Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Cary Elwes, Richard E. Grant, Sadie Frost
Question: Is there a reason Dracula was able to walk in daylight, or did the filmmakers just ignore the whole "vampires can't walk in daylight" bit?
Answer: To add to the other answers, the "sunlight kills vampires" lore started with the 1922 German silent film, Nosferatu. The screenwriter wanted to add an unexpected twist to the story that differed from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel. It became the accepted vampire mythology in most films and books for many years after.
Revealing mistake: When Dracula flies into the room to stop his brides from devouring Jonathan, the board carrying him is visible. (00:34:10)
Dracula: You will forgive me if I do not join you, but, I have already dined, and I never drink wine.
Trivia: The marriage scene between Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder was performed by an actual Romanian Orthodox priest. Contrary to rumours this made the marriage legal, that wouldn't be possible without corresponding paperwork, which of course they wouldn't have had.
Question: Why would the brides lay out in the open when they slept? After 400 years wouldn't they know better? Also, Are they falling in love with Harker?
Answer: It's unlikely they were falling in love with Harker: they are sadistic, baby-eating monsters who regarded Harker as food and a temporary plaything. As for them sleeping in the open, the local populace dreads and avoids Dracula's castle, so there's hardly any fear of intruders. Van Helsing did enter and kill them, but they reckoned, mistakenly, that he too would be too afraid to do so, especially after their horse-mauling escapades the previous night.
Answer: They are lesser vampires whose power is tied to Dracula, who in turn is entirely preoccupied with Mina. And as Van Helsing noted, vampires are weak at daytime, further reducing their ability to sense unwanted visitors. And a decapitated vampire, in this universe and most others, is dead and cannot be resurrected, ever.
Answer: In Bram Stoker's novel on which the film is based, Dracula can be exposed to daylight, and while it diminishes his powers, it doesn't kill him.
Sierra1 ★
And the narrator specifically said that in the film.