Based on Bram Stoker's classic 1897 novel, this film from
Francis Ford Coppola and screenwriter James Victor Hart offers a full-blooded portrait of the immortal Transylvanian vampire. The major departure from Stoker is one of motivation as Count Dracula (
Gary Oldman) is motivated more by romance than by bloodlust. He punctures the necks as a means of avenging the death of his wife in the 15th century, and when he comes to London, it is specifically to meet heroine Mina Harker (
Winona Ryder), the living image of his late wife (Ryder plays a dual role, as do several of her costars).
Anthony Hopkins is obsessed vampire hunter Van Helsing, while
Keanu Reeves takes on the role of Jonathan Harker, and
Tom Waits plays bug-eating Renfield. Bram Stoker's Dracula was the winner of three Academy Awards. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide