Max Schreck in "Nosferatu" (1922)
Christopher Lee in "Dracula" (1958)
Vampire Cast in "The Lost Boys " ( 1987)
Gary Oldman and Winona Ryder in "Dracula" (1992)
"30 Days of Night"(2007)
Vampire Cast in the "Twilight Saga" (2008)
ECLIPSE - (30th June)
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FAMOUS CINEMATOGRAPHY OF THE VAMPIRE
Many of the actors who have starred in movies about Count Dracula or have embodied vampire roles, have seen their fame or celebrity status, dramatically increase, or even originate entirely through this very special role.
From Max Schreck to Christopher Lee, from Kiefer Sutherland to Gary Oldman, and of course within the "new generations of vampires": Robert Pattinson, Stephen Moyer and Alexander Skarsgard, owe much to the almighty incarnations of bloodsuckers.
Filling fears, fantasies and dark desires of thousands, the figure of the vampire is the most appreciative in terms of mass audiences.
But this is even more evident now, as in the interval of three years, the proliferation of movie adaptations of this genre from the novel, and within this genre, this character in particular is of an unusual amount.
And yet, the public seems to need more.
What transmits the figure of the vampire that enchants and seduces to the point of creating a whole way of behaving and interacting socially, beyond the stylistic, as is the Gothic?
And why specially in these last few years, there seems to be an insatiable thirst (appropiately said so) for stories of vampires among all types of public?
THEORIES ON THE FASCINATION ABOUT THE VAMPIRE CHARACTER
There seems to be a correlation between the proliferation of the vampire picture and his lifestyle and powers and radical social changes and events from decade to decade.
For example, Nosferatu was a hit in 1922, shortly after the First World War, which caused 10 million casualties.
Dracula with Christopher Lee was another big hit, just before the great social revolution of the 60s.
The Lost Boys also opens just before the end of another emblematic decade, the 80s, with an overwhelming success giving rise to one of the most celebrated versions of Dracula, by Francis Ford Coppola, just at the start of the 90s.
And what about the social and economic climate surrounding the latest furor over the primitive sexual desire, immortality, omnipotence, eternal youth, and freedom that the vampire enjoys?
Because these are the "big powers", the "great advantages" that embody the figure of the vampire.
These are what the intake of the blood of your brothers promises.
Needless to say that the reference here to the Christian religion is almost inevitable, as has been pointed out by more than one expert on religions, a parallelism that was also part, disguised as an innocent joke, of one of the most cleverly written dialogues in the television series, with cinematographic quality, True Blood.
No offense intended (this team is made up of Christians, followers of other religions, and atheists co-existing in total harmony) but it is notable that the figure of Christ, as described in his last supper, invites his disciples to drink his blood, as blood of the covenant for eternal life.
Within the political and financial context, it is possible that the people´s need for stories of vampires, his fascination with the vampire itself, may very well be the reflection of their need to break the chains of labor bondage, to be free from the yokes of the hardship in everyday life, of existing without limitations.
Within the social context, it is more than evident that consumerism applies more and more pressure on people, specially on the young ones, as to be beautiful and remain young seem to be the synonims of success and love.
Sexual repressions and taboos also play a fundamental role in the desvirtuation of sex as an animalistic, perverted and almost deathly inclination, which makes the sexual freedom of the vampire figure all the more attractive at an obscure, rebellious level.
It is worth mentioning that women specially, favour intercourse with a vampire figure as one of their most recurrent sexual fantasies nowdays.
The reasons for this, apart from the fact that women in particular have been the most punished and degraded throughout history for their natural sexual desires, could be the fact that the vampire character offers an almost god-like physical strength.
Being physical strength one of the male qualities that the female is most chemically and biologically drawn to, you can only understand that women are now within the majority of fans within this genre for in one hand, vampire females are not ashamed of their sexual desires and, in another hand, the portray of the vampire character is normally a very attractive one instinctively.
Sum it up to the consistent trend to make the vampire character embody the current beauty standards and you can add an extra point for women to select vampires as their preferred erotic fantasy of today.
Endow that gorgeous, irresistibly strong and almost invincible male, of a romantic, generous, selfless personality and you will have the perfect combination of this new decade´s prince charming.
Considering how forgiving most women are and taking into account their motherly tendency to overlook flaws...being dead is not really an issue and drinking blood just adds some extra red spice.
---End
Hit TV series by Alan Ball "True Blood" (2008)
(3rd Season - 13th June) |
