Vampire Ball main character. "The Vampire's Ball": what do we know about the musical based on the film by Roman Polanski

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  Königsberg University professor Abronsius or Abronsius (Jack McGowran), together with his student assistant Alfred (Roman Polanski), travel to Transylvania in order to check rumors that there is a castle there in which a vampire named Count Von Krolock (Ferdie Mayne) lives. ) together with his son Herbert. They stop at an inn owned by Yoni Chagall (Alfie Bass), a middle-aged man. Chagall lives with his family: a maid, his wife Rebecca and his beautiful daughter Sarah (Sharon Tate), with whom Alfred falls in love at first sight.

  Professor Abronsius asks Chagall and other inhabitants of the court about vampires, but they only answer that they have never seen anything like it. One gets the feeling that people are hiding something, as one guy accidentally blurts it out when the professor just arrives at Chagall, but Chagall and his guests interrupt young man and move the conversation to another topic. The professor tells his assistant Alfred that he has discovered almost all the signs of vampires: garlic, which is hung almost everywhere in the inn, and a castle, the existence of which is hidden local residents. One morning, a strange hunchbacked man with crooked teeth and a creaky, hoarse voice arrives at the inn in a sleigh. This man asks the innkeeper Yoni to sell him some candles for the castle.

  The professor, who watched this picture at breakfast, tells his assistant to follow the hunchback, as he can lead them to the castle where vampires live. The hunchback was preparing the sleigh for departure and noticed Chagall's daughter Sarah, who was watching the hunchback through the window of her room. Alfred clings to the back end of the hunchback's sleigh and rides like this for a while, but then Alfred's hands slip and he falls off the sleigh; The hunchback, not noticing Alfred's presence, leaves. That evening, Count Von Krolock secretly sneaks into the inn and kidnaps Sarah Chagall while she is taking a bath. Yoni Chagall and his wife panic, they cry for a while, and then Yoni, blinded by anger and sadness, goes in search of his daughter. In the morning next day lumberjacks bring Yoni's frozen corpse.

  Professor Abronsius examines the corpse and discovers bite marks on the body similar to those left by vampires. The lumberjacks say that Yoni was bitten by wolves, this makes Abronsius very angry and he drives the lumberjacks away, calling them liars and ignoramuses. A day later, Yoni comes to life, bites the maid’s neck and disappears before the eyes of the professor and his assistant. Abronsius and Alfred pursue Chagall and end up in a castle, the existence of which the professor had guessed. At the castle, the professor and his assistant meet Count von Krolock, and also personally meet the hunchback (whose name turns out to be Kukol) and von Krolock's son Herbert. Von Krolock turns out to be a very smart and educated person: he has a large library in his castle; When talking with the professor, he makes it clear that he is well versed in natural sciences. The Count invites the professor to live in the castle for a while. The next day, Professor Abronsius and Alfred learn that Count von Krolock and his son are vampires.

  Herbert falls passionately in love with Alfred at first sight and actively seeks his affection. When the naive Alfred finally understands what they want from him, he has to work hard to avoid Herbert's advances.

  Von Krolock admits that he is a vampire, locks the professor on the balcony of his castle and goes to prepare for the vampire ball, which is planned for that evening. In the castle cemetery, all the dead come to life, move away the gravestones and go to the castle for the ball. Professor Abronsius and his assistant get out of captivity and also go to the ball. There they steal the ball costumes from two vampires and join the ball. Their goal is to escape with Sarah Chagall, with whom Alfred is in love. All the participants of the ball discover that the professor and Alfred are not vampires, since they were reflected in the mirror, and vampires are not reflected in mirrors. A chase begins for Professor Abronsius and Alfred; they manage to escape on a sleigh with Sarah Chagall. But the professor does not know that Sarah is now also a vampire. Thus, Abronsius, trying to eradicate evil, on the contrary, spreads it from Transylvania throughout the world.

