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5
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9 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Guest
Review by John
J. Cook |
Despite
the Hammer trademarks of gothic atmosphere and
bright, red blood being spilled not quite ten
minutes into our film, Countess
Dracula is not really up to fang with the
other vampire classics of the company's heyday.
This particular film is notable mainly for the
emergence of the cult film star, Ingrid Pitt,
as the title anti-heroine. She clearly relishes
the chance to play a dual character —
the young, playful, sexy seductress and the evil
old crone, the Countess.
The story is very loosely based
on the bloody legend of Hungarian noblewoman Elisabeth
Báthory (1560-1614), who reputedly murdered hundreds
of women and young girls. As to Hammer's spin
on the story... After the death of her husband,
the decrepit and deluded Countess Nadasdy (Pitt,
in effective old age makeup) contemplates a romance
with Imre Toth (Sandor Eles), a handsome young
army officer and son of a man the late count greatly
respected. When a serving maid is cut in an accident
involving peaches (you'll see), the Countess discovers
that the girl's virgin blood is her own special
brand of vanishing cream. Her wrinkles melt away
and the young, winsome Ingrid Pitt emerges.
But how can she possibly explain
the miraculous transformation?
In a rather Brothers Grimm-style
twist, the Countess has her visiting daughter,
Ilona (Lesley-Anne Down), captured en route to
the castle and held captive by a brutish criminal
in her employ. The Countess then impersonates
her own daughter —
thus quelling any suspicions about her person.
Aiding her in the deception is the castle steward,
Captain Dobi (Play
Dirty's Nigel Green), who'll do anything for
the Countess as she long as she shares her bed
with him. (Especially now that she's young and
sexy!) To Dobi's frustration the Countess is much
more interested in Lieutenant Toth, embarking
on a deceptive romance with the young hussar while
posing as Ilona. Before long, as a doddering resident
scholar, Master Fabio (Maurice Denham), discovers
the true identity of "Ilona" —
and as the corpses of young girls start to pile
up —
the villagers become aware that all is not well
at the castle.
My main issue with Countess
Dracula is that it's not a traditional
vampire movie. Actually, the Countess really isn't
a vampire at all. She doesn't drink blood and
she doesn't have any fangs. This isn't to say
that the film is a 'Draculean' dud. There are
many highlights. The image of the buxom Ms. Pitt
giving herself a bloody sponge bath will likely
remain etched in many viewers' minds, as will
the scene in which the Countess violently stabs
one of her victims in the neck with a hairpin.
The standout performance and presence of Ingrid
Pitt is the reason any horror fan should own this
DVD. The way that Pitt switches roles from playful
seductress to evil old woman is where the real
fun of the film lies.
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| Countess
Dracula
looks and sounds great on DVD, presented in a non-anamorphic
(1.66:1) letterboxed transfer with a strong, clear
mono audio track. The fact that MGM has restored
missing footage and taken the care and time to include
an audio commentary with Ingrid Pitt, director Peter
Sasdy, and screenwriter Jeremy Paul is a testament
to the cult following the film has gained over the
years. And since the double feature DVD includes
an
even better Hammer horror starring Pitt, The
Vampire Lovers, on side B, there's no excuse
to pass this one up!
(EC's DVD rating factors in the total value
of this double feature package.)
10/23/03 |
| UPDATE
The Countess Dracula/Vampire
Lovers double feature disc was temporarily
withdrawn from the market by MGM in September 2003,
just a few weeks after its release. This was because
the packaging incorrectly listed Countess
Dracula as being rated PG. The typo on the
paper cover insert was subsequently corrected and
the DVD reissued. |
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