Region:
One
Genre:
Drama
Stars:
Rudolf Martin, Michael Sutton,
Christopher Brand, Peter Weller, Jane March, and Roger Daltrey
Writer:
Tom Baum
Director:
Joe Chappelle
Feature
length: 91 minutes
Extras:
Director & Cast Filmographies, Photo Gallery, and Trailers
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 5.1 and English Dolby Stereo 2.0
Subtitles:
English Captions and Closed Captions and Spanish Subtitles
Packaging:
Amaray Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 20
Sound:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Stereo Sound
Year
of DVD Release: 2002
Home
Video Distributor: Artisan Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: R
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
Have you ever
wondered what makes a monster? Originally broadcast as one of the USA
Network’s Original Motion Pictures under the title “DARK PRINCE: The True
Story Of Dracula,” “Dracula: The Dark Prince” is now coming to home video
and DVD. The film gives viewers a dramatization of how a legend and myth was
born in blood to create a monster. The film details the life of Vlad Dracula, a
Warrior Prince who liberated his people from the oppression of the Turks through
an alliance with the Roman Catholic Church and through his barbaric executions
of all enemies by having them impaled while he drank their blood with bread at a
table and watched the men slowly die. This behavior brings him to trial before
Priests of the Orthodox Church lead by Father Stefan (Peter Weller) and puts his
crown and fate in jeopardy as we are given a flashback look at Dracula’s life.
When the USA Network broadcast this
film, they presented it in a letterboxed (1.85:1) aspect ratio. The DVD version
coming from Artisan presents the film in a full-framed (1.33:1) aspect ratio
with a clear and well-rounded English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack and
an English Stereo Soundtrack. There are optional English Captions and English
Closed Captions as well as Spanish Subtitles encoded on to the DVD as well. The
picture quality is quite good with little to no grain and no color bleeding. The
colors and tones are sharp. Beautifully filmed on location in Transylvania and
other parts of Romania, the film features fantastic guest performances by Roger
Daltrey, Peter Weller, Michael Sutton, Jane March and a great lead role by
Rudolf Martin as Vlad Dracula, who also appeared as the famous Vampire Icon in
the fifth season premiere of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.” This version of the
film carries an “R” rating from the MPAA with two extra minutes of blood not
on the VHS counterpart and never shown on American television.
This
film contains some violence, gore, and gritty realism that at the time of its
original cable broadcast on October 31, 2000, surpassed most contemporary
television films of similar subject matter. Extra features included on this DVD
are Director and Cast Filmographies, a photo gallery, a trailer, and bonus
trailers of other titles available or coming soon to VHS and DVD from Artisan
Home Entertainment. These include two (1.85:1) trailers for “Soul Survivors”
and “Sleepless” and a (2.35:1) trailer for “Deep In The Woods” coupled
with a (1.33:1) trailer for “The Calling.” The main menu is animated while
the subsequent interactive menus are standard interactive still frames and all
are easy to navigate.
“Dracula:
The Dark Prince” will debut on DVD-Video on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 from
Artisan Home Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2002 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.