Bara no Konrei ~Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku~
Encyclopedia
is a movie released by Malice Mizer
on March 22, 2002. It is a silent film
with a storyline similar to Dracula
and other vampire-based stories with Japan
ese and English captions for dialogue. Malice Mizer
's final album, Bara no Seidou
, along with the song "~Zenchou~" from the previous album Voyage ~Sans Retour~
, serves as the background score. Some of the tracks had been altered slightly to fit the pace of the movie and the scene. Many parts of the story (especially in the beginning) are flashback
s.
Meanwhile, back in London, Cecil starts having dreams about the Earl of Dracula. She confesses those dreams to Mana, disguised as a nun, who tells her to pray about it. During Klaha's stay, she, unaware that Klaha is already going back, receives a letter (seemingly in Klaha's hand, but probably written by the Earl) informing her that Klaha must stay an additional night, thus upsetting her. On the night that Klaha is returning, Közi visits Cecil to drink her blood (as he had done with other victims; a move that he regrets). The Earl, however, sees this occur, and sends Mana to stop him. After a confrontation in which she uses roses as knives
, Közi demands to know why she is attacking him; Mana tells him that Cecil is "the Earl's Virgin Bride." At hearing this, Közi realises that the Earl wants to remain immortal. After a flashback which reveals their pasts (see above), Közi calls Mana a hypocrite, since she sold her soul for revenge. Mana responds, "I believe in God so I can keep my self-respect!"; hearing this, Közi leaves in anger.
Several nights later, the Earl's coffin arrives at the Church. The Earl wakes up, and Mana brings him a girl (not Cecil). He bites the girl's neck, and immediately, he gains his youthful appearance back. He then proceeds to kill the deliverymen who brought him in. The next day, he darkens the day sky and meets Cecil, who he immediately recognises by her respective locket (which has a photo of Klaha); he reappears during that moment to give her locket back to her. That same evening, the Earl finally visits Cecil. After several moments, the Earl bites down her neck. Two nights later, she finally realises that Klaha was on his way back, and attempts suicide, but is saved by the Earl.
Klaha finally returns to England. Upon his return, he discovers that Cecil is ill, and her parents don't know what to do. Klaha then sees the two bite marks on Cecil's neck and informs everyone, "A vampire did this"; he then shows his two bite marks. Klaha realises that he is once again too late to stop the Earl, and says, "Now I'll really need help!" while a vision of the Earl holding the town in terror appears. The scene shifts back to the beginning of the film proper: Klaha, Cecil's father, a priest, and a doctor attempt to exorcise Cecil in an attempt to lure out the Earl. Suddenly, the Earl of Dracula appears. Klaha attempts to shoot the Earl through the neck, but he immediately recovers. He sets Cecil free. The priest attempts to stop him, but the Earl manages to throw the priest's crucifix on the ground. He then kills the priest by breaking his neck, stabs Cecil's father, and slits the doctor's throat. Klaha makes one last attempt to stop the Earl and Cecil from escaping, but they escape anyway (whereas, in the beginning, which was shown as a dream, he stabs Cecil when she became a human shield). Közi then appears in the room. Klaha is frightened at first, but Közi assures him that he will not harm him, revealing where they are hidden: underneath the church. Közi tells Klaha he must kill Dracula and Mana, the latter because of one reason, as Közi explains: "The more an adept believer of God you are, the more horrible the experience will be," reminding Klaha of the death of the priest. Before they leave, Közi reminds Klaha: "Don't forget to kill him!", which Klaha promises to do.
They go to the church, where a ritual is under way to make Cecil the Earl's wife. Klaha appears in an attempt to stop the Earl and Mana. He draws his gun, only to see the Earl attempt to bite his neck to kill him. Közi, however, comes at the nick of time, and he and the Earl start to fight (the reason for the fight was, as explained by Közi, because of territorial issues). During the fight, Mana attempts to escape, but is found out by the Earl, and is used by him as a human shield, protecting him from a blow that was meant for him. The ferocity of the Earl's attacks increase as a result from this. Közi, however, instead of continuing the fight, surprises everyone by stabbing himself in the gut. Közi asks Klaha to kill him, and he does.