  Cast

  • Jack McGowran - Professor Abronsius
  • Roman Polanski - assistant Alfred
  • Alfie Bass - hotel owner Chagall
  • Jesse Robins - Rebecca Chagall
  • Sharon Tate - Sarah Chagall
  • Ferdie Main - Count von Krolock
  • Terry Downs - servant of the Dolls
  • Fiona Lewis - maid Magda
  • Ronald Lacey - village idiot

  Working on the film

  The idea for a “fairy-tale comedy about vampires” came to Polanski at a ski resort; He immediately decided that there would be a lot of snow in the film, especially in the dark lighting. Filming took place in the Dolomites in the Ortisei region; the ball and other studio scenes were filmed in the UK. When creating the role of a crazy professor reminiscent of Einstein, Polansky and Gérard Braque counted on McGowran to play him from the very beginning - theater actor, who made his name directing Beckett's absurdist plays. During filming, Polanski met his future wife, Sharon Tate. He recalls that the time of filming was the happiest of his life.

  "The Vampire's Ball" was Polanski's first film to be released in America. Hollywood producers felt that the film's Eastern European flavor might scare off American audiences. The film was marketed in the United States as a farce, all the voices were dubbed, and the film was preceded by awkward cartoon credits. A total of 20 minutes of running time was cut from the film. This version of "The Vampire's Ball" is known under the vaudeville title "The Fearless Vampire Killers, or Sorry, But Your Teeth Are in My Neck." I designed a poster with this name famous master comic, Frank Frazetta. The film was received by the public as a "respectful parody" of the vampire film genre. The director's idea was somewhat different:

  Parody was not my goal. I wanted to tell a fairy tale, creepy and at the same time funny, and also full of adventure. Children don't see the difference here. They want to be frightened by something that actually does not pose any danger, so that they can laugh at their own fears.

  Origins and continuations

  “The Ball of the Vampires” was not considered one of Polanski’s successes until the 1990s, when the musical “Dance of the Vampires,” created on the same plot with the participation of the director himself, was staged in European theaters with great success. (Polanski returned to the vampire theme once again, appearing in an episode of the cult film “Andy Warhol’s Dracula”). Certain scenes from Ball of the Vampires were reimagined in a more later paintings, such as Van Helsing and Bloody Brothel.

  Those who write about Polanski often discuss the origins art world"Tale of the Vampires", pointing out the similarity of the atmosphere with the works of Roger Corman, Alexander Ptushko and the directors of the Hammer studio. Polanski himself acknowledges the influence of the films of this studio: “If you like, I tried to stylize the style, making it more beautiful, more balanced, reminiscent of illustrations for fairy tales.”

  When you approach the MDM entrance, you immediately notice that the theater has turned into the mystical castle of the vampire Count von Krolock with black Gothic gates. Then you immediately understand that something mysterious, dark and enigmatic awaits ahead...

  The Vampire's Ball is a cult musical based on the 1967 Roman Polanski film The Fearless Vampire Killers. In 1997, a stage version from VBV was created in Vienna, which gained enormous popularity, winning the hearts of millions of viewers. The musical came to Russia in 2011, then it took place on the stage of the Theater musical comedy in St. Petersburg. And now, five years later, “Ball of the Vampires” reached the Moscow stage. The production is distributed by the Russian division Stage company Entertainment, for which the Roman Polanski musical became the eleventh Russian production. The director himself considers the film his best creation, although, of course, it stands out from other Polanski works. The love for “Fearless Vampires” is explained by the fact that his wife Sharon Tate, who tragically died, played there.

  The plot of the musical almost completely repeats the content of the 1967 black comedy The Fearless Vampire Killers. Abronsius, a professor at the University of Königsberg, arrives to a nondescript village somewhere in Transylvania with his student assistant Alfred in order to prove the existence of vampires. The travelers stop at an inn, owned by a middle-aged man, Yoni Chagall, who lives there with his wife Rebecca and daughter Sarah. While Ambronsius unsuccessfully tries to obtain information about vampires in a garlic-lined tavern, Alfred falls in love at first sight with Chagall's beautiful daughter. However, she is soon kidnapped by the treacherous vampire Count von Krolock, forcing the professor and his assistant to quickly get to the mysterious castle.

