Dracula

Rating:
Summary: Underrated remake of the stage play
Review: John Badham's "Dracula" varies quite a bit from both the stage play that was its direct inspiration (as well as Todd Browning's 1931 version that starred Bela Lugosi)and Stoker's novel. "Dracula" manages to be both gothic romance and gothic horror story all in one well scripted and directed package. None of "Dracula" takes place in Transylvania. W. D. Richter cleverly weaves elements of Stoker's novel, the play and his own original concepts into a fascinating tale.

Solicitor Jonathan Harker (Trevor Eve) has arranged for Count Dracula to purchase an old estate near Carfax Abbey. The old run down estate seems an odd choice but it seems it was exactly what the Count was looking for. When the schooner carrying Dracula is destroyed off the coast of Whitby, the only survivor is the Count. He befriends Harker, Dr. Seward (Donald Pleasance) who runs the local asylum, Seward's daughter Lucy (Kate Nelligan)and Mina Van Helsing (Jan Francis). Dracula finds a soulmate in Lucy and intends to take her for his own despite the fact that she's engaged to Harker. Mina dies due to anemia and her father Professor Van Helsing (Olivier)comes to claim the body. He recognizes how she died and who did it almost immediately setting in motion a battle for Lucy's immortal soul.

I never saw Langela perform this on stage but his charisma, sexuality and presence translate well to the screen. He portrays Dracula with a touch of weariness as well as a sense of loss. The stellar cast has a number of outstanding performances including that of Kate Nelligan and the superb Donald Pleasance. While Olivier gives an outstanding performance as Dracula's nemesis Van Helsing, I can imagine how the drama would have worked better with a younger, more atheletic Van Helsing (not to dissimilar from Peter Cushing's dashing performance in Hammer's "Horror of Dracula").

The transfer looks exceptional crisp, clear and the sound has tremendous presence. There are those that complained about how the film, despite the fact that it is in color, looks almost black and white. I seem to recall that the colors, although vibrant at times, were muted throughout most of the movie when I saw it in theaters although not to the great degree seen here. Evidently John Badham went back and had Universal adjust the color yet again prior to the DVD release. Regardless, it doesn't effect the overall clarity or sharpness of the image but be warned that this might not be the way you remember it. John Williams musical score sound terrific and has all the color that has been drained from the film.

There's a retrospective documentary entitled "The Revamping of Dracula", a photo gallery and a thoughtful commentary track by director Badham. Langela appears in the documentary on the making of "Dracula" and we actually see stills from the Broadway production featuring him as well in it. Langela comments on how ill Olivier was during shooting (and, in fact, a lot of scenes have his stand in for medium and long shots due to his illness). Badham comments on how Pleasance frequently stole scenes from his co-stars (Langela heard about it the day before he was to shoot his first scene with him). We also hear about why he used the lasers in some sequences. It's a terrific documentary although I would have liked to hear interviews with some of the other surviving actors although we get some interesting comments from producer Walter Mirisch and writer W. D. Richter ("Invasion of the Body Snatchers"). Richter's comments about some of the changes he made compare to the play are interesting (particularly the change to the line "Listen to them...the children of the night..what SAD music they make"). The photo gallery is also quite good.

Universal has done a fine job in this DVD reissue although some fans of the film may not like the muted colors for this DVD release. The extras and commentary by director Badham provided interesting observations on the making of the film. Sporting a anamorphic widescreen transfer (which translates to higher lines of resolution, hence better picture), "Dracula" looks exceptionally good despite some of the changes that Badham made to the film.



Rating:
Summary: A Very Underappreciated Vampire
Review: The sreen is black. A wolf howls. The main credits start to appear with the images created by Maurice Binder (of James Bond fame). John Williams' majestic main theme sounds triumphantly. From that moment, I realized -and I still do -that I'm watching a movie version of "Dracula" that would be classically romantic and terrifying at the same time.
Frankly, I may never understand why people are so critical about this version. I mean, you have Frank Langella portraying a character that won him the Tony Award in Broadway, and he gives total charm to the bloodsucking count. There is Laurence Olivier, who plays a Van Helsing that appears to be giving poetic justice. I mean all the cast give a touch of class to this vision of Dracula. And then there is John Williams' majestic music score, giving a chilling romanticism that's very strange in horror films.
Many people may think John Badham's direction has been sloppy, and the dialogue from W.D. Richter may be weak, but I don't care: I simply love this movie version, one of my great guilty pleasures.

