NADJA
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Copyright 1995 Mark R. Leeper
Capsule: This interminable, minimalist vampire
film borrows its style from films like STRANGER
FROM PARADISE. Though it is set in modern day New
York City, it takes most of its slight interest
value from the fact that it is apparently a remake
(uncredited) of the classic (and far superior)
DRACULA'S DAUGHTER. Rating: 0 (-4 to +4)
NADJA seems to want to be a serious art film and at the same time a spoof of the vampire film. The result is a film that is occasionally amusing but more often just drags. The story borrows a great deal from Lambert Hillyer's 1936 film DRACULA'S DAUGHTER and NADJA moves only fast enough to be an actual retelling of that story and not one iota faster. It is filmed in black and white with three levels of clarity. There are sharp clear scenes, blurry scenes, and a few Pixelvision scenes. The blurry and Pixel shots initially seem to be subjective from the vampire's point of view, but it is not long before there are shots with gratuitous blur that clearly are not from anybody's point of view. They are just blurry for the sheer joy of using the camera effect. Some of the dialogue is also there for the effect. How else can one explain lines like "Love is voluntary. Love is like rabies"?
Elina Lowensohn plays the the title role of Nadja, the daughter of Dracula unliving in New York City. Dracula is also in town, but there he is staked by a rather Bohemian Van Helsing (Peter Fonda). This vampire hunter wears his hair well below his shoulders and goes everywhere walking a bicycle. The death of her famous father comes as a release to Nadja who has been hoping to be free of his domination in order to lead a more normal life.
The film is not without a sense of some style. Lowensohn is impressive looking in a hood and cape in much the same way that Gloria Holden was in the original. Almereyda used her previously in his ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER PLANET and she does have an exotic look. But her delivery of lines is rather disaffected and lifeless, ironically just what this vampire does not need. Suzy Amis, who played the title role in THE BALLAD OF LITTLE JO and THE USUAL SUSPECTS plays a nurse who is caring for Nadja's brother and who will eventually be caught up in Nadja's predations.
When the film drags, it is of some interest just to see how the original was mapped to the new film. The Irving Pichel role of Sandor is back, but here he is called Renfield, though his function is more that of Sandor in 1936 film than that of Renfield in the 1930 DRACULA. Another victim is called Lucy (played by an actress named Galaxy Craze, believe it or not), again as an allusion to the 1930 film. A policeman in the original is replaced by David Lynch to not nearly so comic an effect. Lynch is also executive producer as well as having the even more ambiguous title of "presenter."
Perhaps the film shows the most style when the setting moves to Transylvania. Almereyda's use of locations in New York to give the impression of Rumania is more clever than convincing, almost as if they were improvisational.
While it is nice to see an occasional horror film making the art house circuit, this story of the undead just needs more life in the long middle section of the film. I give it a 0 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark R. Leeper
mark.leeper@att.com
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