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U.S.A.
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1931
Directed by Tod Browning
Starring
Bela Lugosi
David Manners
Helen Chandler
B&W |
75 Minutes |
Not Rated
Format:
DVD (R1 - NTSC |
2-disc set)
Universal Home Video
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6
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9 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Replaces
EC's April 2001 review of the single-disc edition |
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Bela
Lugosi became an immortal screen legend in Dracula,
the first of Universal Studio's "Monster Cycle"
of the 1930s. 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 very much happens until Van Helsing (Edward
Van Sloan) and the Count have their dynamic confrontation
in the drawing room (one
of the all-time great scenes in horror cinema) — and then
nothing truly interesting goes down after that. Almost all
the action takes place offscreen. 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 quite
dull, so I give it a basic '3'. Lugosi's iconic performance
is easily worth three points. Bela is The Man!
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Universal
"triple-dips" with the company's third release to
date of Dracula. Previously there
was the 1999 single-disc Classic Monsters Collection
edition (long out of print); in 2004 it was again issued as
part of the Dracula: The Legacy Collection multi-film
set.
These editions contained identical 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 like portions
of the score, but feel that it is overused, too often stepping
on the dialog.) Both editions also included the 104-minute Spanish
language 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 —
sadly, his sometimes laughably bad performance as the Count
is a stake driven directly into the picture's heart.
The new 75th Anniversary edition (released
Sept. 26, 2006) packages its two discs in a handsome-looking
leatherette case and replicates all the bonus features listed
above. Happily some new extras have been added. The 35-minute
featurette Lugosi: The Dark Prince provides a nice overview
of the actor's horror film career and a number of the notable
roles he played, focusing mainly on his best work in the genre
— Murders In The Rue Morgue, White
Zombie, The Black
Cat, The Son Of Frankenstein,
etc. — in addition to Dracula;
his personal life is almost completely ignored. Universal
Horrors is the 90-minute documentary originally shown on
Turner Classic Movies in 1998, a splendid history of the studio's
fantastic films of the 1930s and '40s. Narrated by Kenneth Branagh
and loaded with terrific clips, it skimps somewhat on the Word
War II era but covers the formative Depression period, when
the first American talking horror films were birthed, in solid
detail. Also new to this anniversary edition is a second audio
commentary with author/screenwriter Steve Haberman. It hashes
over some of the same arcana as the Skal track and the Road
To Dracula doc but provides enough new material, from a
different perspective, to be worth a listen. Finally, viewers
have the option of playing the film with accompanying "Monster
Tracks", a pop-up text commentary covering much the same
ground discussed in Skal's and Haberman's talks.
The main question for those who already own
the 1999 disc or the Legacy Collection set will be, is
this movie worth buying again? This time I'd have to say
yes. In addition to the new bonus materials, picture quality
has been marginally improved. The new transfer looks brighter,
with heightened visible detail in numerous scenes. Even so,
Dracula remains in need of a major
restoration effort akin to that of Frankenstein.
This wish applies to the aural as well as the visual, since
the film's original soundtrack isn't exactly in the best of
condition — even when considering the film's advanced age. (At
least here Renfield's final scream and the Count's death-groans
have been restored.) 9/30/06 |
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