Bram Stoker's Dracula (Silent Film Version)

A/V QUALITY
Very good, high bitrate. The visual quality has been slightly intentionally degraded and the aspect ratio changed to achieve the silent film look.

A/V EDITING
The regrades are expertly chosen, as is the excellent score. The lowered framerate really sells this as silent film. There's at least one (intentional) freezeframe/near-freezeframe towards the beginning, which was well done. The establishing shots were very nice, looked like paintings. My main critique, and pretty much my only critique of this edit, is that I found the intertitles to be a little hard to read and not lasting long enough.

NARRATIVE
It's impressive how the narrative has been compressed into such a short period of time yet remains coherent throughout. Pace is good too. I definitely appreciated how the film is brought closer to the novel. A lot of scenes are reworked to better fit the book, including all the scenes relating the Mina/Dracula romance storyline, and the scene in which Mina seduces Van Helsing.

The repurposing of the battle footage to a dinner scene flashback was very smart and well executed. Throughout the whole edit there are a lot of innovative editing choices that you can greatly appreciate if you remember how the original played out.

The A/V editing at 46:25 is particularly notable. Very well done.

CONCLUSION
I'm incredibly impressed by this edit. Not a single scene, not even a single shot, is left untouched. The transitions between scenes are so well done that it feels like you're watching a modern, studio approved silent film. Overall, you can tell a lot of effort and attention to detail went into this. One of the most transformative edits I've ever seen.

One can never have too many Silent era productions.
Faneditor Paulisdead has not only rendered Coppola’s 1992 Dracula into a silent movie, but he has distilled the running time to 51‘, shorter than Murnau’s Nosferatu, as well as the 1931 Dracula.
I am going to nitpick away on this, but this is really an outstanding edit which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Video - 1280 X 720 AVC. Holy moly, at 4.5 GB, this is fat. The “look” is appropriate. A bit of jerkiness and undercranking, but not excessive. Silents suffered in later years because they were shown at too high a speed. Thank you for not going overboard with the damage (scratches, streaks). I would classify this as a late teens or early 20s Silent as opposed to a later 20s production. Some of the fadeouts were abrupt.

Clips from the ‘31 version were thoughtful and not intrusive. If there were any from the Mexican version I did not catch them. Nice use of tinting. There might have been more blue for night scenes, but I could appreciate the more subtle use of showing blue during lightning flashes.

Audio - 224 kbps AC3. 2 Channel stereo. I never listen to the Glass score when watching the ‘31, yet it was fine here. The themes and motifs matched the activity on the screen. Other editors who attempt Silents could learn from the choices here. The piano version of same score feels different. I enjoy that, as well. Hard to pick a favorite.

This is usually where I write “No Subs.” Not this time. There are intertitles throughout. The font for larger header cards is ornate, for dialogue, less so. The intertitles are too brief and too small. The brevity might have been compensated for with a larger size. This was commented on while the edit was still in progress.

Narrative - The original clocked in at 2‘ 8“. More than 50% has been cut. There is a real lack of cohesion in the story. I know FE members have seen (own) the ‘92 version. For anyone new to Dracula, this is too choppy, with poor characters. Renfield could have been omitted altogether, more time given to Dracula and the hunters. Bumping the running time to 60-75“ might have fleshed out the tale, too. There were a couple stills inserted, one at 30.54, which were barely seen. This edit is breathless. The pace races and it is hard to take in at times.

Enjoyment - Oh, absolutely! This is extremely well done. Consider that this is also a first time edit. I sincerely hope Paulisdead continues editing and tackles other projects. One might think I’m giving him a hard time, but that is not my intention. The flaws and omissions were small in comparison with the resultant film.

For Dracula fans, for Silent era fans, for folks who like variety in their fanedits, this is an excellent choice.

This fanedit may not be for everyone but I sure enjoyed the hell out of it.Presentation is top notch, loved the soundtrack (a alternate version is available.) My only problem is the abrupt ending I believe this can be solved by reinstating the original ending,Dracula looking at Mina's photo during his first interactions with Harker. Some of Dracula's interactions with Mina (For example their first encounter.). Just my opinion though

From the first minute of this edit I knew I was going to love it. I've been a fan of the Stoker novel and Coppola's film since I was a kid, so I agree with the other reviewers that the narrative is probably incoherent to those unfamiliar with the story.

I absolutely loved the use of the Glass score, and the intertitles were well chosen and kept up a nice brisk pace. I agree with exile81 that the ending was a bit abrupt, but I also enjoyed the idea that the film ends in such a breathless way.

This is a go-to Halloween watch for me from now on. I can't believe this was a first edit. Way to go Paulisdead2221!

How often do I get to say that an edit's storyline is borderline indecipherable, yet I enjoyed the fuck out of it and without hesitation would recommend it to just about anyone looking for a superlative vampire fix?

Without familiarity with Bram Stoker's novel or the various cinematic incarnations of Dracula, viewers could easily get lost trying to untangle the narrative. No matter—this version's not meant to accommodate them. I really dug Coppola's Dracula, but this edit, with its sumptuous and immersive silent-era visuals and scene-sensitive score, takes the 1992 film to the next level.

Both audio tracks—take your pick—provide mood-setting scores, and both complement the visuals superbly.

The intertitles are a bit difficult to read at times; this has been mentioned in other reviews and the ITW thread, so I won't elaborate here.

This issue has no effect on my numerical ratings, but it should be noted that the file size is unnecessarily large at 4.5 GB. For a 52-minute edit, 720 pixels in height but considerably less than 1280 pixels in width, if one excludes the peripheral black spaces, a file 1.5 to 2 GB would have been sufficient with nary a loss in quality.

I mention these minor gripes without any less enthusiasm for this edit. It's a gorgeous experience, and I'd bet five liters of blood that genuine, real-life vampires would also enjoy the fuck out of this.