracula, the historical figure who gave Bram Stoker's Dracula his name. Vlad is a dispossessed noble and a patriot who fights the occupation forces of the Turks hoping to avenge the murder of his father by Romanian nobles and the capture of his brother by the Ottoman sultan. The King of Hungary (Roger Daltrey) becomes Vlad's ally and, with his support, Vlad and his men attack the occupying Turks and turncoat Romanianboyars, and seizes the throne of Wallachia, in the movie called simply (and anachronistically) 'Romania'.
His bride, Lidia (Jane March), discovers what Vlad does to the bodies of his enemies and is horrified. She begins to lose her grip on sanity, claiming to hear the voices of the dead. He reluctantly banishes her to a convent, which he later regrets and amends. Lidia, however, remains the same and ultimately commits suicide, leaving Vlad dispirited and alone with their adolescent son. Vlad's brother, Radu, arrives at the head of a large Turkish invasion force.
The narrative of the film is presented as evidence given at a hearing following Vlad's alignment with the Roman Catholic King of Hungary. At the end of the film, Vlad is excommunicated by the Orthodox Church shortly before being assassinated by Radu and having a vision of Lidia calling his name. As a result of his condemnation by the priests, Vlad is found to have risen from the grave and gained eternal life, free to roam the earth (as he has been denied entrance to both Heaven and Hell) implying that he has now become the very vampirefor which his name is famous.
Cast[edit]
Character | Actor |
---|---|
Vlad Dracula the Impaler | Rudolf Martin |
Lidia | Jane March |
Bruno | Christopher Brand |
Father Stefan | Peter Weller |
King Janos | Roger Daltrey |
Radu | Michael Sutton |
Scat Man | George V. Grigore |
Reception[edit]
Critical reaction to Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula has been mixed. John Walsh of Maxim said, 'For such a familiar story, Dark Prince has all the excitement of something brand new. These characters can easily become caricatures, growling for gore and calling down vengeance from heaven. But the excellent cast and ferocious battle scenes make for one of the best war movies to hit TV in a while.'[3] Ryan Cracknell of the Apollo Movie Guide wrote, Dracula: The Dark Prince is a welcome extension of the Dracula brand. Unlike the multitudes of generic rip-offs that come out annually, this low-key effort finally puts a new spin on an old myth.'[4]
'The combination of above-par acting, interesting storyline, and lovely Eastern European scenery make this USA Network production worth watching.'[5] 'It's an impressive attempt at rehabilitating the image of Vlad Tepes (Rudolf Martin), the famous Transylvanian prince who inspired Bram Stoker as the model for his vampiric count in the novel {-Dracula}.' The New York Times
Mark Bourne of The DVD Journal said, 'It plays hell with the facts and reduces its potentially gripping subject to cheesy soap operatic melodrama. .. It's not awful, but it is awfully ordinary. For the real goods, find McNally and Florescu's Dracula: Prince of Many Faces: His Life and Times instead.'[6] Christopher Null of Filmcritic.com said, 'It's obviously fluffed up but at the same time it's a bit repetitious, with countless battle scenes that don't offer much closure. In the end we're left with the notion that Vlad the Impaler was (and remains) a national hero, not a demon walking among the dead. And that might put a crimp in your enjoyment of the Bram Stoker stories.'[7] Melissa J. Perenson of SciFi.com wrote, 'Though flawed, Dark Prince nonetheless offers a rough-hewn look at the man who would be known simply as Dracula. But the lack of connection between the so-called reality and the modern-day myth left me wanting.'[8]
Usb 3.0 driver windows 7. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film 20% on the 'tomato meter', with an average rating of 4.5/10 from 5 reviews (as of 12/10/2012).[9]
References[edit]
- ^ abHillard, Gloria (October 27, 2000). 'TV networks brew up spooky Halloween episodes'. CNN Entertainment archives.
- ^Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula (2000) (TV) - Also Known As (AKA) The Internet Movie Database
- ^Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula TV Show | Maxim.comArchived 2012-09-10 at Archive.today
- ^Apollo Movie Guide's Review of Dracula: The Dark PrinceArchived February 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^McGuire, Judy. 'Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula'. TV Guide.
- ^The DVD Journal | Quick Reviews: Dracula: The Dark Prince
- ^Dracula: The Dark Prince Movie Review, DVD Release - Filmcritic.comArchived June 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula - Science Fiction Movie and TV Reviews - Scifi.com
- ^'Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula (Dracula - The Dark Prince) (2000)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
External links[edit]
- Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula on IMDb
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dark_Prince:_The_True_Story_of_Dracula&oldid=855108606'
Dracula: The Dark Prince | |
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Directed by | Pearry Reginald Teo |
Produced by | |
Written by | Nicole Jones-Dion Steven Paul Pearry Reginald Teo |
Starring | |
Music by | Mario Grigorov |
Cinematography | Viorel Sergovici |
Edited by | Stephen Eckelberry Robert A. Ferretti |
Distributed by | Lionsgate Home Entertainment Sony SP Sales Worldwide |
Release date | |
Running time | 100 minutes |
Country | |
Language | English |
Dracula: The Dark Prince is a 2013 American fantasy horror film directed by Pearry Reginald Teo and written by Nicole Jones-Dion and Steven Paul.[1] The film stars Luke Roberts, Jon Voight, Kelly Wenham and Ben Robson.[2][3] The film was shot in Romania and released on 15 October 2013.
