Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula

The movie deals with the so-called historical figure of Vlad Tepes (phonetically that is "Tzepesh" and it literally means "Impaler"), not the vampire of Bram Stoker but the tormented Wallachian (Romanian) medieval ruler that stood against the might of the Ottoman Empire with nothing but a few trained men of his own and his reputation as master of psychological warfare by means of sheer terror and unprecedented scale of prisoner execution through impalement (Google on that for detailed info). Vlad's father, also called Vlad, was a member of the Teutonic knightly order of the Dragon, which had been established in Germany with the purpose of protecting Christianity against the rise of Islam at the gates of Europe. His affiliation with this order gained him the surname "Dracul" which is a Romanian translation for "Dragon" and also a synonym for "devil". Vlad the Impaler, that is the son of Vlad Dracul, inherited his father's membership into the order of the Dragon, but because he was the son of Dracul, he was named "Draculea", or "Dracula", which means "son of Dracul", son of the Dragon, and ultimately son of the devil. His reputation as a mad executioner would be well justified by today's standards, although he was just a babe when compared to other rulers of his time (his own cousin, Stephen the Great, ruler of Moldavia, "the Athlete of Christ" as he had been named by the Pope for having repeatedly beaten the crap out of the Turks, had reportedly killed many more people through impalement than Vlad but because he had always been politically correct, he never went down into history as a deranged butcher). Vlad Tepes had the Saxons of Transilvania account for their transgressions against the conquered local Romanian population and it was because of the vengeful literate Germans who wrote exacerbated stories about him that he was later on remembered as the sadistic figure we now read of in the history books. He had also been ruthless with the breaking of the law in his own land. The only punishment instituted for whatever crime committed, regardless of its seriousness, was the one and only impalement. It's because of this that, during his reign, crime had reportedly dropped to nil. That is why, for the Romanians, he's still, up to this day, considered a national hero of special importance, unlike any other, because his name is called upon in times of great oppression, when corruption and plundering of the national economy by the oligarchic political class bring the common, ordinary citizens on their knees. When confronted with such disasters, Romanians cry out the verses of Mihai Eminescu (1850-1889), the greatest national poet of Romania, who had even written a poem in Tepes's honor which, in time, became a sort of a prayer for those crushed by the arrogance of the ruling class. In a few words, it goes something like this (in free translation):

"Where are you, lord Tepes / So that, by grabbing them / You would divide them in two packs: / Lunatics and scoundrels. / And in two large jails / You would forcibly gather them / And then set fire to the prison / And the madhouse."

(sounds much, much better in Romanian...lol :)))

I can't honestly say exactly what caught my eye about this movie at my local video rental store. Perhaps it was just the Dracula title or possibly that it sounded interesting and a very different twist on the Dracula story. Here in Canada the movie was called Dracula: Dark Prince rather than "The True Story Of..." but still it caught my attention. The movie was phenomenal. The acting of each character was flawless and excellent. Having previously seen the lead Character portray Dracula previously on Buffy The Vampire Slayer (which was just a terrible episode) I was glad he got the opportunity to portray the famed killer again because he looks the part and he has it nailed to perfection.

The story is not the Dracula we all remember. The story is of the very human Vlad Dracul or (Vlad The Impaler) as history knows him. The prince of Romania who's father is murdered after Vlad and his brother are kidnapped by the Turkish Sultan who takes over Romania with an iron fist. Vlad's brother gives the Sultan everything including his body (seems the Sultan has a soft spot for young boys) but through torture, and starving Vlad perseveres and refuses to bow down to the Sultan. Eventually Vlad is released and with an army of Romanian peasants they take back their land. Vlad is considered their savior although by some he is called the Anti-Christ of Biblical prophecy. Throughout the movie Vlad fights to hold peace in his country and hold his throne. Every minute of this movie is captivating and interesting.

Whether it's exactly historically accurate really doesn't matter. The story is entertaining and brilliant written, acted, and directed and having been filmed in Romania, adds to the story. It's dark, and scary, and a truly worthy film. The unfortunate side was the lack of budget. Apparently this movie was made for TV and it was not given half the chance it deserves. With a big budget, they could have done a brilliant first class movie that could have held it's own in the theaters not just on video. People everywhere will be talking about this movie and it's unfortunate that critics, and movie theater lovers might not get to see this film. The movie also goes through the familiar "Vampire/Dracula" folk lore and explains where each myth came from such as "not being able to see a Vampire in a mirror" and "their retraction to light" just to name a couple. My suggestion right now is to go out and rent this movie, you will not see a better movie on your shelves. 8.5/10 (with a big budget could have easily been a 10/10)

The only problem I had with this movie was the excessive and exaggerated use of the "shaky-cam". This can be an effective took, if used subtly. That was not the case in Dark Prince. I found it very annoying at times and once, it became down-right painful to watch. The good news is that its not always that bad. I enjoyed it and would recommend it for good acting, compelling story line, very good battle scenes, great sets and location shots, and captivating subject matter for those who want intelligent Halloween entertainment.

This film is based on the known history of Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), son of Dracul (the name means either devil or dragon), who has come to be known through Bram Stoker's famous novel as Dracula. The film begins with Vlad confessing his life story to Greek Orthodox priests. He is caught in the weblike power struggles involving the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, Hungary, and the Moslem Turks. In the midst of all this, he tries to do what is best for his homeland.

The film illustrates the origins of the Dracula myth: blood drinking, impaling with stakes, fear of mirrors, rebellion against religion, and the doom of eternal life because he is cursed to be welcome in neither heaven nor hell. Vlad is presented historically as a Robin Hood freedom fighter, a George Washington of Romania, and a man who tries to bring peace and justice to his troubled land. Some see him as a Messiah while others believe he is the Anti-Christ. In some ways, Vlad can be viewed as a 15th Century Godfather.

The plot unfolds slowly but the movie is nicely photographed and well acted. Vlad himself is played as a moody, brooding, dark figure who easily gives life to the many legends that have become attached to his name.

This is another very well-executed TV-movie and is definitely worth watching. The fact that it premiered on Halloween night is appropriate because the atmosphere is quite spooky.

Good try at a Bio of Vlad Tepes but too many historical mistakes of his life. Filmed in Sighisoara Vlad's actual birthplace but they mention that he was born somewhere else. You can actual see the building he was born in, Sighisoara is a beautiful medieval town so filming there was a great idea. Though alot of mistakes were made it was still a good story and a well done film.