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Summary: The Best DVD EVER
Review: I ordered this dvd and it was worth it.
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Summary: Dracula
Review: Another true classic. Bela Lugosi is so sinster as the vampire, the only actor since that comes close is Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Along with Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstien, any true collector must have this in their collection
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Summary: THE BEST OF BELA.
Review: Classic chills in the hills of Transylvania! In my opinion, the newly added musical score is brilliant and raises this classic horror flick to 5 stars. Most everyone knows the story of Count Dracula, Renfield and Van Helsing, so I'll give viewers some little-known trivial fun. For years, the one thing this film lacked was an appropriate musical score, and after 6O-odd years, one was finally applied. Bela Lugosi created the role of Dracula on the American stage in 1927. Helen Chandler, who plays Mina was an original, eccentric and eventually tragic actress who succumbed to alcoholism. She was sometimes known as the actress with "stars for eyes". Chandler was cast in the memorable role of Nikki in fascinating THE LAST FLIGHT co-starring Richard Barthelmess the same year (1931). The part of Nikki was rather modern, kooky and bohemian for its day - her answer to any given question? "I'll take vanilla". Hopefully, it will make it to video one day. The sets for the inside of Dracula's rotting, instensely vile castle are even impressive by today's standards: very creepy. Universal bought the rights to the play and novel for $4O,OOO and one of the original script writers was Louis Bromfield. Karl Freud did NOT shoot the Spanish version (which many cite as being superior save the lead performance). Tod Browning has a bit as the Harbourmaster. Originally Van Sloan appeared in an afterword: he warned audiences that vampires do indeed exist. This novelty scene was omitted from prints in 1936. Lew Ayres and Robert Ames were originally deemed to play John Harker. The Spanish version opened in Havana 11 March 1931 to delighted Cuban moviegoers.
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Summary: Wonderful DVD with all it has
Review: This DVD version of Dracula with many additional features is wonderful, with the best being all the versions of Dracula, make it "bitingly" wonderful. .... Well, I hope you can enjoy this great movie, any horror fan should see this.
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Summary: One of the Finest DVD Presentations I've Ever Encountered
Review: This DVD is the "Jewel in the Crown" of the classic Universal horror films released in that format. It includes a quality print of the Bella Lugosi DRACULA, with options to play the film with Philip Glass' recent soundtrack; the so-called "Spanish" DRACULA starring Carlos Villarias; and a fascinating documentary hosted by Carla Laemmle, who has a bit role in the Lugosi DRACULA and who was niece to Universal studio head Carl Laemmle. There is also an audio track by David J. Skal, production notes, and the like. The Lugosi DRACULA is somewhat problematic. DRACULA had been previously (and illegally) filmed as the silent NOSFERATU, and a later stage adaptation proved a staple of the British theatre. When the stage play at last arrived in New York, the title role fell to Bela Lugosi. Although Universal optioned the material, studio head Carl Laemmle was not enthusiastic about it; although European films were comfortable with the supernatural, American films were not, and Laemmle did not believe the public would accept such an irrational story. Nor was Laemmle interested in Lugosi; if DRACULA was to be filmed, it would be filmed with Lon Chaney. When Chaney died the screen role went to Lugosi by default, but there were further issues. Originally planned as a big-budget production, the deeping Great Depression made the film's box office possibilities seem even slighter than before and its budget was cut to the bone. And Todd Browning, who had been such a successful director of the macabre in the silent era, proved clumsy with sound. The resulting film was more than a little clunky--but it had two things going for it: a superior first thirty minutes and Lugosi. Although Lugosi's performance may seem excessively mannered by today's standards, audiences of the 1930s