Media Studies

A2 Genre Study

HISTORIC TEXT 1
“Dracula” (1931)
Directed by Tod Browning
 What are the origins of the vampire
myth in general and “Dracula” in
particular?

 Written by BRAM STOKER in 1897.

 Stoker based his novel on the true story of Vlad
the Impaler, the ruler of Walachia, who used to
impale his enemies on stakes and drink their
blood! Vampire myths are common in Balkan
countries like Romania.
 The story was first filmed as “Nosferatu” in 1922.
This version was silent, and did not use the
Dracula character to avoid copyright laws.
Intertextuality : the novel &
the 1931 film
 The character of Dracula
is more peripheral in the
original novel.
 The settings in the novel
are on a much wider
canvas than here, due to
budget constraints.
 Characterisation in the
1931 film is largely
superficial; especially
Jonathan Harker & Mina
Seward.
 Iconography -
the character of “Dracula”
 The visual representation
of Dracula used here, is
the most common image
of a vampire character.
 Notice the syntax used
here: the sinister
uplighting and the way
shadows around the
mouth hint at hunger and
aggression.
Representation: the passive female
victim in “Dracula”
 Standard genre
stereotypes – women like
Mina & Lucy are easy
prey to the dominant
male evil of Dracula.
 The female characters
always look to men for
protection.
 The women are
superficially portrayed;
they are either wholly
virginal (acceptable) or
seducers (unacceptable).
 Analysing the syntax: key
scenes from “Dracula”
Three influential sequences exist in the 1931
version of “Dracula”.

These are:

1. The opening segment - Renfield’s journey & first encounter

with Dracula.
2. The asylum confrontation between Dracula & Van Helsing.
3. Mina’s attempted attack on Jonathan Harker.

Watch these scenes again and deconstruct them, considering the following:

Mise-en-scène, Cinematography,
Representation,
Audience, Narrative, Editing, Sound,
 Summary: strengths &
weaknesses of “Dracula” (1931)
1. Created the iconography of the
“Dracula” character.
2. It has an intriguing and eerie
atmosphere.
3. It is the first attempt at a
faithful interpretation of
Stoker’s original novel.
4. The Transylvania settings are
fairly accurate and impressive
for the time the film was made.
1. Relies far too heavily on the
stage play rather than the
original novel.
2. The characters are rather one
dimensional, and acted in an
over-exaggerated style.
3. Key moments are played off
screen due to budget limits.
4. The direction is less than
flamboyant, giving the piece a
rather static feel.
 Practical exercise: a contemporary
comparison…

You are going to watch an episode from the TV series “Buffy the
Vampire Slayer”. This episode is a modern twist on
vampirism, and makes an interesting comparison to the 1931
“Dracula”.

You are going to work in pairs to evaluate this episode,

considering the following points in your comparison:
 The way the narrative is structured by comparison to
“Dracula” (1931).

 The elements of vampire lore (is it conventional?).

 Which of the two is more effective and atmospheric? Why

do you think this is?