Van Helsing's Teleporation trick in the graveyard scene... - Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) Discussion

[–] carolchristmas143 10 years ago

You can believe that Dracula can turn into fog but you're confused by this?

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[–] Madmax56 10 years ago

Dracula is a supernatural being. Van Helsing, I assume, is not.

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[–] flo_rin108 10 years ago

There's supernatural all around them in this particular universe. Don't look that hard into it.

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[–] TRinzler 10 years ago

I think the assumption is that in this film, although most people don't believe in it, the occult is real hence so are magical abilities such as ESP, telepathy, telekinesis etc. These can be practised by someone with the knowledge.

Van Helsing DOES believe in them (and hence has acquired the necessary knowledge) which makes him appear eccentric to most people until, of course, he is proven to be correct!

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[–] mpurvismattp 9 years ago

Van Helsing was indeed a "super fast runner." He was a high school state champion (Nijmegen High class of 1858) and was often referred to by the name Abe "Hell on wheels" Van Helsing. His olympic dreams were squashed however when he moved to England and promptly tore his right ACL in a freak accident involving a horse drawn cart hauling a large load of rutabagas. By all accounts Van Helsing did not look both ways before crossing the excrement encrusted streets of London and was struck and trampled leaving his leg a "Bloody mess." The incident was described by one onlooker as a "Bloody unfortunate accident it was, just really tragic to see this happen to a chap like that. Things like this would never happen in Sussex." Van Helsing was taken to the local hospital and promptly given a series of cutting edge treatments which included leaches, ingestion of mercury and bleedings, lots and lots of good ole fashioned bleedings. After miraculously surviving the hospital visit, somehow Abe made a nearly full recovery but gave competitive running up to follow his other passion in life, stabbing people with sticks. It was frowned upon in England at the time however and the practice was nearly illegal everywhere except in back alleys and a few designated areas in White Chapel. The dead however were fair game so Van Helsing decided to go into business as a Vampire hunter/accountant and the rest was the stuff of legend. Now you know the explanation for such super human speed and you can finally sleep well again, you're welcome.

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[–] MartyAckermansDawg 9 years ago

If I had any points to give or upvote on this site I would give them all to you.

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[–] mpurvismattp 9 years ago

Well thanks guys that's mighty kind of you. Marty I will take your theoretical points and proudly display them in my heart (thanks IMDB, get a damn point system already...I want to be honored online by my fellow man). Truth be told I stole most of that Van Helsing info off Wikipedia and the rest I pretty much made up...ok I made it all up. Lol

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[–] Filaipus 9 years ago

This is the best thing I have ever read, congratulations hahaha

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[–] R_Kane (15828) 5 years ago

You don’t read much, do you.

Statement. Not question.

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[–] nogodlover 9 years ago

Lmao. That was awesome.

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[–] andromache3 9 years ago

Van Helsing was indeed a "super fast runner." He was a high school state champion (Nijmegen High class of 1858) and was often referred to by the name Abe "Hell on wheels" Van Helsing. His olympic dreams were squashed however when he moved to England and promptly tore his right ACL in a freak accident involving a horse drawn cart hauling a large load of rutabagas. By all accounts Van Helsing did not look both ways before crossing the excrement encrusted streets of London and was struck and trampled leaving his leg a "Bloody mess." The incident was described by one onlooker as a "Bloody unfortunate accident it was, just really tragic to see this happen to a chap like that. Things like this would never happen in Sussex." Van Helsing was taken to the local hospital and promptly given a series of cutting edge treatments which included leaches, ingestion of mercury and bleedings, lots and lots of good ole fashioned bleedings. After miraculously surviving the hospital visit, somehow Abe made a nearly full recovery but gave competitive running up to follow his other passion in life, stabbing people with sticks. It was frowned upon in England at the time however and the practice was nearly illegal everywhere except in back alleys and a few designated areas in White Chapel. The dead however were fair game so Van Helsing decided to go into business as a Vampire hunter/accountant and the rest was the stuff of legend. Now you know the explanation for such super human speed and you can finally sleep well again, you're welcome.

😀

Don't let anyone ever make you feel like you don't deserve what you want.

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[–] pajamawolfie 8 years ago

This is one of the best posts I've ever read on an IMDb message board.

There is no objective reality... and that's Sucker Punch

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[–] mcornett 9 years ago

Pssst....I know the real answer....

It was poor editing. This is what's known as a "continuity error."

"Value your education. It's something nobody can ever take away from you." My mom.