Rating:
Summary: Sexy and Horrific - a MUST See
Review: This version of Dracula is one of the best. The color has been "drained" no pun intended from the film, but NOT ALL OF THE COLOR. It's just not sickly-bright with colors. It's more like a very dusty, gray, and cold day in New England, and that my readers can and is very creepy. Initially, I did miss the blood red and blood shot eyes of Mina and Lucy (now more like a deep reddish-brown color, but the film is so stunningly dark and the music by John Williams so rich and beautiful, it cancelled out all my concern for this version of the film. This is better version in my opinion. This is a very sexy Dracula, and it's more intellectual than most "other" Dracula movies. The acting by the entire cast is really refreshing, very professional and believable. It's good to see a Dracula movie that is not too humorous. Although there is humor in it, it is very subtle. If you want a creepy and sexy Dracula, this one is for you. Give it a try, it's really a modern-classic, and I've been waiting for it to come out on DVD with its re-mastered version in every sense of the word. SEE THIS MOVIE IN THE DARK with someone special (romantic). It's going to be a good night with this version of Dracula. Oh, and bring some wine to this dark and romantically gothic movie.

Rating:
Summary: Dracula
Review: This was a really great movie. ive got some pro's and con's about it. PRO: The dark atmosphere terrified me! even without Frank Langella on screen. CON: There was a character mix up. Mina "Van Helsing" wasnt in the novel or any other movie; Lucy "Seward" was the same way. PRO: Donald Pleasance was an awesome Dr. Seward! CON: The movie followed very little of the novel's story line, but it was pretty well written anyway. PRO: Frank Langella was Dracula. He was terrifying and charming all at the same time. Perfect Count. CON: The part written for Harker was a little weak. He wasnt the vampire hunter I had imagined. If he could have been in the castle Dracula like in the novel, he would have been great! PRO: The wolf in the movie is really cool. He has red eyes and it just looks really creepy. CON: Carfax abby is a little too much like what people expect Castle Dracula to be like. Its on a cliff, its huge. kind of stereotypical. Inside, its incredibly good!

PRO: The horror is subtle in some parts due to Langella's performance as a suave vampire. also the atmostphere helps alot. CON: Van Helsing dies! that really [wasn't good], because he was such a cool character. PRO: the scenery was tremendous! the DP really did a great job! All in all, this was a great movie! i recomend it highly!

Rating:
Summary: Predatory Menace Rehabilitated as Romantic Hero.
Review: Three different film adaptations of "Dracula" arrived in theaters in 1979, and they couldn't have been more dissimilar. "Love at First Bite" was a spoof. "Nosferatu the Vampyre" was a remake of the first extant Dracula film in the expressionist/romanticist style. At first glance, this film takes the most straightforward approach. "Dracula" is loosely based on the famous Hamilton Deane play that also served as a basis for the 1931 film version of "Dracula" starring Bela Lugosi. Like Lugosi, Frank Langella played Count Dracula on stage before starring in the film. This is a much embellished and adulterated version of the Deane play, though. A ship carrying cargo from Eastern Europe runs aground in Whitby, England. Everyone on board is killed except a passenger, Count Dracula (Frank Langella), who is found washed up on the beach by a young woman from a nearby estate, Mina Van Helsing (Jan Francis). Shortly after the Count installs himself in his new home, Carfax Abbey, Mina dies mysteriously. Mina's friend, Lucy Seward (Kate Nelligan), who lives nearby and is engaged to a young solicitor, Jonathan Harker (Trevor Eve), becomes irresistibly attracted to Count Dracula. The murder of a young child forces Mina's father, Dr. Van Helsing (Lawrence Olivier), and Lucy's father, Dr. Seward (Donald Pleasance) to confront the possibility of vampirism. Together with Jonathan Harker, they set out to destroy Count Dracula before his menace spreads.

Viewers familiar with Bram Stoker's novel or Hamilton Deane's play will notice that the characters have been switched around once again. Dracula's ability to move freely during daylight hours and to transport himself as fog, both found in the novel, have been restored. But this version of "Dracula" departs from both novel and play in more significant fashion. Frank Langella's Count Dracula is a romantic hero, not evil incarnate. Writer W.D. Richter and director by John Badham have transformed "Dracula" from gothic horror into gothic romance. The two genres had much in common in the 19th century. But gothic romance is, if anything, less credible than horror, and "Dracula" suffers from serious bouts of campiness. Count Dracula is a handsome, refined seducer of women who invite him to suck their blood. He isn't a predator, but a man who seeks eternal love with a vampire bride. The themes of the novel and of previous Dracula films have been abandoned. But Count Dracula's new heroism contradicts itself. We see Dracula eviscerate innocent people. He transforms Mina into a hideous ghoul who murders babies. These are horrific scenes, perpetrated by a character who is supposed to be tragic and sympathetic, in the middle of an extravagant gothic romance. And I can't imagine why Mina's vampire is grotesque, while Lucy's is beautiful. Vampirism never had any ill effect on a woman's looks in Stoker's novel or in any other adaptation. Why director John Badham should want Mina to be hideous is entirely mysterious.

