Paul's Comparison

When Nina Auerbach said, “Every generation gets the vampire it deserves,” she could not have been more right. Each adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel is a distinct reflection of the society that produced it. This is especially evident when you look at the interactions between the men in the vampire hunting group. In every adaptation, their relationships are indicative of the culture that produced the work.

In the original novel, the four men work together equally with Dr. Van Helsing and Mina. Each one has a specific set of experience and useful skills. Aside from a few tense scenes early on, they all also seem to get along well. In fact, a good portion of the book seems to consist of characters telling each other how much they trust and respect each other. This is a reflection of the stuffy Victorian society it was written in. Every disagreement either starts or ends with a drawn-out apology which only prompts more apologies from other characters and ends with everyone reaffirming their friendship.

The 1931 film has a completely different dynamic. By the time the storyline is in full swing, there is not much of a group at all. Mina has been reduced to the “woman in distress,” while the American John Harker rescues her with Van Helsing as a sort of sidekick. It seems as if they tried to include every old Hollywood trope in the film. The team of equals has been reduced to the lone hero with a sharp suit and a square jaw.

In Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation, the team is shifted yet again. Dr. Seward clearly has an antagonistic relationship with Quincy and Arthur that did not exist in the book. By the end of the film, the dynamic is completely different again. Quincy and Arthur are the masculine figures while Dr. Seward and Jonathan take a more submissive role behind Van Helsing. Their interactions are also more emotionally charged, most notably when Arthur gets so angry at Van Helsing that he pulls out a gun. This is representative of the entire film. What was once subtle and subdued has become broad and overstated. This is indicative of the environment that the film was released into. By 1992, many movie clichés had run their course. People today would not be interested in a film where every character gets along all the time, as in the novel. They are also tired of the solitary hero who single-handedly saves the girl. The more complex dynamic in this adaptation shows how the film tries to complicate things just for the sake of it.