DARK PRINCE: THE TRUE STORY OF DRACULA tells the story of Vlad the Impaler--the historical model for Bram Stoker's Dracula. At first, it seems that director Joe Chappelle and screenwriter Tom Baum might have been influenced more by Errol Flynn and THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD than by Bram Stoker. Vlad--like Robin--is a dispossessed noble, and a patriot who fights the occupation forces of the Turks (rather than the evil usurper, King John). Vlad (Rudolph Martin) meets his Maid Marion, Lidia (Jane March) and finds a Little John--the hulking Bruno (Christopher Brand). The King of Hungary (Roger Daltry) becomes Vald's ally and, with his support, Vlad and his men attack the occupying Turks and turncoat Romanian nobles.
Then, the movie changes tack, and its mood darkens. Lidia discovers what Vlad does to the bodies of his enemies--and she is horrified. When Lidia has a child, Vlad takes control of the boy, and banishes her to a nunnery. Then, Vlad's brother Radu (Michael Sutton) arrives at the head of a large Turkish invasion force. In the end, DARK PRINCE reveals why and how the historical Vlad acquired his notoriety--and spawned Bram Stoker's Dracula.
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