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[–] kryptonripper 9 years ago

Not at all. He was supposed to be showing some supernatural ability himself in order to shock the younger men. The three men look around for him in puzzlement when he vanishes and are surprised when he appears from behind the distant grave stone.

Were it a goof, there would have been no need for the three guys to react to it like that and Coppola would have shot it again, without the goof or the reactions.

Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wooden shoe?

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[–] mcornett 9 years ago

Hm, I may have to watch it again, as I don't recall the "reactions" and such.

But you are wrong about one thing...this is not something Coppola could have reshot. Mistakes like this are not made when filming, but in the editing room. That's why continuity is important and even some of the most high-profile films out there have continuity errors. Just read the "Goofs" portion for this film...it lists 27 continuity errors.

But really, were they trying to make out that Van Helsing had supernatural powers? Why? He never uses them to fight Dracula; if I remember correctly, he never uses his "powers" ever again in the movie. He certainly didn't have them in the book. If they were giving VH powers, why then ignore them for the rest of the movie? In which case, this scene was a pointless waste of time and should have been cut. Revealing a character to have supernatural powers, and then do nothing with them in his battle against evil, is poor storytelling.

"Value your education. It's something nobody can ever take away from you." My mom.

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[–] kryptonripper 9 years ago

I think you have misunderstood what I meant by Coppola reshooting it. I should have said "called for another take to be shot" rather than accidentally implying that I meant a later pick up shoot.

Why they did this little strange moment with VH? Listen to his dialogue in the scene in question. He has just pushed Seward into (all be it sarcastically) theorising that, and I paraphrase here, "something just went up there, sucked the blood out of her and flew away" and then goes on to say that he (Seward) knows of other extra-normal phenomena such as "mesmerism, hypnotism,electromagnetic fields, materialisation, astral bodies..."
If one listens carefully when he gives this list the camera is fixed on the three younger men as VH moves out of frame. When he gets to "materialisation" his voice gets softer in volume around halfway through the word, which causes Seward to spin around to see where VH went. The three then look for him with Holmwood even asking aloud "where the hell did he go?!" and it is then that it cuts to VH stepping out from behind the farther-away gravestone.

Skip to 1 minute 10 on this vid - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFNz-Rm81BM

The point here, I believe, is two fold: firstly, in the narrative, VH is making the point both verbally and physically that there are things beyond accepted science and reminding Seward that he once had a much more open mind than he has at that moment. Secondly, I think Coppola was wanting to show VH being the "metaphysician philosopher" which meant him doing something strange and metaphysical. Anyone can wield or wear a cross and keep a vampire at bay, but only Van Helsing, the mad old buzzard, can lead them to victory with his knowledge and expertise.

I also disagree that VH shows no sign of extra-natural powers elsewhere in the film. He is able to discern that something isn't right with Mina when he first meets her just by sniffing her (Hopkins states that the intention was that VH just could tell she had been with the Count) - watch his eyes in that scene.

Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wooden shoe?

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[–] mcornett 9 years ago

I'd like to hear what Coppola has to say about it.

Honestly, we can engage in supposition all we want...and if Coppola was that exacting, why does this movie have so many continuity errors anyway? He can't have been THAT much of a perfectionist...I think you give him too much credit.

But how can we be sure that this wasn't being done just for the sake of flash? Like the over-the-top, dramatic costumes and the generally overwrought, overheated air of the film?

But I just can't help but feel that if they're going to go so far as to give VH supernatural powers, that to not have him use them more proactively in the fight against Dracula (rather than just sniffing) strikes me as being the result of a messy production process and sloppy script.

"Value your education. It's something nobody can ever take away from you." My mom.

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[–] kryptonripper 9 years ago

Personally, I blame most of the plost holes on the fact that Coppla allowed the actors to increase their parts by bringing him scenes from the book that they felt were essential. All those additions to the script meant that other scenes had to be trimmed or dropped if it was to stay marketable and not end up a four hour bloated mess, so we ended up with the oddly paced movie we have. I'm certain that some greater explanation or use for Van Helsing's powers were a victim to this point, possibly even including a link between VH and the priest from the prologue also played by Hopkins.

I think Coppola deserves a lot more credit than he gets for this film as it was so ambitious on all fronts, but he should have had a firmer hand with the actors regarding their ideas for their characters and the script. I get that he didn't want to stifle creativity, but sometimes limits make for richer work. Look at the effects in this film: no CGI at all and they are, for the most part, stunning and near flawless. If he'd had CGI it would have been bigger and more spectacular, but it would have suffered. What he did with the actors and the script was the writing and acting equivilant of using CGI.