  A lot has been said about vampires in cinema, from Nosferatu to Count Dracula. Actually, von Krolock is a similarity to the character in Bram Stoker’s novel. Only Polanski didn’t want to make another horror story; “The Fearless Vampire Killers” is a parody of all the films about blood-sucking evil spirits that had come out in Hollywood by the mid-60s. The film has more than enough black humor, which is its highlight. Professor Ambronsius, who looks like a kind of eccentric Einstein, is simply obsessed with the vampire theme. His assistant Alfred is clearly not very keen on this idea, but in order to help his mentor, he reluctantly looks for vampires. Beautiful Sarah, in turn, cannot boast of anything except her dazzling appearance and the need to constantly take a bath. Actually, Roman Polanski wanted the musical to also be ironic, without bias towards the serious problem of the relationship between good and evil.

  

  However, the creators of “Ball” did not make do with just black humor and ridicule of the vampire theme. On the contrary, everything connected with bloody evil spirits has now reached a serious level. The vampires here are beautiful and captivating aristocrats who can turn the head of any unlucky girl. Likewise, the vampire castle has become mysterious and gloomy, there is nothing comical in it anymore. Von Krolock himself appears as a demonic principle who is capable of deciding the destinies of people. There is, of course, humor in the production, but it is the responsibility of Professor Ambronsius, Alfred, the owners of the inn and only one vampire - von Krolock's son Herbert. The comic situations the characters find themselves in are taken entirely from the film version of the story.

  Thus, the world of “Ball of the Vampires” was divided into two – the comic human one and the mysterious vampire one. Although, of course, when fearless and noble vampire killers end up in the castle, funny incidents begin to happen to them there, mixing these worlds.

  

  In the middle of two worlds is the beautiful Sarah, who, unlike her prototype in the movies, comes to the castle herself, enchanted or bitten by von Krolock. Probably, by this the creators wanted to show the duality of human nature, which passes from good to evil.

  The romantic line between the young assistant and Sarah became clearer in the production, explaining the presence of lyrical compositions in the musical. The young girl chooses here between the clumsy and timid Alfred and the stately, mysterious Count. Doesn't remind you of anything? Personally, this story reminded me of the plot of “The Phantom of the Opera”, the release of which only recently ended on the MDM stage. Indeed, one can recall Christine Daae, who chose between her childhood friend Raoul and the brilliant Phantom of the Opera. The similarity is reinforced by the fact that in Ball of the Vampires Count von Krolock is played by talented actor Ivan Ozhogin, who also reincarnated as the Phantom. By the way, Ozhogin successfully played in the German version of “The Ball”, becoming the standard performer of the role of von Krolock.

  

  Sarah arrives at von Krolock's castle. Photo: Yuri Bogomaz

  But the production rather benefits from its similarity to The Phantom of the Opera. The craving for the unknown and mysterious is always popular with viewers. Becoming a story similar to the legendary creation of Andrew Lloyd Webber, "The Fearless Vampire Killers" turned into an alluring, mysterious and sophisticated "Vampire's Ball."

  All parts in the musical are dynamic and memorable, which is not surprising - the composer of the production was Jim Steinman, songwriter of Celine Dion and Bonnie Tyler. One of the main themes of “The Ball” is Tyler’s song Total Eclipse of the Heart (“ Full eclipse hearts." – Approx. "365") The actors of the production give their best not even 100, but 200%. It’s not enough to say about the amazing vocal abilities of the artists, because a musical is not an opera, so the emphasis here is more on the dramatic abilities of the performers. You really get immersed in the performance and begin to empathize with the characters. This is also quite logical, because the cast was personally approved by Roman Polanski. Thus, the performers of the roles of Sarah and Alfred, Irina Vershkova and Alexander Kazmin, met with the director in Paris, where he gave them valuable advice and persistently emphasized that everything in the musical should be imbued with irony.

