Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula has been adapted for the screen numerous times, but Francis Ford Coppola still managed to make his 1992 adaptation of the story incredibly unique. The overall aesthetic of the movie—its cinematography, set design, costume design, and makeup and hairstyling—make it the phenomenal film that it is, and is partially why the movie still holds up with age. Coppola's Dracula is indeed based on Stoker's classic vampire tale, but also includes romantic storylines.
The 1992 adaptation of Dracula stars Gary Oldman as Count Dracula and Vlad the Impaler, Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker. The movie centers on Count Dracula, who has been alive for centuries. In Transylvania during the late 1800s, he sees a photo of Jonathan Harker's fianceé, Mina, and believes she is the reincarnation of his long deceased wife. The story follows Dracula as he travels from Transylvania to England in an attempt to seduce her.
The story of Bram Stoker's Dracula was adapted numerous times before the 1992 movie came out. Still, Coppola managed to set his acclaimed adaptation apart from other versions. The film is mostly loyal to Stoker's novel—with some added romantic subplots to entice viewers, as well as a backstory for the Count—so Coppola ended up strongly relying on aesthetic to make his Dracula project unique. Elements like score and sound editing, cinematography, set design, costume design, makeup, and hairstyling are the biggest part of what made Coppola's Dracula an undisputed classic.
1992's Dracula won numerous accolades at the 65th Academy Awards, including Best Sound Editing. The movie's sound editing is phenomenal—the entire project was filmed on a sound stage, which is unusual for modern movie-making—and contributed to the overall success of the picture. The final score of the movie was also lauded; its closing credits song, "Love Song for a Vampire", which was written and performed by Annie Lennox, became a huge hit.
Coppola's Dracula was also critically acclaimed for its cinematography, which set the overall mood of the movie. In fact, the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction. Coppola didn't use any kind of modern special effects like CGI. The director instead turned to old techniques from the early days of cinema such as rear projection, multiple exposure, and forced exposure to make the film seem antiquated. Coppola even had an artist create a full storyboard of the entire movie that carefully depicted what each shot would look like.
Dracula's set design was also lauded, but even more so was its costume design, which won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, under the direction of Eiko Ishioka. The costume team's meticulous attention to detail truly made the movie feel as if it was in the late 1800s. Coppola gave Ishioka a large budget to work with, as well as old paintings and drawings to use as inspiration. As Medium detailed, Ishioka based each costume on the personality of the character donning it. Plus, Ishioka ended up completely transforming the iconic image of Dracula, setting aside the usual black cape and instead dressing Oldman in a billowing red robe.
1992's Dracula also won an Academy Award for Best Makeup. The makeup and hairstyling in the movie made it feel authentically vintage, with the characters appearing to be straight out of late-1800s England. More notable, of course, was the makeup job done on Oldman for his portrayal of Count Dracula. The look the team gave the legendary vampire was terrifying, and its uniqueness—not the usual Dracula with a widow's peak and pale skin—made it stand out from other adaptations of Bram Stoker's frightening tale. When thinking of modern adaptations of Stoker's novel, Coppola's vision stands out due to this iconic imagery forged from an immense attention to detail, making it a standout almost 30 years after its release.