Hanging with Dracula, Thomas Kretschmann!
Read part one right here!
After being mistaken for Rutger Hauer’s stunt stand-in for the fifth time last night – I didn’t know whether to be thrilled or insulted – I hastily joked that I would do it if the guy didn’t turn up.
Very relieved when he actually did as the role involved a lot of fisticuffs. Rutger Hauer asked if he could talk to me today because he had such an intensive schedule last night.
Lucky that as I spent most time chatting with Thomas Kretschmann who I first met 18 years ago while on location with The Stendhal Syndrome (pictured). On that, he based the look of his maniac character on Hauer’s in Blade Runner, his favorite movie of all time, so you can imagine his delight at now playing opposite his hero.
Last night was the first time they acted together so Thomas was doubly excited. He told me, “When Dario called me up offering the role he said to think of it as a Stendhal sequel as I would be treating Asia (Lucy) just as badly!”
Dracula 3D is clearly an expensive movie, the sets are beautiful, the period costumes lovely and the care and attention being paid to it is extraordinary. Watching Dario and d.p. Luciano Tovoli working together really gave me goosebumps – is this how it was on Suspiria?
The epic forest location would suggest it was and only brings to mind the opening scenes of that classic horror. Unlike most sets I never get bored on an Argento one, he’s always in the process of creating and that can be tough when you have an enormous Arriflex Alexa 3D camera to move in position all the time. By the way, what a blast actually being able to watch the playback monitors in 3D as they film the scenes.
Producer Giovanni Paolucci told me one of the reasons why the movie has been in the planning stages for 18 months was to get Dario experienced in the whole 3D technique so he could learn what he could and couldn’t do with reference to his strong visual style.
Incidentally the current plan is to premiere a 20 minute show reel at the American Film Market and then release the movie in Italy in March 2012. Everyone I’ve spoken to so far has given me their ideas on what the look of the film is but once more it was down to Thomas Kretschmann, Dracula himself to nail it, “Splatter Visconti!
Source: Alan Jones