  

  The musical is being shown in Moscow for the first time, but in St. Petersburg it ran successfully for five whole years. The set design for these productions is identical to that of the original Viennese version of the musical. They also did not make a new translation of the songs. Even half of the troupe “moved” from St. Petersburg to Moscow. I wonder if these productions are different from each other? I decided to ask this question to a fan of the musical, Angela Gordiyuk, who has seen Roman Polanski’s legendary production several times.

  “There are still differences, they are largely at the level of sensations. First of all, for the Moscow production the text was slightly changed - it was significantly smoothed out, depriving it of provocativeness. This is quite expected in the cultural situation of the capital. Thus, von Krolock’s opening aria underwent a significant transformation - initially it was “God is dead/your God is dead, his name is forgotten,” but it became “God is forgotten/his name is forgotten.” But this was a direct translation from the original musical, which Nietzsche quotes. Other changes are also noticeable - it was “How lovely is your ass”, and became “How graceful is your figure” (duet of Alfred and von Krolock’s son Herbert, who was inflamed with passion for the young assistant. - Note “365”). In general, Herbreth’s “pickup” was somewhat smoothed out, giving the image of the vampire greater aristocracy. As for the overall experience, the Moscow production is in no way inferior to the St. Petersburg one, but the impressions are different. “The Ball” lost the intimacy of the Musical Comedy Theater (850 seats versus 2000 at MDM. – Note “365”), so the interactivity of the action was lost, since the central aisle could not be used by wandering actors. And yet the impression when another vampire jumps onto the curb of the benoir box is indescribable,” Angela shared with “365”.

  

  But special effects are also present in MDM, and the interactivity of the production has not gone away either. The involvement of spectators in the process has become less, but the vampires still scare when passing by spectators sitting near the side exits. The very appearance of vampires on stage and in the hall is interesting. It happens so imperceptibly and technically perfect that every time it comes as a complete surprise and is perceived as real magic. This is also facilitated by moving scenery, in which 3D screens were used. This creates a more complete effect of immersion in the action taking place. For example, before the scene when Ambronsius and Alfred go to the vampires' castle, images of a gloomy Gothic structure, clearly reminiscent of Cologne Cathedral, are projected on the curtain screen. And when we find ourselves with Sarah in the castle’s living room, she is surrounded by moving portraits of von Krolock’s ancestors. The production features a total of 75 sets that immerse you in a mystical atmosphere.

  

  

  The musical turned out to be really exciting and interesting. “Despite the fact that it is a parody, the musical has great depth - both in terms of philosophy, psychology, and thanks to the cinematic accuracy of the characters. This makes the viewer come again and again. This musical doesn’t let you go - I know people who have seen the play more than a hundred times,” says Ivan Ozhogin, who plays Count von Krolock, about “The Ball.” Indeed, as soon as you leave the hall after the end of the performance, you immediately realize that you want to return to the “Vampire Ball” again.

  Text: Natalya Shulgina

  A magnificent story about the adventure of Professor Abronsius, working at the University of Königsberg, and his assistant, studying at the same educational institution, Alfreda, begins with a trip to Transelvania. After all, rumors began to circulate that on this territory there is a castle in which Count Von Krolock and his son Herbert live. But the most amazing thing is that there is an assumption that these characters are actually vampires! After arriving at this wonderful place, the heroes decide to stay with one man, not young, but not exactly old. His name is Yoni Chagall. In addition to Yoni, his wife Rebecca is in this house, incredibly beautiful daughter Sarah and the maid. After meeting Sarah, Alfred “loses his head” and falls very much in love with her and shows various signs of attention.

