Canadian director Guy Maddin is known in film circles for making avant-garde cinema. His DRACULA: PAGES FROM A VIRGIN’S DIARY is just that. The film's style perfectly captures the look and feel of a silent film like NOSFERATU. For effect, Maddin even uses color tinting to compliment the mood of the scenes. However, Maddin also uses the elements of silent films for comic effect — oh, how he has fun with melodramatic title cards.
Maddin tells the story of Dracula, mixing the plotline of the Bram Stoker novel with ballet. In 73 minutes, he boils down the plot into its key elements and presents an actually faithful adaptation of the Stoker tale. However, Maddin is too sly to make it that simple. He turns the novel’s themes of sexual promiscuity and foreign invaders into a contemporary satire on those issues. Dracula is played by Wei-Qiang Zhang, which highlights the irrational fears of immigration. The creature of the night stalks the blonde beauty Lucy (Tara Birtwhistle), but has his eyes set on the innocent Mina (CindyMarie Small, 2004's SHALL WE DANCE?). Queue the xenophobic Dr. Van Helsing (David Moroni).
The ballet is graceful and fits perfectly with the silent film concept. The style does get overbearing at times and gets in the way of any real emotional connection, but it never bores. The short running time keeps the story flowing. Maddin has so many elements working at the same time that depending on how you want to watch it you could see a different kind of film on various viewings. The artistry of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet is so suited for the style that it's amazing that it hasn't been done before. So one could watch it as simply a dance film. Maddin so perfectly captures the look of silent melodramas — from the tints to the wipes to the iris shots to the acting style — one could reasonably take it as a lost film from the 1920s. But with all the elements put together and the modern wink winks that Maddin injects, the whole production could be seen as one big farce too.
The film is original, smart, erotic and creepy. For film fans desperate for something new, Maddin had to go back to something very old to bring it to us. His work is a great example of style enhancing substance… or even becoming it. For Maddin, this isn't an experiment; this is his personal style. I want to see more. I've discovered another director worth waiting to see what he does next. I mean this more than I've ever meant this before — you’ve never seen anything like this before.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
