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6
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8 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Bela
Lugosi became an immortal screen legend in Dracula,
the first of Universal Studio's "Monster Cycle"
of the '30s. Reams of literature —
by much better scribes —
have been written on the film, exploring both its production
history and considerable impact on popular culture. So I won't
attempt to do that here. (In fact, the uninitiated can look
to David J. Skal's excellent The Road to Dracula
documentary, included on the DVD, as an essential primer.)
Needless to say, the original Dracula
is required viewing for any aspiring cult film devotee. Just
be prepared to yawn a lot.
After the first 20 minutes, set mostly
at Drac's Transylvanian abode, the film settles down to a
glacial crawl. Not a whole lot happens until Van Helsing (Edward
Van Sloan) and the Count have their confrontation in the drawing
room —
and then nothing truly interesting goes down after that. Almost
all the action takes place off screen. Other than the opening
credits Dracula
is completely devoid of a musical score, only accentuating
its stodgy, stage play origins. (Some have compared it to
a silent movie, but many such films contain plenty
of goings-on.) Like almost all films of the era it's a showcase
for wooden, exaggerated acting and poorly blocked stage direction.
Jumping to a close-up within the same scene is about as much
movement as you're going to get with Browning at the helm.
No getting around it, y'all... For all its (deservedly) classic
status, this movie can prove more efficacious than Tylenol
PM for inducing slumber.
Thus, with all its weaknesses, Dracula
is nothing without Bela Lugosi. His electrifying, charismatic
turn as the Count — bloodsucking continental charmer in tux,
tails and top hat — is the entire reason for the film's status
as an enduring classic. (Some juicy lines certainly help,
such as the famous "Children of the Night" soliloquy.)
If not for Lugosi and his signature performance, the character
of Count Dracula may never have become such a universally
recognized pop culture icon.
Note: Given the comments above, some explanation
of my '6' film rating is in order. The film is mostly pretty
dull, so I give it a '3'. Lugosi's iconic performance is easily
worth three points. Bela is The Man!
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I'd
have loved to
award the DVD a "10" for quality. It's certainly packed
with stellar extras: an excellent audio commentary by film scholar
David J. Skal; the documentary mentioned earlier, The Road
to Dracula, hosted by the movie's one surviving cast member
(she plays the young woman wearing glasses in the opening stagecoach
scene); a poster and photo montage; a specially commissioned,
full-length musical score by minimalist composer Philip Glass,
performed by the Kronos Quartet, which one can switch on or
off as desired. (I rather liked the score, feeling that it helps
the movie overall. I know many of you disagree.) Best of all,
the disc also includes the 104-minute Spanish version of the
film, directed by George Melford, shot simultaneously with Browning's
using the same sets. In many ways a more technically proficient
work, its main shortcoming is that Carlos Villarias sure
ain't no Bela Lugosi.
My real complaint with Universal's Dracula
DVD is the lack of attention given to the movie itself. After
being amazed with the digital restoration of James Whale's
Frankenstein
(including a marvelously crisp-sounding 2.0 Mono audio track),
the transfer proved rather disappointing. They didn't do much
of anything to cherry it out. 4/26/01 |
| UPDATE
Out-of-print for two years, the film has just been re-released
(April 27, 2004) by Universal Home Video in a combo package
with the Spanish Dracula, Dracula's
Daughter,
Son Of Dracula,
and House
Of Dracula. All five are also available
as part of the multi-disc Classic Monsters Legacy Collection,
which includes the Frankenstein and Wolf Man films produced
by Universal in the '30s & '40s. - Ed. |
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