Perpetuating ^^The Big Lie’
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In 2004’s Van Helsing, Sommers attempts to reinvigorate the “monster
rally” format used by Universal in such 1940s releases as Frankenstein Meets
the Wolf Man, House of Frankenstein, and House of Dracida while creating a
new mythology for many of the studio’s classic horror icons. The result is yet
another film in which the lead female characters are equal on the surface to their
male counterparts, but in reality are little more than generic types we have
viewed time and time again. Kate Beckinsale co-stars as Anna Valerious, whose
family has allegedly spent four hundred-plus years “defending the church’s left
flank” against Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh) and other supernatural
creatures. Once again, Sommers tells us he views this character as something
other than conventional. In Van Helsing: The Making of the Legend, the
screenwriter/director discusses the difficulty in casting the part. “Casting the
part of Anna was especially hard because we had to find an actress who was
incredibly beautiful and talented, but, considering everything that has happened
to her, she had to be a woman, not a girl” (25). Producer Bob Ducsay also tells
us, “The part required an actress who was extremely strong both as a vampire
hunter and as a match for Van Helsing” (25). Beckinsale did not view Anna as a
woman “. . . who only wears pretty dresses and faints all the time. She definitely
gets her hands dirty and she has a real mission of revenge against Dracula. She’s
very single-minded which is both her strength and her weakness. She can’t
really think outside the box” (25). Once again we have a lead female character
viewed as something beyond the norm by her creator who does not quite meet
these publicly professed standards.
One thing the viewer must grant Anna and Van Helsing (Hugh
Jackman), though, is their amazingly high threshold of pain. One might say they
suffer beyond anything James Bond ever experienced, as the vampire hunters
repeatedly find themselves flung against walls, trees, street surfaces, and horsedrawn carriages. Much of this flying through the air results from a trait Anna
and Van Helsing share, their ongoing ineptitude while facing up to the many
mythic icons they encounter. Indeed, one finds it difficult to believe either
character has survived against their supernatural enemies for very long if their
encounters as a team exhibit any sample of their skills. This plotline is
underscored during the scene when Van Helsing arrives in Transylvania,
announcing to Anna that he is “here to help you.” Her snappish response, “I
don’t need any help,” is likely intended to illustrate her independent streak, but
the reality of the situation is that they sorely need each other’s aid to vanquish
Dracula and provide for the sappy New Age conclusion Sommers ladles onto the
film’s afterpiece.
It may appear from this discussion that Anna is, indeed, equal to Van
Helsing, but once again Sommers appears incapable of writing a female
character who can stand on her own. While Anna is certainly resilient, upon
close inspection she is quite often the root of many of the difficulties the hunters
suffer. For example, neither she nor anyone else has discovered a way to