Often fodder for lowbrow horror flicks, Bram Stoker’s classic tale gets the highbrow treatment here. Cult
Canadian director Guy Maddin has adapted the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s interpretation of Stoker’s novel for the screen, resulting in a mixture of dance performance and Maddin’s signature, silent-movie style. Maddin’s ghostly black-and-white imagery – punctuated by occasional
bursts of color – fits the material, while the lack of dialogue allows you to focus on the dancers’ movements. Still, it’s an experiment that grows tiresome, even at only 75 minutes. An appreciation for ballet certainly will help in appreciating Virgin’s Diary. A soft spot for the likes of Blade decidedly won’t.