found it terrifying--and even today, when the character of Dracula comes to mind, we are more likely to think of Lugosi than other actor that later played the role. For a brief time after the advent of sound, several studios made foreign language versions of their productions. The "Spanish" DRACULA was one such film, and when the English language company wrapped for the day the Spanish speaking cast arrived and filmed through the night using the same sets. This gave the Spanish company the benefit of hindsight: they were perfectly aware of what the English language company was doing, and they deliberately set out to best it. The result is a somewhat longer, more cohesive film with some of the most arresting visuals and camera work of the early sound era. But unfortunately, star Carlos Villarias was no Bella Lugosi: although much of his performance was more subtle than Lugosi's, it was also less intimidating, and where today Lugosi seems mannered, Villarias seems unfortunately comic. In a perfect world, we would be able to insert the Lugosi performance into the "Spanish" Dracula. As it is, we are left with two deeply flawed but nonetheless fascinating films. In their own ways, both films proved incredibly influential, and it is difficult to imagine the evolution of the classic-style horror film without reference to both the Lugosi and the "Spanish" DRACULA. The Lugosi film is not perfectly restored, but the print is very, very good, easily the best I have seen. The "Spanish" DRACULA has more problematic elements, partly due the fact that the film borrowed some scenic footage from the Lugosi version and snips of footage from earlier films (there even appears to be a brief clip of the ballet from the silent PHANTOM OF THE OPERA in the film); the film is sometimes dark, sometimes very spotted, but short of a cgi restoration this is probably as good as it gets. The Philip Glass soundtrack, which is optional, tends to divide viewers. The Lugosi DRACULA had virtually nothing in the way of soundtrack; the "Spanish" DRACULA used music to a greater degree, but even so that degree is comparative. The Glass score is often quite interesting, but it is also as often intrusive as it is effective. Some feel it adds quite a bit to the film; others find it distracts. Whatever one's reaction to the film, either English or Spanish language, or with or without the Glass score, this is a remarkable DVD package, and fans of classic horror will find it an almost inexhaustible pleasure. I cannot recommend it too strongly. Gary Taylor (gft)
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Summary: Overrated
Review: Wow. With so much praise I expected this film to rock. I'm sorry to say I was very much disappointed. This is the story of Dracula, based on the novel by Bram Stoker. Renfield goes to Translevania to sell property to Dracula, but Dracula turns him into a vampire. They then travel to England, where he is put into a sanitarium, and Dracula terrorizes the town. Dracula eventually goes after a girl named Mina, and mixes his blood with hers. Mina's friends and family then try to save her soul, and kill Dracula. This film is not scary, spooky, eerie, strange, gothic, and has no suspense. The story is not told in a good way, and the pacing feels awkward. The film feels dry, and campy. Dracula is not scary, he just seems silly. The film doesn't have much depth. The best character is Renfield, who Dwight Frye acted superbly, as the insane follower of Dracula. I loved other classic monster films such as Frankenstein and The Wolf Man, but this film did not interest me very much. If you want to see a good vampire film I recommend Nosferatu (1922) very much. That film has style, substance, and is scary. I'll give Dracula 3 stars because it made the vampire very popular, and started the monster series, but it didn't do much for me.
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Summary: Another Outstanding Horror Movie By Universal Studios
Review: I've seen lots of horror movies but I've never seen one to compare to Dracula. Dracula (Bela Lugosi)is a vampire and Renfield (Dwight Frye)is a madman who eats flys, spiders and rats. The movie is (other than The Phantom Of The Opera) the scariest and best made horror movie ever.Dracula was menacing in a tame way and the castle was filled with rats, armadillos and spiderwabs.
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Summary: "Good Evening, I Am Dracula"...
