Tag: Insights

I like good stories and came across Dracula Untold. I didn’t like it very much. Maybe it’s because of my heightened sensitivity for anti-islamic racism. Or maybe it’s because the main theme of the movie seems to be that: it’s OK to join the forces of evil as long as your intention is to protect your family and your country … if that makes sense to you, it doesn’t to me.

They try to accomplish this by twisting the historic context both with regards to the time and place, the persons involved and in the loyalties they had. Also they try to convey that Evil is not something despicable in itself, but a tool to be used by the powers in charge.

I assume you’ve seen the movies and can relate tho following facts to the plot and the characters.

My first pain point are the movie’s extremely distorted “Vlad” and “Mehmet” figures. They are created from greatly mixing Vlad II …

• actually ruling in 1442
• but Wallachia, not Transilvania
• vested into the Order of the Dragon
• “made a treaty with the Ottomans insuring that he would give them annual tribute, as well as sending Wallachian boys to them yearly to be trained for service in their armies“
• left his two sons Vlad and Radu with the Ottomans

… and Vlad III.

• was called the “Prince of Wallachia”
• who was later called the “Impaler”
• grew up as a political captive under the Ottomans (together with his brother Radu)
• Radu had a friendship with Mehmet II, not Vlad
• had a personal hatred for Radu and Mehmet
• known for The Night Attack
• he is often characterized as a tyrant who took sadistic pleasure in torturing and killing his enemies

And by greatly mixing Murad II …

• actually ruling in 1442
• tried to establish Ottoman-friendly rulers in Wallachia

… and Mehmet II.

• actually conquered Wallachia, but 20 years later
• known for the Conquest of Constantinople

My second and more general pain point are the movie’s morals which are kind of strange to say the least. :/ Among those seem to be:

• pacting with the devil is OK, as long as it’s against Muslims
• choosing to become a monster is alright, as long as you can protect your family and your country
• you can do whatever you like to your enemies (especially using torture or excessively cruel ways of killing), as long as you’re good-looking
• you can both be a pious Christian and a henchman of the Devil
• being “the son of the devil” is a source of pride
• revenge is good
• prominent characters in western literature must be made to fight Muslims
• Muslims must be defeated, even if you have rewrite history

I find this extremely troubling. o_O