Klaha then goes to Cecil. At first, she seems to have recovered. However, her eyes turn red and she bares her fangs at him, proving she is still a vampire. The female vampire tells Klaha to kill Cecil before dying herself, begging him to "Please stop [Cecil's] breath." Klaha attempts to do so, only to be prevented by the Earl, who, although injured, is still alive. Cecil drinks his blood again (the first was earlier, during the ritual). While this goes on, Klaha takes advantage and stabs the Earl 2 times with his sword, outraging Cecil. Klaha then turns his sword to Cecil, and he manages to stab her 3 times. Before going for a fourth, he hesitates and lowers his sword. He then does something familiar: he stabs his hand to allow Cecil to drink his blood. The scene ends with Cecil giving a familiar expression, and it's revealed that Klaha was a vampire all along; he was biting her neck (albeit unseen from the position of their faces).
In the final scene, Klaha, in his vampire form, wakes up, as if from a nightmare, suggesting that perhaps the whole events which occurred in the film were all inside of Klaha's mind
. Cecil (also in her vampire form, but dressed in a white wedding gown and with her hair down) sits up beside him and smiles. The film ends with Klaha walking down the aisle, carrying Cecil in his arms. The final intertitle states their feelings for each other: "The only one I want is you."
Malice Mizer
Malice Mizer was a visual kei rock band from Japan. They were active from August 1992 to December 2001. Formed by Mana and Közi, the band's name stands for "malice and misery", extracted from "nothing but a being of malice and misery" — their reply to the question "what is human?"...
on March 22, 2002. It is a silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
with a storyline similar to Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
and other vampire-based stories with Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese and English captions for dialogue. Malice Mizer
Malice Mizer
Malice Mizer was a visual kei rock band from Japan. They were active from August 1992 to December 2001. Formed by Mana and Közi, the band's name stands for "malice and misery", extracted from "nothing but a being of malice and misery" — their reply to the question "what is human?"...
's final album, Bara no Seidou
Bara no Seidou
is the fourth and final album by Malice Mizer released on August 23, 2000. The title roughly translates as "Church of Roses" or "Sanctuary of Roses". In February 2007, Bara no Seidou was re-released, packaged in both jewel case and slipcase versions, both including an additional DVD, titled Cardinal...
, along with the song "~Zenchou~" from the previous album Voyage ~Sans Retour~
Voyage ~sans retour~
Voyage ~Sans Retour~ is the second album by Malice Mizer released on June 9, 1996. The title is French for "Travel ~No Return~". It is their first material released with second vocalist Gackt...
, serves as the background score. Some of the tracks had been altered slightly to fit the pace of the movie and the scene. Many parts of the story (especially in the beginning) are flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
s.
Cast
- KlahaKlaha, aka Klaha, is a Japanese singer-songwriter. He is best known as the third vocalist for visual kei rock band Malice Mizer. His first band was the new wave group Pride of Mind, active from 1992-1996. He first played with Malice Mizer in 2000, on their single, "Shiroi Hada ni Kuruu Ai to Kanashimi...
– The protagonist, a man who travels to TransylvaniaTransylvaniaTransylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
on business. - KöziKöziKözi is a Japanese musician who plays guitar, piano, keyboard and synthesizer. Közi is best known as guitarist for the visual kei rock band Malice Mizer. After the band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2001, he joined the industrial rock act Eve of Destiny and also started a solo career...
– A Byronic vampireByronic heroThe Byronic hero is an idealised but flawed character exemplified in the life and writings of English Romantic poet Lord Byron. It was characterised by Lady Caroline Lamb, later a lover of Byron's, as being "mad, bad, and dangerous to know"...
who helps Klaha to confront Yu~ki. - ManaMana (musician)Mana is a Japanese musician and fashion designer, best known for his role as leader and guitarist of the visual kei band Malice Mizer. His clothing label, Moi-même-Moitié, helped popularize Japan's Gothic Lolita fashion movement. Mana is currently working on his solo project Moi dix...
– A female vampire and nun who is working for the Earl of Dracula. It is revealed in a flashback that she's also a witch who was set to be burned alive, but was saved. - Yu~ki – The Earl of Dracula, the antagonist of the story.
- Terumi Nagayoshi – Cecil, the protagonist's fiancée.
The reference of the characters
- KlahaKlaha, aka Klaha, is a Japanese singer-songwriter. He is best known as the third vocalist for visual kei rock band Malice Mizer. His first band was the new wave group Pride of Mind, active from 1992-1996. He first played with Malice Mizer in 2000, on their single, "Shiroi Hada ni Kuruu Ai to Kanashimi...