  
  

  The heroes are trying to get information about the mysterious castle and its inhabitants. But everything is in vain. All residents of the home claim that this is just a myth, that this has never happened in Transelvania. However, the professor begins to guess that these people are not saying something, hiding something. Since there is garlic hanging all over the house, and this is, to say the least, very strange. Alfred and Abronsius's suspicions intensified after, during a dialogue between Chagall and his guests, one of the visitors to the house spilled the beans and mentioned something about vampires. But Chagall was not at a loss and immediately turned the conversation to completely different topics. After some time, Yoni Chagall's house is visited by a very suspicious person. He had a very prominent hump, crooked teeth and a very creaky hoarse voice. He came on his sleigh to buy some candles, and not just for his house, but for the castle! Abronsius and Alfred, who observed this picture, immediately understood which castle it was for, and the professor asked his assistant to follow the suspicious hunchbacked guest, because this way they could find out the location of the castle. After the deal with the owner of the house, the hunchback began to prepare to leave. Yoni's daughter Sarah was watching him, and he saw her. As soon as the hunchback's sleigh starts moving, Alfred clings to the sleigh and thus travels several hundred meters. However, at one moment Alfred realizes that his hands are about to slip, and he unhooks himself from the sled. He was very lucky that the hunchback never suspected that there was someone else on the sleigh besides him.

  

  
  

  On the same day, Count Von Krolock enters the inn where the professor and his assistant settled. He decided to visit this home in order to steal Sarah Chagall. And he manages to do it. All residents are in panic. Yoni and his wife can't hold back their tears. However, an embittered and saddened Yoni leaves to look for his daughter, Sarah. As it turned out, everything was in vain, because already on the morning of the new day, the inhabitants of the inn learned about Yoni’s death. His frozen corpse was taken straight to the house.
  Abronziuz and Alfred decide to examine Chagall's dead body. They discovered suspicious bites in the neck area, which, by the way, were very similar to vampire bites. However, the loggers who brought the corpse claim that Chagall was attacked by wolves. Abronsius becomes furious and he drives out and insults the lumberjacks.

  

  
  

  The next day something terrible happens. Yoni Chagall rises from the dead and attacks the poor maid. The professor and his assistant witness these very strange and terrible events. After the attack on the maid, the owner of the house runs away, and the heroes decide to pursue him. As it turns out, the once dead Yoni Chagall leads them to that very castle. At the castle, Abronsius and Alfred discover Count von Krolock. Besides him, they notice a hunchbacked man who visited the inn to buy candles. After meeting, they find out that this man’s name is Kukol. They also meet von Krolock’s son, whose name is Herbert. As it turned out, von Krolock is very smart and educated person, because he has a huge library, and knows very well natural Sciences. The professor receives an offer to live in such a mysterious castle. And Abronsius accepts Count von Krolock's offer, but does not forget that he is probably a vampire. The next day, the heroes' suspicions were confirmed. Count von Krolock tells them that he is actually a vampire, and that it was he who actually kidnapped Sarah. After this, he locks Abronsius and Alfred on the balcony of his castle. The professor and his assistant observe a terrifying picture. They see that some kind of movement has begun in the cemetery near the castle, namely, the corpses have begun to come to life, get out of their graves, and are heading to the castle. As it turns out, they are going to a ball hosted by von Krolock. The heroes are at a loss. But they find a way to get out and decide to head to the ball. To avoid detection, they steal the vampires' ball gowns and enter the ball. But this did not help, since they are reflected in the mirror, while vampires are not. The dead try to grab Abronsius and his assistant. But the heroes manage to escape; in addition, they find Sarah Chagall and escape with her. But saving Sarah threatens Transelvania and even all of humanity, since the professor and Alfred are not aware that Sarah, recently, is also a vampire.

  The chief Nightingale the Robber gave them a riotous feast,

  And from them was the three-headed Serpent and his servant the Vampire, -

  They drank the potion in the turtles, ate the broths,

  They danced on the coffins, blasphemers!

  V. Vysotsky

  The crazy yellow eye of the giant Cyclops is drowning in the black orgy of the night-torn sky. The light-absorbing shadows howl like wolves. The castle, numb in stone eternity, calls to itself the sorrow of restless souls. Along a narrow track, a thin scar cutting through the impeccable surface of the snowy face, two people rush into the arms of darkness to learn the secret of the endless wait for death.