Plot[edit]
Dracula, a Romanian prince, knight of the secret order of the dragon, and direct descendant of Abel is charged with the task of vanquishing the Turks from his homeland. While on campaign, he appoints his wife Elizabeth to rule in his place. However, when he returns, he finds that his wife and knights have been murdered by his advisers who were unhappy with his ways - he kills them, spare one who remains loyal with the aid of a loyal squire (who is fatally wounded). An enraged Dracula turns against God and is cursed to spend an eternity in loneliness.
Centuries later, a group of keepers are attacked by a monstrous armoured figure known as Wrath and is undead, in their quest to find the Lightbringer - the only weapon that can kill Dracula, sisters Alina and Esme are entrusted to bring the Lightbringer to Leonardo Van Helsing as their guards ward off an attack, a band of thieves led by Lucian finds the sisters and steal the Lightbringer, Leonardo arrives just before the band is attacked by Wrath and his undead, during the struggle, Lucien manages to activate the Lightbringer - revealing that he is a descendant of Cain and able to wield the weapon. He manages to injure Wrath with the weapon but most of the thieves are killed, and Alina is kidnapped by Wrath and brought to Dracula.
Dracula recognizes Alina as his murdered bride and instructs his advisor Renfield to protect her, meanwhile, Leonardo tells a sceptical Lucien about his lineage, the group discovers that the Lightbringer is activated by Lucien's blood to kill the undead, and Leonardo goes on to say that with the blood of Dracula, it could bring the dead to life, at the castle, Alina attempts to leave but is stopped by one of the new residents, Demetria who shows her the dining room and says that they like living there. As she becomes entranced by the atmosphere, the courtiers, who are revealed to be vampires attempt to bite her, but Alina is rescued by Dracula just in time.
At Betriz, Esme, Leonardo, and Lucien arrive at a gathering of demon hunters- where they meet Andros, an axe-wielding giant hunter who looks to avenge his sister who was taken long ago, here, Leonardo tells how one who is bitten can either suffer forever, become his slave by drinking his blood or are killed. Andros elects to join the group to find Dracula's castle, Wraith and his undeads once again attacks the group, and is this time mortally wounded by the Lightbringer. He returns to the castle and is revived by Dracula.
At the castle, Dracula offers Alina his wife's necklace, the necklace grants Alina his wife's memories, and she sees how Dracula was a tender lover long ago. Dracula later shows her the night sky and speaks to her of his search for his lost love. Later still, the couple dance and Dracula tells her his hope, that he will be able to use the Lightbringer to prevent God from ever taking someone's love from them again.
Outside, the group find Dracula's castle with the aid of the Lightbringer and infiltrate it, as the group split up to look for Alina, Leonardo is defeated by Wraith and bitten by his vampires, Demetria, who is revealed to be Andros' long lost sister, tries to bite him before she is killed by Esme, Lucien finds Alina and the two rendezvous with the group, but the castle's vampires awaken and attack, during the ensuing fight, Leonardo uses his crossbow to break the ceiling letting in the daylight allowing the group to escape, Wraith catches up with the group but Andros imbeds his axe into him using him as an anchor, to allow the group to fast-rope down to safety. Wraith is pulled into the light and dies.
The group gathers demon hunters outside and storm the castle, as one of Dracula's knight attempt to harm Alina, she calls to him and Dracula protects her - turning on his knights, Renfield (who has been watching the battle carefully) bites Lucien and uses his blood to wound Dracula as he is holding Alina. Renfield reveals that he is the one who led the betrayal of Dracula and the actual one who killed Erzebet, and prepares to kill Alina - but Esme kills him, Lucien stops Andros from attacking a mortally wounded Dracula, and Alina helps him to his coffin. As she begs him to heal himself, he asks her, 'let me spend these last moments with you, it is better than a century alone'.
According to the voiceover at the end; Lucien vanished into the wilderness with a broken heart - Leonardo's descendants continue to hunt vampires - and Alina continues to wait to be reunited with her one true love Dracula.
Cast[edit]
- Luke Roberts as Dracula
- Jon Voight as Leonardo Van Helsing
- Kelly Wenham as Alina/Erzebet
- Ben Robson as Lucian
- Holly Earl as Esme
- Stephen Hogan as Renfield
- Richard Ashton as Andros
- Poppy Corby-Tuech as Demetria
- Vasilescu Valentin as Wrath
Reception[edit]
The film received mixed to negative reviews. It holds 31% positive out of 158 total user ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.[4] On IMDb the film holds a 3.8/10 based on 1,295 reviews. Flickering Myth reviewed the film as having 'lacklustre direction, cheap sets [and] poor CGI'.[5]
References[edit]
- ^Adam Lee Price (2016-05-11). 'Event Report: FANGORIA's 'THE CURSE OF SLEEPING BEAUTY' special screening'. FANGORIA. Archived from the original on 2016-07-21. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ^Mark Newton (2015-08-04). 'It's been 19 years since Mission: Impossible first released!'. Movie Pilot. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ^Ford, Rebecca (2015-03-11). 'Lakeshore, STX Entertainment's Horror Film 'The Boy' Sets Cast (Exclusive)'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ^'Dracula: The Dark Prince'. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ^Admin (2014-02-03). 'DVD Review – Dracula: The Dark Prince (2013)'. Flickering Myth. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
External links[edit]
- Dracula: The Dark Prince on IMDb
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dracula:_The_Dark_Prince&oldid=925763021'