Review: ... Words spoken by the late, great Bela Lugosi, as the evil master of the undead, during his initial meeting with the doomed Renfield (Dwight Frye) in Universal Pictures' classic 1931 screen version of Bram Stoker's famous novel, "Dracula". The film opens eerily with the main title credits super-imposed over the figure of a bat set to the haunting music of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake". As the action begins, we find the character of Renfield arriving at a small inn, nestled in the midst of the majestic Transylvanian Alps, aboard a horse-drawn carriage that has stopped in order to let its passengers off before the setting of the sun. When Renfield announces that he has no intention of remaining at the inn overnight, but instead plans to travel onward to Castle Dracula in order to finalize a business arrangement with the Count, the villagers beg and plead with him to do otherwise explaining to Renfield that Dracula is no mortal man, but is instead a vampire! Foolishly Renfield refuses to heed the villagers' warnings, regarding them as being nothing more than superstition, and manages to convince the now terrified coachman that it is a matter of great importance that he arrive at the castle that night. Before departing, however, Renfield is halted by the inn keeper's wife who places a necklace with the symbol of a cross fastened to it around his neck, uttering the words, "For your Mother's sake". Later, after the sun has set and the moon has risen, full and bright in the ominous night sky amidst the "music" of howling wolves, Renfield finds himself at the footsteps to the entrance of the foreboding castle, being greeted by none other than Count Dracula himself. After sitting down for food and drink, Renfield and Dracula finalize an arrangement for the Count to leave his castle in Translyvania and move to a new home awaiting him in London. With all business having now been attended to, the seemingly hospitable Count leads the tired Renfield to a guest bedroom and bids him good night. However, unbeknownst to poor Renfield, it will be his last time to fall asleep as a mortal being, for later that night, a large bat flies through an open window in his room only to reveal itself as the immortal Count, ready to quench his undying thirst for human blood. Several days later, a ship arrives in an English harbor, greeted by citizens horrified by the ghastly site they find onboard the vessel, the dead bodies of the ship's captain and crew drained of all blood, and a now insane Renfield laughing madly down below deck. Little does the city of London realize, though, that the nightmare has only just begun, for now a danger it has never known before stalks its fog-shrowded streets at night, a danger in the form of the undead ... THE VAMPIRE DRACULA! Also starring Edward Van Sloan as the evil Count's nemesis, Dr. Van Helsing, "Dracula" is a horror film classic like no other, taut with tension, mystery and suspense!
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Summary: Static version of the Broadway play
Review: Taking liberties with Stoker's novel, John L. Balderston's adaption of Dracula works best during the opening sequence. Changing around the characters a bit, Browning's film has Renfield show up at the Castle. The character of Jonathan Harker never leaves England. It takes some of the dramatic edge off the material although it makes it a bit more surprising. I grew up watching this film along with the classic cavalcade of stars that played the roles in Universal's films. Lugosi does a credible job considering that he learned his lines phonetically and had never spoken English before. Browning's film captures the eerie atmosphere of Stoker's novel at the beginning before becoming a stage bound snoozer. The rest of the film lacks the spark of imagination that is apparent in the early scenes. In many respects, the Spanish version is superior. Using the same sets and shot at the same time (although it was shot at night and during breaks in the shooting of the english version). The direction is crisp, tight and the visuals have all the flair missing from Browning's film version. The performances are quite good given the time the film was made (1931). There are a few scenes that are as static looking as Browning's film but, on the whole, the Spanish Dracula is a treat. The extras that come with this DVD do much to enlighten the circumstances under which these films were made. Ironically, Lugosi was typecast with his very first talkie (he had appeared in a couple of American silent films before this)and yet he only played the role one other time (in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein over two decades later). He did play a vampire in Browning's tepid mystery Mark of the Vampire. Lugosi would eventually appear in the follow up role of Frakenstein's Monster that he turned down after this film. Actually, it's better that Lugosi didn't appear in Frankenstein; Robert Florey was to direct and it differed quite a bit from James Whale's classic film. Ironically, if Lugosi hadn't passed on the role Boris Karloff's career wouldn't have surpassed Lugosi's.
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Summary: The known image of Dracula
Review: For all lovers of vampires and Bram Stoker, please note that this film is "based on the novel." It does not go word for word and does not even have all the characters or events. The connections between people are not the same. Universal adapted this so that it could be shown as a movie in just over an hour. Because of this, fans of the novel will be a little dismayed. Briefly, some of the differences are the change in relationships and character roles. In the novel, Renfield went to see Dracula before the novel starts. Here, he is the one who meets Dracula and brings him to England. Jonathan Harker never meets the count professionally, but he is betrothed to Mina. However, Mina is Mina Seward rather than Mina Murray. Seward is still a psychiatrist, but apparently has no connection to Dr. Van Helsing. Lucy has no betrothed as there is no Lord Godalming. All that aside, this is still a good movie. Knowing that the movie had to be condensed, I think the writers did a good job. My hat is off to whoever cast Bela Lugosi. His accent and mannerisms give us the known image of Dracula. Although it does not match historical record or the novel, Bela is Dracula. There is no gore, but the black and white film works well with lights and shadows to help create a spooky and mesmerizing atmosphere. I would recommend this for a collection and for casual viewing.
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