  What enters the infernal landscape of the classic vampire epic on a crumbling sleigh is not the brave fighters of evil, not even the frightened unfortunates forced to arrive in this disastrous place, but the professor - a dandelion with a clearly frostbitten nose, similar to an overripe tomato, and his cowardly assistant, who On the road, a gang of insolent wolves snatches your favorite umbrella. A decrepit wreck is approaching a village sleeping in the snowdrifts. Its inhabitants are worse than the odd couple: swathed in beards, the flushed faces of peasants who have taken a fancy to the bright inn, heated by melted fat and sweat, watch with darting eyes the guests who are rare in these parts. Tobacco smoke rises to the wooden ceiling, slides over sheepskin coats, greasy hair, swirls from the roar of general laughter and tales of the cab driver, knocking down the flames of smoky torches.

  This ordinary outback, standing like a barrier on the eve of Satan’s lair, does not even remotely resemble the trembling villagers with white skin and aloof gaze in the typical variations of Stoker’s novel. The frosty interiors of oak log houses and the ignorance of inquisitive men are rather an allusion to the introduction to Kafka’s “Castle”, mixed with the autobiographical feeling of the Eastern European hinterland of Polanski, whose Polish roots, perhaps, will be more sensitive to the open spaces deprived of the warmth of the Gulf Stream than the learned fantasies of the venerable Irishman. The local people are not obsessed with the fear of bloodthirsty creatures; on the contrary, they feel disgust for them and want only peace, acting on the principle: we don’t touch you, so don’t bother us. That is why the multi-voiced roar sounds so united, convincing that there is not even a mill, much less a castle, because if these strangers climb into a hornet’s nest, everyone will get it. However, the fool smacking his lips innocently drops a phrase, covered with a careful palm, which finally strengthens the idea of ​​devils in the still waters.

  In charge here is the old scoundrel Chagall, the owner of the establishment, helpfully fussing around the numb travelers and obsequiously smiling with a rare picket fence of teeth. While his overweight wife is calmly snoring into feather pillows, a cunning libertine slips into the room of a young busty lady. The terrible abduction of his daughter, from whom only a bloody stain on soap suds remains, forces Chagall to embark on a futile search, ending in his own yard in a state of deep freeze, capturing the pose of a frightened chipmunk. The thawed body is found new life in the guise of a rural ghoul, which, however, differs little from the original prototype: the same antics and apologetic grimaces only now on a blue face. Having decided that the mortal world is over, he goes to the crypt of high-born bloodsuckers to join the Gothic aesthetics of resting in a coffin, but he has to be content with a stinking stable. It turns out that there is no equality after death!

  Warmed up in the warm welcome and hot water, Professor Abronsius, with an admiring gaze, catches bunches of garlic hanging on the walls, the first sign of a long-awaited find. After all, he is a famous scientist, maybe not world-famous, but mentioned among his colleagues. True, only in connection with the obsession with the study of mythical vampires. However, the firmness of his confidence in their existence can only be compared with the strength of his own insanity, which finally drove our researcher to the brink, in the sense, to the Carpathian Mountains. Like an alcoholic sneaking into wine Vault, Abronsius never ceases to sparkle with amazed eyes under his disheveled curls in the style of “I’m dad’s fool”, revealing irrefutable evidence of the proximity of Nosferatu.

  Unlike the elderly Superman, who “ran away from his nannies,” his loyal to Passepartout Alfredo, far from the glory of heroes ancient Greece and can turn to stone even from a draft that opens the door, faster than from the loving gaze of Aunt Gargona. Hurrying to help his respected teacher, he is always nearby, but vampires worry him no more than smoked sausage. Alfredo's gaze lingers with greater pleasure on a lady's charms than on bloody fangs. Therefore, the heart of the “mustacheless youth” is doomed to be captivated by the huge childish eyes of the red-haired angel who fluttered out of the foamy embrace of the bath. This embodiment of youth, delight and beauty is called Sarah (it’s hard to believe that she could be Chagall’s daughter, but you can’t argue with the plot). She, like a tender sprout blooming in the deep darkness of an ancient forest, glows with tenderness and sincerity in rudeness village life. So strong love like an awl, like Cupid's arrow, forces the timid squire Don Quixote to perform the most desperate feats.

