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Home Classics Revisiting “Dracula”

April 25, 2012 By iluvcinema 16 Comments

Revisiting “Dracula”

The latest installment in my continuing series celebrating Universal Studio’s 100th Anniversary.

Poor Bela Lugosi. When asked to transfer his stage success the silver screen by starring in Tod Browning’s  Dracula (apparently he was NOT even the first choice), little did he know that this would be the role that would define his career (and life).

While not the first filmed version of Bram Stoker’s ‘undead’ (most notable in my mind the nightmarish Nosferatu), it is the Dracula imprinted on our collective memory. Lugosi’s portrayal of the Count is that of a haunting, seductive bloodsucking nightwalker.

Today’s cinemagoers will probably not be convinced by the stagey nature of the film and its performances, but that does not make it any more impactful. First of all it should be noted that while this is based on Stoker’s source material, the direct text, etc. is taken from the aforementioned stage play Dracula. Second and most importantly, I imagine what also terrified audiences at the time was down to the cadence of Lugosi’s delivery and the deliberate pacing of his movements. As a child I remember mimicking him, walking around saying, “I vaunt to suck your blood!” It has been a while now so I am not even sure those exact words are even uttered in the film.

One element that I never fully resolved myself was the fact that while many of the characters are wearing contemporary clothes, they traverse the landscape in horse-drawn carriages. It is possible that automobiles have not reach Carpathian Mountains; anyone have a clue?

In 2000, Dracula was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. (Source: Wikipedia)

Filed Under: Classics Tagged With: bela lugosi, dracula, horror, tod browning, universal 100th, universal pictures

Comments

  1. Ja says

    April 25, 2012 at 9:32 am

    Got me thinking of my favorite vampire movies of all-time…Interview with the Vampire and Blade (smile).
    Ja recently posted..Cinco De Mayo Will Be Kind To Mayeather, Not CottoMy Profile

    Reply
  2. Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) says

    April 25, 2012 at 11:59 am

    It is a never-never land of Victorian Britain crossed with something more contemporary, isn’t it? A bit like the Sherlock Holmes movies made by Universal with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, which are wonderfulyl artificial. Have you ever seen the Spanish version of the Lugosi Dracula shot with a different cast on the same sets? it’s a much more dynamic interpretation of the material and makes for a fascinating comparison.
    Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) recently posted..Rynox (1932) – Tuesday’s Forgotten FilmMy Profile

    Reply
    • iluvcinema says

      April 25, 2012 at 12:02 pm

      Nope; but I have heard about that one too; that is also being released on disk as part of the anniversary celebration.

      My Spanish is rusty at best so I will have to turn on the subtitles or just enjoy the lovely romanticism of the language 🙂

      Reply
  3. Jack Deth says

    April 25, 2012 at 12:55 pm

    Hi, iluv and company:

    Great topic!

    Stoker, Browning and Lugosi’s ‘Dracula’ still can’t be touched for creepy atmosphere. Granted, it is much more a stage play put to film. Horse drawn carriages and wagon and lack of electricity in the Count’s castle or keep and all. It still works!

    Murnau’s ‘Nosferatu’ has a lot more mood and shadow work. I still enjoy Frank Langella’s sensual twist on the character.

    Different variations of the same character who evolved from Stoker, Schreck and Lugosi.

    It’s a shame Lugosi never truly escaped that character.

    PS: Good catch on the Spanish variant, Sergio!

    Reply
    • iluvcinema says

      April 25, 2012 at 1:11 pm

      Nosferatu really creeps me out! Have you seen Shadow of the Vampire?
      iluvcinema recently posted..Revisiting “Dracula”My Profile

      Reply
      • Jack Deth says

        April 27, 2012 at 12:49 am

        Hi, iluv!

        I’ve seen ‘Shadow of the Vampire’ several times and get a kick out of John Malkovich’s take on Murnau and Dafoe’s superb Schreck.

        Great catch!

        Reply
  4. ruth says

    April 25, 2012 at 1:45 pm

    Bela Lugosi is the quintessential Dracula, I mean look at that spiky collar, ahah. He doesn’t look scary to me though as it’s such a costume-y look, more like a Halloween costume. The scariest Dracula is Gary Oldman!
    ruth recently posted..THIS JUST IN! John Hillcoat’s ‘Lawless’ TrailerMy Profile

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    • iluvcinema says

      April 25, 2012 at 1:53 pm

      Yeah with that ginormous head of his!

      Reply
      • ruth says

        April 25, 2012 at 6:25 pm

        Ahah yeah! Oh and another Dracula I think is particularly effective is Chris Sarandon in the original Fright Night, he’s scary and VERY seductive!
        ruth recently posted..THIS JUST IN! John Hillcoat’s ‘Lawless’ TrailerMy Profile

        Reply
        • iluvcinema says

          April 25, 2012 at 10:34 pm

          He definitely made an impression 🙂

  5. Yvette says

    April 25, 2012 at 4:41 pm

    I love Bela Lugosi. Period. End of discussion. There is only one Dracula. 🙂

    I think autos hadn’t reached the Carpathian mountains or maybe we weren’t supposed to notice the ‘modern’ clothing. One or the other. Wagons and horses add more atmosphere. Maybe. It’s hard for cars to go up a mountain.
    Yvette recently posted..100 Favorite Mysteries and/or ThrillersMy Profile

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    • iluvcinema says

      April 25, 2012 at 10:36 pm

      Yeah I thought of that; it seemed like two different worlds; that is probably what Browning was going for anyways.

      Reply
  6. sati says

    April 26, 2012 at 11:52 am

    Nice post! I think Lugosi’s performance is much better than all the other ones given by Dracula, even by Gary Oldman. It has a weird elegance to it, one that is rarely seen nowadays.
    sati recently posted..Brand new featurette for "Prometheus"My Profile

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    • iluvcinema says

      April 26, 2012 at 3:42 pm

      And the film is so short (74 minutes) that you don’t mind watching and re-watching 🙂

      Reply

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