– Based upon Jonathan HarkerJonathan HarkerJonathan Harker is one of the main protagonists in the 1897 horror novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. His journey to Transylvania and encounter with Count Dracula and the Brides of Dracula at Castle Dracula constitutes the dramatic opening scenes in the novel and most of the film adaptations.-In the...
in DraculaDraculaDracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
and Barnabas CollinsBarnabas CollinsBarnabas Collins is a fictional character, one of the feature characters in the ABC daytime serial Dark Shadows, which aired from 1966 to 1971. Originally played by Canadian actor Jonathan Frid, Barnabas Collins is a 200-year-old vampire who is in search of fresh blood and his lost love, Josette...
in Dark ShadowsDark ShadowsDark Shadows is a gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements...
(as revealed in the end of the film) - KöziKöziKözi is a Japanese musician who plays guitar, piano, keyboard and synthesizer. Közi is best known as guitarist for the visual kei rock band Malice Mizer. After the band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2001, he joined the industrial rock act Eve of Destiny and also started a solo career...
– Based upon Barnabas CollinsBarnabas CollinsBarnabas Collins is a fictional character, one of the feature characters in the ABC daytime serial Dark Shadows, which aired from 1966 to 1971. Originally played by Canadian actor Jonathan Frid, Barnabas Collins is a 200-year-old vampire who is in search of fresh blood and his lost love, Josette...
in Dark ShadowsDark ShadowsDark Shadows is a gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis. The story bible, which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements...
and Lestat de LioncourtLestat de LioncourtLestat de Lioncourt is a fictional character appearing in several novels by Anne Rice, including The Vampire Lestat. He is a vampire and the main character in the majority of The Vampire Chronicles, narrated in first person.-Publication history:...
in The Vampire ChroniclesThe Vampire ChroniclesThe Vampire Chronicles is a series of novels by Anne Rice that revolves around the fictional character Lestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman turned into a vampire in the 18th century....
. - ManaMana (musician)Mana is a Japanese musician and fashion designer, best known for his role as leader and guitarist of the visual kei band Malice Mizer. His clothing label, Moi-même-Moitié, helped popularize Japan's Gothic Lolita fashion movement. Mana is currently working on his solo project Moi dix...
– Based upon Angelique Bouchard Collins in Dark Shadows and RenfieldRenfieldR. M. Renfield is a fictional character in the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker.-In the novel:A description of Renfield from the novel:R. M. Renfield, aetat 59. Sanguine temperament, great physical strength, morbidly excitable,...
in Dracula. - Yu~ki – Based upon Count DraculaCount DraculaCount Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula and archetypal vampire. Some aspects of his character have been inspired by the 15th century Romanian general and Wallachian Prince Vlad III the Impaler...
in Dracula. - Terumi Nagayoshi (Cecil) – Based upon Mina MurrayMina HarkerWilhelmina "Mina" Harker is a fictional character in Bram Stoker's 1897 horror novel Dracula.- In the novel :She begins the story as Miss Mina Murray, a young school mistress who is engaged to Jonathan Harker, and best friends with Lucy Westenra...
in Dracula.
Synopsis
Klaha and Cecil are set to get married. However, their wedding must be postponed because Klaha is summoned from England to Romania on business. Klaha goes to Transylvania, and arrives at the Earl of Dracula's castle, where he is staying. The Earl seems welcoming, but Klaha has strange experiences while staying there. On his arrival, he notices a painting of the Earl's deceased wife, who looks very much like Cecil. 2 nights later, the Earl agrees to buy a house in England. That same night, after having a nightmare, Klaha wakes up to see a coffin leaving the grounds. While looking for the Earl, Klaha sees the painting again, but this time, the word "Cecil" is written under it. Too late does Klaha realise that the Earl is a vampire. He immediately leaves to try to catch up with him.Meanwhile, back in London, Cecil starts having dreams about the Earl of Dracula. She confesses those dreams to Mana, disguised as a nun, who tells her to pray about it. During Klaha's stay, she, unaware that Klaha is already going back, receives a letter (seemingly in Klaha's hand, but probably written by the Earl) informing her that Klaha must stay an additional night, thus upsetting her. On the night that Klaha is returning, Közi visits Cecil to drink her blood (as he had done with other victims; a move that he regrets). The Earl, however, sees this occur, and sends Mana to stop him. After a confrontation in which she uses roses as knives
Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
is a 5-member superhero team that is composed of the main characters in several Japanese anime created by Tatsuo Yoshida and originally produced in Japan by Tatsunoko Productions and later adapted into several English-language versions...
