ferbs54 What "West Side Story" did for the oft-told tale of Romeo and Juliet--updating it and setting it on the harsh streets of NYC--Michael Almereyda's 1994 offering, "Nadja," does for the story of Dracula. "I'm not really good for much of anything," Nadja, the 200-year-old daughter of the late count, tells a bar pickup when we first meet her, but as this film proves, the gal IS more than adept at following in daddy's footsteps and procuring a nice blood nosh for herself. During the course of the film, we see Nadja find a new girlfriend (played by the wonderfully named Galaxy Craze), look up her estranged twin brother in the wilds of Brooklyn, and tangle with a descendant of Dr. van Helsing. The film has three main selling points that make it a must-see for fans of modern-day horror. The first is Peter Fonda, portraying van Helsing as a long-haired hippy type in a wonderfully charismatic manner. Then there is the picture's absolutely gorgeous B&W photography, which transforms "Nadja" into a genuine work of art; DOP Jim Denault and his crew are to be commended for a splendid bit of work here. Indeed, the film looks so very impressive that its oft-discussed pixel FX (which are used seemingly at random and only to ratchet up the disorientation factor) struck this viewer as a mere distraction. And then there is Nadja herself, played, appropriately enough, by Romanian actress Elina Lowensohn, a woman with a striking accent, a distinctive way of emphasizing her lines, and a decidedly off-kilter beauty. Elina has been perfectly cast here (and looks terrific in a cowl!). "Nadja" also features bits of well-integrated humor (as when Nadja refers to her dad as a "night bird"), and although its story line is a bit too dependent on (double) coincidence, it remains enthralling nonetheless; a significant contribution to the Dracula legend.

Scarecrow-88 Low-key, off-beat, somber, existential, avant-garde modern retelling(partially)of Dracula's Daughter has the exotic beauty of Elina Löwensohn put to good use as the Romanian Count's predatory vampire daughter, Nadja, roaming New York City for fresh victims, finding a potential love interest in melancholy Lucy(Galaxy Craze)whose unhappily married to her gloomy alcoholic husband Jim(Martin Donovan). Jim and Lucy love each other but never display an appropriate affection or fireworks which truly exhibit on the outside, if anything their relationship seems destitute and glum. But, once Nadja initiates a spark with Lucy after meeting her in a bar, their love and marriage will be tested as the vampire wishes to conquer her, capture her very soul through the draining of her very life-source, the blood. Thankfully for Jim, he knows Dr. Van Helsing(Peter Fonda, in a very kooky performance, clearly enjoying his role's chance for eccentricity), the very one who thrust the stake in Count Dracula's heart. Van Helsing's desire to end Nadja's existence, ridding the world of a bloodsucker who has been draining New York of it's citizens through her various rendezvouses with male victims, opening the possibility of sexual activity, shutting the door on such opportunities by killing them. Nadja travels with her human slave Renfield(Karl Geary;very different than the countless nutty incarnations of the character whose often molded after Dwight Frye, young and attractive, quite laconic and mysterious, yet can be quite dangerous when provoked)as they pursue and hunt. NYC provides quite a backdrop for Nadja, a vast supply if she so wishes to feed. Löwensohn's face is glamorously shot by director Michael Almereyda's cinematographer Jim Denault, and the dialogue, often spoke by the actress as a vampire who is having quite an experience in a city of such diverse and eclectic people, is quite thought-provoking and poetic.The film's narrative shifts somewhat once Nadja finds her ill brother Edgar(Jared Harris)and his beloved nurse Cassandra(Suzy Amis). Nadja wishes for Edgar to join her and takes an interest in Cassandra. Van Helsing needs to kill Nadja so that Lucy can be spared and to remove possible danger from Cassandra, his niece.The aspect of director Michael Almereyda's style that rather left me cold was his use of a camera which pixilates image, specifically during Nadja's vampiric activities. I thought the gorgeous B&W photography was fine on it's own and gave this film an alluring look to match it's titular female vampire. All the performances, the characters, remain subtle, almost zombie-like and distant..this might drive traditional and casual horror fans away and seems to reflect a society of lost souls, emotionally empty and depressed. The music score is quietly haunting and seems to fit the mood of the characters and their stories. This is definitely an art film, with the director giving the vampire genre a different flavour and tapping into contemporary themes that traditional horror fans might find ponderous and pretentious. I liked this a lot probably because of Löwensohn and it's refreshing change of pace from the normal brand of storytelling in regards to the vampire genre, which is oftentimes artificial, predictable and by-the-numbers. While this film does operate using themes associated with vampires(..needing blood to sustain life, not adept to sunlight, with a stake to the heart killing them), I like how Nadja is given a chance to show that she has feelings and often expresses herself with others regarding life and love. I appreciated the additional scene featuring Lugosi(..from White Zombie), lending his face to the Dracula spoken of by her siblings in the film. Fonda, with long hair, plays Van Helsing as if he were an oddball(..the way he should be portrayed, I think, because of his knowledge in "strange things most humans wish not to know about"), an outcast of society who lives, it seems, to serve mankind in ridding the world of dangerous vampires. Martin Donovan and Galaxy Craze play their roles rather sullen and without emotion, which is probably what the film calls for considering their supposed to be aloof.

HumanoidOfFlesh Dracula's daughter Nadja wanders New York City,melancholy and driven by her need for blood.She seduces and drinks from the depressed Lucy.Meanwhile Lucy's husband Jim is asked to help his friend Van Helsing who has been arrested for staking Dracula.But then the two of them realize that Nadja is drinking from Lucy.As they try to hunt her down,Nadja and her self-described 'slave' Renfield flee back to Rumania."Nadja" is a post-modern vampire flick which is actually a black-and-white reworking "Dracula's Daughter"(1936).The film was produced by David Lynch who also played a small cameo as a morgue attendant that gets hypnotized by Nadja.The film is splendidly photographed in a glorious black-and-white and offers tons of mesmerizingly dreamy atmosphere.Overall,"Nadja" is much better than overrated and too philosophical "The Addiction".The soundtrack by Portishead and The Verve is fabulous too!

macabro357 Did I see the same movie as the positive reviewers, below?I didn't know a Dracula film could be this boring. I needed 10 cups of coffee just to stay awake for 90 minutes. This film makes Abel Ferrara's THE ADDICTION (1995) look like unmitigated horror classic, and that's not saying much since I almost slept through that one, too.I can put up with a b/w film for 1994, but watching this with the pixelvision camera parts is enough to make one go blind. There's also a lot of philosophical, boring talk about the meaning of life, but do I really give a sh#t?It meanders on and on and on...2 out of 10