this 2000 tv film and which and i believe and originally air on lifetime for halloween of that year and be excellently do . it begin with vlad ( rudolph martin ) meeting with his spiritual adviser and father stephan ( peter weller ) . he be to appear before the authority of the orthodox church to face charge that he have commit heresy or blasphemy by convert to roman catholicism . vlad tell his tale and which begin with the folk tale he say he be familiar with represent to wit and an engraving of the blessed virgin wept tear of blood at the moment of his birth and a sign that he be an antichrist . also tale of hideous torture which he describe a forgery and lie and maintain that only those who break the law be punish . then we go back to when he and his brother radu be child while they be capture by their father enemy and the sultan and to be hold prisoner until their father and prince of romania and agree to the tribute the sultan demand . radu and it be imply and become the sultan personal plaything and while vlad be subject to torture for refuse to comply with his ( the sultan ) desire . eventually and a a young man and vlad be release . he seek out the king of hungary ( roger daltrey ) for financial or military aid to fight turkish oppression and as well a those in his own country of romania who be complicit with the turkish overlord . the king agree . at a banquet with the king and vlad meet lidia ( jane march ) and her father and aaron . he learn that lidia intend to join a convent and but the two soon fall in love and and instead and she become his bride . the two soon have a son . one night and vlad host a banquet for romanian noble and who he believe be in league with the turk and be also responsible for the death ( by be bury alive ) of his father . the men and after a few drink and be tell the real reason vlad have call them there while the be capture at swordpoint and soon to be impale . but lidia and upstairs in her bed and hear their cry . she come out of their bedroom to see what be happen but go into labor . their son be bear . a the child grows and vlad gain a reputation for brutality . his method of justice include public impalement . at one point and a group of romanian emmisaries who have come to make a final demand for tribute from his country and be lead by his brother and radu and who have stay with and decide to side with the turk refuse to remove their turban when ask to do so . vlad think of an appropriate punishment for this their turban be nail to their forehead . he spar only his brother . lidia witness this and and it be the final straw . she have already begin to be drive mad by her husband method and have witness impalement firsthand . she imagine that she hear the victim of such punishment cry out to her . she decide that she must leave her husband and take their son with her and before his father have any further influence on him . instead and vlad keep their son and send his wife to a convent . his battle with the turk continue . eventually and he call for his wife to be send back to him and asks for her understanding and forgiveness for what he must do . his wife stay with him and but and after vlad seemingly come back to life after his soldier be convince that he be kill in battle and she become convince that her husband be a damned soul while that be to say and that his spirit be doom to remain in limbo on earth forever because neither heaven nor hell will receive him . she commit suicide and which and accord to her own belief and will damn her own soul . lidia father and who blame vlad for his daughter bad end and devise a plot against him while go to radu and aaron have give him a set of forged document that indicate that vlad be conspire against the king of hungary and his great ally . when vlad appear before the king to ask for further aid and he be instead imprison for year . however and he be release when the king uncover the plot . would you like to become prince of romania again . and he ask vlad . but there be one condition while he must marry the king daughter and which would also entail converting ( even if in name only ) to roman catholicism . and from now on and when he battle and it will be on behalf of the catholic church . this be what lead to the trial vlad must face before the orthodox priest . they be determine whether to excommunicate him from their church . although he insist that he accept the pope money and never his religion and they ultimately decide to do so . there follow a final revelation of betrayal ( i would not give the twist away ) and a final battle with radu and and vlad death . when father stephan do not want to bury vlad inside the orthodox church where he have worship in his lifetime and vlad son pull a sword on him and say and or you die with him . but one night and fr . stephan hears strange noise come from below his study and where vlad coffin his be kept . he go downstairs and find say coffin empty . then vlad himself and very much alive and appear before him . i want to thank you and he say . you see and by excommunicate him during his lifetime and the orthodox church have supposedly damn him to remain immortal on earth forever by damn his soul . the final shot be what make this a dark ting romance more than anything else while vlad and lidia and walk hand in hand through a thick mist and two soul and we be lead to assume and that be now spend their eternal damnation together . well worth a watch and especially this time of year ( note date of my review ) . and yes and if i neglect to mention it and rudolph martin be gorgeous . and for you gentleman and ms. march be still no slouch herself . cheer .