Following on the BFI’s zombie screenings, Grimmfest presents a double-bill of two iconic and very different interpretations of the vampire as part of the current Gothic season. The vampire was first introduced into literature by Dr John Polidori and has ever since carried connotations of dark romance and the dangerous sexual ‘other’. This double-bill features FW Murnau’s 1922 classic Nosferatu and Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 Bram Stoker’s Dracula – possibly the most iconic interpretation of legendary story. This film is proving to be just as indestructible as the Count himself with Stoker’s heirs attempting to sue and have every single copy of the film destroyed. This film manages to incorporate all the subtext of the infamous novel, from racial paranoia to sexual disease. The film stars Gary Oldman, Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder, complemented by jaw-dropping production design and a score that features vocal effects by American avant-garde vocalist, Diamanda Galas. The double-bill will be preceded by a special introduction from Sorcha Ni Fhlainn, lecturer of film studies and contemporary literature at Manchester Metropolitan University. For this one-off event, BFI is also welcoming individuals to submit work on the theme of Vampires: Love Is A Devil. They are looking for people to contribute their reflections of Vampire Lore and The Gothic, focused on film, television, literature or any other vampire or Gothic related material.
Thu 21 Nov, The Dancehouse Theatre, 10A Oxford Road, M1 5QA, 7pm, £8, grimmfest.com
- Words:
- Steven Brown
- Published on:
- Mon 18 Nov 2013