  And so our knights, not devoid of fear and tolerant of reproaches, disappear into the spreading shadow of a stone ghost in order to “defeat the miracle-juda” and free the imprisoned princess. In the baroque luxury of the majestic castle, in addition to the pimply hunchback, who is bored in the absence of the bell tower, but has found his Esmeralda in the guise of Sarah, lives the ruler of the “children of the night,” Count von Krolock. Without failing to pay tribute to the memory of Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau and his Count Orlok (sort of in tune, don’t you think?), Polanski, however, filled his character with different colors. The pale coldness of his marble face, the steely heaviness of his eyes, the grandeur of the figure carved into the rock make him part of the ominous corners of this gloomy dwelling. However, even the inaccessible peaks could not protect the cradle of vampire traditions from fashion trends passing summer. Now, under the web of rotten tapestries, the homosexual Herbert, the son of Krolock, has appeared, not missing the chance to hit on Alfredo. The film gradually turns into an adventure farce with melodramatic notes, the apotheosis of which is, in fact, what everyone has gathered for - a ball convening the entire afterlife elite with glamorous makeup from corpse spots and hairy warts. The event, despite the absence of fifth-dimensional technology, still resembles Bulgakov's Satan's Ball, at which, thank God, and perhaps not only him, no one tries to kiss Sarah's unfortunate knee.

  “The Vampire's Ball” is a comic narrative of “Dracula”, so it is easy to interpret the images: Alfredo J. Harker, Abronsius Van Helsing, Sarah both Mina Harker and Lucy Westerna, Chagall Renfield. Nevertheless, relying on the entire previous tradition of vampirism in art, exaggerating it character traits, reducing them to the point of absurdity, presenting them in a parodic light, the film, due to the eclecticism of the funny and the terrible, numerous literary parallels and, of course, the author's taste and skill of the director, becomes an independent work that combines action with a deep revelation of characters and creates a unique aesthetics of pathos fused with simplicity in dialectical ecstasy.

  in memory of Sharon Tate

  09.12.2016
  

  Last weekend I attended the musical “Vampire's Ball” with my family, and it left me with mixed impressions. On the one hand, impressive scenery and costumes, plus a good musical score (however, I only remembermain theme song). On the other hand... Let's try to figure it out with the other side.

  The plot is briefly as follows. The eccentric professor Abronsius arrives at an inn in Transylvania along with his young assistant Alfred. Alfred falls in love with the innkeeper's daughter, Sarah, at first sight. The professor was brought to these places by rumors about a castle in which blood-sucking dead people live - he proved their existence and wants to rid the world of this evil. Garlic is hung throughout the house, and visitors to the inn ineptly hide the presence of an ominous castle nearby - and the vampire hunters realize that they are where they wanted.

  One morning a creepy hunchback comes to the inn to get candles for the castle. As he leaves, he notices the beautiful Sarah in the window. And in the evening of the same day, Sarah, who is taking a bath, is bitten in the neck and abducted (this is in the film; in the musical, she is seduced, after which she runs away from the house) by the owner of the castle, Count von Krolock, who penetrated through the door in the ceiling. The owner of the inn, Yoni Chagall, beside himself with grief, rushes to search for his daughter, but after a while the lumberjacks bring back his frozen corpse, from which the vampires drank all the blood. The mistress forbids Abronsius and his student to pierce the heart of the deceased aspen stake. The next day, Chagall comes to life, and the professor and student chase him and end up in the castle. There they strive to save Sarah and put an end to the vampires, but find themselves in many tragicomic situations, and evil ultimately triumphs.