For fans of the "Dracula" novel or character, this film is significant for its departure from traditional themes. Frank Langella's rewritten Count Dracula has entered the popular consciousness. But "Dracula" is too campy and too confused to be a good film. It doesn't seem to know what it's trying to say -or else it refuses to fully commit to its ideas. Recommended for Dracula connoisseurs.

The DVD (This refers to the Universal UMVD disc only): Bonus features include a "Photo Gallery", a making-of documentary, and an audio commentary by director John Badham. The "Photo Gallery" features drawings of set design, onset photos, and publicity stills. In the documentary (38 minutes), entitled "The Revamping of Dracula", Frank Langella, John Badham, producer Walter Mirisch, and screenwriter W. D. Richter tell the story of the film's conception and creation. Director John Badham provides a detailed audio commentary about the actors, problem-solving, and various aspects of shooting the film. Captioning is available in English, subtitles in Spanish and French.

Rating:
Summary: DRACULA
Review: When I saw this movie several years ago as a kid, I was really impressed. I just bought it several days ago, and I love this movie! Unlike most other versions of Dracula, the whole movie was both exciting, terrifying, and mysterious. Langella is surpassed only by Lugosi. Both deliver suave,sinister, mysterious, and charismatic performances. Langella brings a slight sympathetic element to Dracula, though. The plot was fabulous and original. It begins with the doomed schooner crashing into Whitby's shores, where Dracula has purchased Carfax Abbey. From there, the film is somewhat like the Lugosi version, but still keeps originality. The special effects were wonderful! My personal favorite scene is when Harker and VanHelsing confront Dracula is Carfax. They find his coffin empty, and suddenly Dracula appears out of thin air behind them. The music by the legendary John Williams was fabulous and perfect for the movie. All the acting was great, but Renfield could have used a bit more polishing. This and the Lugosi original are the BEST Dracula's ever!

Rating:
Summary: Sensual, quintessential version of the lover Dracula
Review: Yes, the umpteenth Dracula remake/vampire film, and I stumbled upon it one morning on a movie channel, and was taken by the title character...Frank Langella's Dracula is sexy and charming and it's easy to see how the undead keeps winning so many wives.

Pre-computer special effects don't really bother me: the bats are stock. The fog creeping under the door of Mina's room looks like film rewound. I DO think the mirror uses were clever, in scenes without the vampire reflections. The scene where Mina becomes herself a vampire is an ounce campy with some seventies stock film. I'm not sure if it's a volcano erruption, a lava lamp, or what, but the scene feels like the credits of James Bond movies past...aside from this there are so many romantic moments. The lava-love sequence and the vampire's seventies hair date the film a little but so what...it's a pleasure to watch and get taken in.

This movie is amour fou, as Lucy and the people in her life become aware of the danger that is the Count. Lucy is captivated by the vampire until the end, where she grieves for her dying lover (or-does-he-die), and she moans for him like a substance abuse addict in withdrawl. As for her father, fiancee, and friends are wounded and dying to get rid of the vampire Lucy is aware but has already accepted a new life (new lifetime, i suppose, as an undead life) and she doesn't care anymore. Lucy greives as the sun shines down, but her rescuers do not notice what she does, the figure of Dracula as a speck flying off into the horizon. The credits end in the sunny sea air-a new beginning for Mina and Jonathan, although we imagine it woun't be long until the vampire comes back to retrieve his new bride.

I think Frank Langella made his the quintessential Dracula, tall dark handsome stranger. His character is never frail, but tender as the lover. He's handsome still as he sneers and spews bile at Van Helsing and his crucifix. It reminds me of Marlon Brando's Stanley Kowalski: who knows why you find him, a gorilla of a man, sexy? The scenes of an angry monster shine but the love scenes radiate.

This film was made about the time I was born; the films from my vampire phase featured Gary Oldman and Brad Pitt/Tom Cruise (no wonder I fell into a vampire phase) but this vampire has me. I stumbled onto it and too bad the films's not in print and too bad I wasn't around for the seventies stage version. Maybe Frank Langella would think about reprising the role of Dracula with another stage company...