Unlike the previous Murnau and Herzog vampire films Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary has purposely shifted its storyline from a typical chronological order to a tossed jumble.  This cinematic mixture generates an unconscious imagery with a surrealistic touch where the audience senses the moments of suspense and alarm.  There are also emotions such as deep desire and lust which also emerge through the vivid movements of the dancers that once again bring this tale of the dark prince coming to England.  Some might assume that the unorganized pattern of the film would affect the experience in a negative way.  However, Maddin skillfully induces this nightmare into a surrealistic concoction that allows for the combination of feelings to trickle down to the audience in an artistic manner.

The sexual element of vampires is kept intact in Maddin's film, as he also continues to develop this taboo ridden theme.  The film opens with Lucy (Tara Birtwhistle) dreaming, which is illustrated through a number of bizarre shots that have been edited together that deal with the arrival of Dracula (Wei-Qiang Zhang).  This nightmare brings out a contradictory desire that Lucy contemplates while scribbling in her journal, "Why can't they let a woman marry three men?"  These three men are Arthur Holmwood (Stephane Leonard), Jack Seward (Matthew Johnson), and Quincy Morris (Keir Knight) who all have been suitors to Lucy.  However, due to societal convention she must choose one of the men.  Throughout the film the viewers will face several situations that deal with the lustful theme, as the vampire desires more from his victims while Van Helsing (Dave Moroni) tries to stop him.

The film creates the same ambience that silent black and white films did before the time of color and sound films.  The music that accompanies the film is by Mahler, which induces additional suspense and anxiety.  There are some sounds that have been added to the film that highlights characters and situations in such a manner to points out the importance of the situation.  Besides the audio the images have also been manipulated through a wide range of color filters that brings about different moods to the film while picture softness on the edge increases the viewers focus on what is pertinent on the screen.  Maddin also playfully uses colors, as he later did in The Saddest Music in the World (2003), by enhancing scenes with the color red where there is blood or strong emotion involved.

Dracula: Pages of a Virgin's Diary offers a sublime artistic journey where Maddin converges distinct notions with the vague subconscious.  In the area where these two meet we find a surreal dream world with erotic undertones and threatening elements.  The union of erotic and fright causes an unknown cerebral notion that enhances the angst in the story.  Together with the movement of the dancers the angst is personified and the audience gets an opportunity to visually feel the internal conflict between all of the characters in the film, which in due course ends with a terrific cinematic experience.     

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COUNTRY

Canada

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