So, basically, while it was not a goof and VH was meant to have moved from one spot to another in an instant, I do agree that it suffers due to it being in near isolation.

Anyway, I don't think we're so far off the same point as it seems, but we are getting there from different paths.

Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wooden shoe?

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[–] mcornett 9 years ago

I think it went off the rails when we're suddenly presented with Drac as a romantic, sympathetic figure, and the whole "Dark Shadows" ripoff of a reincarnated love story, and Mina suddenly shifts gears from being a strong woman devoted to Harker to being helpless putty in Dracula's hands. To me, the sudden changes in characterization didn't ring true, and the Mina/Drac love story had me rolling my eyes in disgust. It's certainly not even hinted in the Stoker work.

"Value your education. It's something nobody can ever take away from you." My mom.

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[–] CountVladDracula 9 years ago

I think it went off the rails when we're suddenly presented with Drac as a romantic, sympathetic figure, and the whole "Dark Shadows" ripoff

It's not a rip off when the man who put that in Dark Shadows approved of it's use for Dracula and was the first to do it. Dan Curtis was the one who first did this with Dracula, for the film version starring Jack Palance.

Also there actually is an explanation for this scene. See my other post for details.

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[–] Wuchakk 9 years ago

I think it went off the rails when we're suddenly presented with Drac as a romantic, sympathetic figure, and the whole "Dark Shadows" ripoff of a reincarnated love story, and Mina suddenly shifts gears from being a strong woman devoted to Harker to being helpless putty in Dracula's hands. To me, the sudden changes in characterization didn't ring true, and the Mina/Drac love story had me rolling my eyes in disgust. It's certainly not even hinted in the Stoker work.

Being a fan of the novel, this aspect turned me off to the film when I first saw it, particularly in light of the movie's name, which would have us believe that it's faithful to the book. But Dracula's not a paragon of unadulterated evil in this film, as he is in Stoker's novel, but rather a sympathetic vampire with a serious case of love-sickness. Needless to say, this takes the bite out of the Count's wicked exploits as it's nigh impossible for the viewer to be horrified by a character with whom s/he sympathizes. As such, I understand your complaint and agreed with it after my first viewing. But I've changed my mind over time on these grounds:

Writer James V. Hart decided to add an interesting twist to the done-to-death yarn with the subplot of Drac's love for Mina, who's evidently his wife reincarnated. This new twist helps keep the story interesting for those who may be bored with the oft-told tale.

It's also a set-up for the excellent message of the film: Love conquers all and the light of God's presence brings redemption to those whose hearts still blip with a glimmer of hope, faith and love, no matter how mired in total darkness. Freedom & forgiveness are there IF you want it.

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[–] Drooch 9 years ago

Van Helsing was always behind the stone. He used mesmerism, hypnotism, electromagnetic fields, materialisation and astral bodies to make the others believe he was standing in front of Richard E Grant. He planned the trick well in advance like a DON.

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[–] mpurvismattp 9 years ago

Van Helsing also did a number of card tricks but they did make it past the editing room.

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[–] CountVladDracula 9 years ago

Notice how he was talking about hypnosis right as his voice fades. He enthralled (hypnotized) them into thinking he teleported but really he woke them from the hypnotic trance at a distance. His voice fading was the trance setting in.

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[–] king_of_bob 9 years ago

He doesn't vanish. He's simply demonstrating how easy it is to make it look like you've vanished. The men he was with turned away for a moment and he hid behind a tombstone. He didn't teleport, he simply walked over behind the tombstone while nobody was looking.

He doesn't have to be super fast, he just has to time his movements.

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[–] WeAintFoundShin 8 years ago

He sped walked while they weren't looking.

And may have thrown his voice some.

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[–] Drooch (5333) 5 years ago

He controlled the sound waves of his voice to hypnotise the other characters, and the viewer. If you watch the scene with your hands over your ears, you can clearly see him sprinting over to the monument.

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[–] BourbonKing (5778) 5 years ago

My takeaway from the Van Helsing character in this movie is that he's actually the Bishop that Count Dracul rebuffs in the the prologue as he renounces his belief in Jesus and decides to embrace Satan. If you watch the movie closely you'll notice that Anthony Hopkins also plays the Romanian Bishop as well. How he maintained immortality like Dracula isn't made quite clear though.

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