I have been looking forward to this Canadian film ever since I saw Maddin's "The Saddest Music in the World" this summer. I finally found it for rent and was not disappointed. It is supposed to be a movie version of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's adaptation of Bram Stoker's "Dracula." That sounds like something one should avoid at all costs. With Guy Maddin at the helm, it turns out it is a crazily perfect postmodern take on a classic, with a bit of ballet thrown in--and the ballet works! Maddin draws from countless styles and forms from cinema past (it is pretty much silent, and almost all black and white), and pieces them together to make an utterly gorgeous and often witty film. The actual plot adheres to Bram Stoker's novel more so than most movie versions I've seen, with a few clever twists thrown in. It is obvious which parts of the story Maddin adores and finds most intriguing. He devotes around 40 minutes to Lucy's story, and then zips right through Harker's in a couple minutes. Recommended to anyone interested in seeing a horror film that seems radically new yet oddly familiar. My Rating 9/10