  The triumph of evil in itself work of art there is nothing bad. It can serve as a warning to a person. However, it is interesting to compare the plot of the 1997 musical "Vampire's Ball" with the plot of the 1967 film of the same name. The director of both productions was Roman Polanski, so this comparison is legitimate. It is worth noting that in the works of Polanski (who is wanted by the United States for raping a minor), vice generally triumphs over virtue; everywhere he glorifies the aesthetics of evil and sin. However, in the transition from a comedy film to a musical, against the background of the overall plot, one can see the increase in the power of vice and the weakness of virtue.

  Firstly, the transition to the consciousness of choosing evil is clearly visible. In the film, Sarah only says that she is tired of boredom and prohibitions in parental home. And she ends up in the castle after being bitten and kidnapped by the count. And her behavior in the castle, where she, as if nothing had happened, takes a bath and prepares to wear the dress donated by the count to the ball - instead of saving her, can be attributed to the consequences of the bite. In the musical, the Count does not kidnap Sarah or bite her. He sings her a song and promises her eternal life coupled with satisfaction of her whims and invites her to the ball. And Sarah herself runs away from home to the count’s castle.

  In the film, the professor and his student desperately catch the owner of the inn who has turned into a vampire, and only failing to catch him, they follow him to von Krolock's castle. In the musical, they catch Yoni Chagall, but he promises to guide them to the castle - and they deliberately let the vampire go, which is clearly at odds with their previous willingness to save the soul of the owner of the house.

  Secondly, there is a weakening of any hints of resourcefulness of virtue. In the film, the path to the crypt, where the count rests during the day, is blocked by the hunchback servant Kukol, but they find a workaround. In the musical, the characters do not face difficulties. In the film, the heroes manage to escape from the count's trap by boiling snow in a cannon, but in the musical there is no hint of this episode. And this despite the fact that the musical is twice as long as the film due to other added episodes.

  Thirdly, the cowardice of the main characters is emphasized. In the film, the professor gets stuck in a narrow window opening of the crypt, and Alfred alone is timid to kill the defenseless count and his son. And after Alfred pulls out the professor, he loses his bag with anti-vampire supplies - and the heroes lose the opportunity for a second attempt. In the musical, after Alfred pulls out the stuck Abronsius, they calmly leave the crypt with a bag in their hands, not making a second attempt only out of mutual fear.

  All this led me to the desire to characterize what is happening in the musical as a struggle between certain feathers of gynt and vampires. Where vampires are strong in their determination, and people are dreamy, but cowardly and unable to complete anything. In the film, such superiority of vampires was by no means observed. Vampires sometimes acted no less clumsily than humans, and did not show miracles of insight. In the musical, the vampires are full of strength and grace, singing and dancing. In addition, there are so many of them on stage that it is completely impossible to understand that according to the plot, there are only two vampires in the castle (before the “awakening” of the guests) - the count and his son (more precisely, three, if we take into account the sub-vampire Chagall). Unlike the film, in the musical the vampires are burdened by boredom and damnation. eternal life. However, the people in the musical are not at all concerned with the salvation of the soul (not even in the religious sense, but in the sense of high aspirations); they are driven only by vanity and a thirst for pleasure. In Coppola’s version of “Dracula,” passions boil over the return to “life” of a once-lost loved one—passions immediately boil over almost the possibility of eternal bathing in the bathtub.

  A few words about the general surroundings. It would be strange to sanctimoniously condemn the persistent calls of the organizers of the action to “become vampires” (receive humorous “vampire teeth” as a gift by participating in the action). However, even without this, the atmosphere during the breaks was impressive - in the cloakroom people were shouting at the whole hall, offering to buy the program, and in auditorium no less loudly was it proposed to buy alcohol of any strength, from champagne to cognac.

  Let me emphasize that the work is clearly not serious. But the very glorification of the aesthetics of evil and sin against the background of the deliberately derived and additionally reinforced helplessness of virtue is something that I cannot approve. After all, even in the far from unconditional “Twilight” it was supposed to empathize with “good” vampires in their struggle with “evil” vampires, but here even such “decency” has already been discarded. What is happening is somewhere in the middle between banter on a vampire theme and a frank test of humanistic values.

  Nikolay Yurchenko