The History of Count Dracula
Bram Stoker's vampire Count Dracula is based on the real 15th century's Prince Vlad Dracula of Wallachia, now Romania. When Stoker's horror novel "Dracula" was published in 1897, Count Dracula was born, becoming a literary and cinematic icon in the 20th century through today.
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History
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Prince Vlad Dracula's nickname was "Vlad the Impaler," in honor of his choice of impalement to torture and execute his enemies. Stoker transformed Prince Vlad's blood lust in battle into Count Dracula, the blood-sucking vampire.
Significance
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Stoker's creation became a cinematic icon in 1931, when Bela Lugosi played Count Dracula in director Tod Browning's film, "Dracula." Dracula's legacy lives on in the popularity of vampire-themed books and movies, such as Stephenie Meyer's recent "Twilight" series of novels, which inspired the movie "Twilight," released in 2008.
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Misconceptions
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According to the American Movie Classics website, Count Dracula, played by Bela Lugosi, never said, "I want to suck your blood," in the 1931 film "Dracula." The line came from Dr. Tom Mason, played by Ned Bellamy, who was impersonating Lugosi in director Tim Burton's "Ed Wood," released in 1994.
Trivia
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Prince Vlad's castle still stands today. It is popularly called Dracula's castle, but its proper name is Bran Castle. Visitors to the Carpathian mountains in Romania can see this tourist attraction firsthand.
Fun Fact
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"Nosferatu: A Symphony of Terror," released in 1922, was a silent film version of Stoker's "Dracula."
Famous Ties
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Some famous faces to tackle the starring role of Dracula include British actor Gary Oldman, in director Francis Ford Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula," released in 1992; and American actor Frank Langella, in director John Badham's "Dracula," released in 1979.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vladislausdracula.jpg,