, Közi demands to know why she is attacking him; Mana tells him that Cecil is "the Earl's Virgin Bride." At hearing this, Közi realises that the Earl wants to remain immortal. After a flashback which reveals their pasts (see above), Közi calls Mana a hypocrite, since she sold her soul for revenge. Mana responds, "I believe in God so I can keep my self-respect!"; hearing this, Közi leaves in anger.
Several nights later, the Earl's coffin arrives at the Church. The Earl wakes up, and Mana brings him a girl (not Cecil). He bites the girl's neck, and immediately, he gains his youthful appearance back. He then proceeds to kill the deliverymen who brought him in. The next day, he darkens the day sky and meets Cecil, who he immediately recognises by her respective locket (which has a photo of Klaha); he reappears during that moment to give her locket back to her. That same evening, the Earl finally visits Cecil. After several moments, the Earl bites down her neck. Two nights later, she finally realises that Klaha was on his way back, and attempts suicide, but is saved by the Earl.
Klaha finally returns to England. Upon his return, he discovers that Cecil is ill, and her parents don't know what to do. Klaha then sees the two bite marks on Cecil's neck and informs everyone, "A vampire did this"; he then shows his two bite marks. Klaha realises that he is once again too late to stop the Earl, and says, "Now I'll really need help!" while a vision of the Earl holding the town in terror appears. The scene shifts back to the beginning of the film proper: Klaha, Cecil's father, a priest, and a doctor attempt to exorcise Cecil in an attempt to lure out the Earl. Suddenly, the Earl of Dracula appears. Klaha attempts to shoot the Earl through the neck, but he immediately recovers. He sets Cecil free. The priest attempts to stop him, but the Earl manages to throw the priest's crucifix on the ground. He then kills the priest by breaking his neck, stabs Cecil's father, and slits the doctor's throat. Klaha makes one last attempt to stop the Earl and Cecil from escaping, but they escape anyway (whereas, in the beginning, which was shown as a dream, he stabs Cecil when she became a human shield). Közi then appears in the room. Klaha is frightened at first, but Közi assures him that he will not harm him, revealing where they are hidden: underneath the church. Közi tells Klaha he must kill Dracula and Mana, the latter because of one reason, as Közi explains: "The more an adept believer of God you are, the more horrible the experience will be," reminding Klaha of the death of the priest. Before they leave, Közi reminds Klaha: "Don't forget to kill him!", which Klaha promises to do.
They go to the church, where a ritual is under way to make Cecil the Earl's wife. Klaha appears in an attempt to stop the Earl and Mana. He draws his gun, only to see the Earl attempt to bite his neck to kill him. Közi, however, comes at the nick of time, and he and the Earl start to fight (the reason for the fight was, as explained by Közi, because of territorial issues). During the fight, Mana attempts to escape, but is found out by the Earl, and is used by him as a human shield, protecting him from a blow that was meant for him. The ferocity of the Earl's attacks increase as a result from this. Közi, however, instead of continuing the fight, surprises everyone by stabbing himself in the gut. Közi asks Klaha to kill him, and he does.
Klaha then goes to Cecil. At first, she seems to have recovered. However, her eyes turn red and she bares her fangs at him, proving she is still a vampire. The female vampire tells Klaha to kill Cecil before dying herself, begging him to "Please stop [Cecil's] breath." Klaha attempts to do so, only to be prevented by the Earl, who, although injured, is still alive. Cecil drinks his blood again (the first was earlier, during the ritual). While this goes on, Klaha takes advantage and stabs the Earl 2 times with his sword, outraging Cecil. Klaha then turns his sword to Cecil, and he manages to stab her 3 times. Before going for a fourth, he hesitates and lowers his sword. He then does something familiar: he stabs his hand to allow Cecil to drink his blood. The scene ends with Cecil giving a familiar expression, and it's revealed that Klaha was a vampire all along; he was biting her neck (albeit unseen from the position of their faces).
In the final scene, Klaha, in his vampire form, wakes up, as if from a nightmare, suggesting that perhaps the whole events which occurred in the film were all inside of Klaha's mind
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a 1920 silent horror film directed by Robert Wiene from a screenplay by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer. It is one of the most influential of German Expressionist films and is often considered one of the greatest horror movies of the silent era. This movie is cited as...
. Cecil (also in her vampire form, but dressed in a white wedding gown and with her hair down) sits up beside him and smiles. The film ends with Klaha walking down the aisle, carrying Cecil in his arms. The final intertitle states their feelings for each other: "The only one I want is you."