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Summary: The Granddaddy of All Vampire Movies
Review: Universal's 1931 film version of Bram Stoker's DRACULA stands as a milestone of cinematic horror mainly because it is the film that firmly established the mythos and iconography of the eponymous Count and his later vampiric progeny. In addition to Bela Lugosi's contribution to the persona of Dracula himself--attributes that specifically include the thick Hungarian accent, the aristocratic demeanor, and the bizarre hand gestures and facial expressions--the film was the first to solidly identify vampires with things like bats, dark and musty gothic settings, and strong sexual undertones. (Some may argue that these elements of the mythos were established by Murnau's NOSFERATU when it was released nearly ten years earlier. However, due to legal problems over copyright disputes with Stoker's estate, NOSFERATU did not actually enjoy wide distribution or significant public attention until a few years after Universal's DRACULA.)Although Lugosi's performance as Dracula is top-notch and Dwight Frye energetically chews the scenery as the Count's insane servant Renfield, most of the supporting performances are stagey or stilted. Part of this is due to the fact that the script was lifted almost verbatim from a popular Broadway stage production of a few years earlier, and consequently there are times when the movie feels as if director Tod Browning and cinematographer Karl Freund simply filmed the stage production from the audience's vantage point. In addition, it is evident that Browning's directing style was formed during Hollywood's silent era, as several scenes that could certainly profit from use of the spoken word instead feature turgid gestural performances. (To be fair, it must be pointed out that some of the creepier scenes are so successful as such primarily BECAUSE of the emphasis on the visual, and this ability to communicate an emotion or feeling without the benefit of dialogue can certainly be attributed to Browning's experience working in silent films.) Some modern viewers will be nonplussed by the nearly total lack of a background musical score--a common characteristic of early "talkie" films--though many horror aficionados agree that this provides an eerie dimension to these older flicks that simply contributes to their superiority over certain modern horror films. In short, mature audiences and serious genre fans will probably enjoy this film, but the younger, more casual crowd may find it a bit rough going. The DVD version of DRACULA has several cool bonus features, the most exciting of which is the complete Spanish-language version of the movie (English subtitles are available). Filmed concurrently on the same sets but with a different cast and crew, the Spanish version is in many ways superior the more famous English edition. Of course, actor Carlos VillarÃas, in the title role, does not quite equal the stage presence of Lugosi, but the supporting cast does an outstanding job--especially actresses Lupita Tovar and Carmen Guerrero, who are sexier and much more affecting than their English-speaking counterparts. Additionally, the cinematography is very dynamic and fluid--not stiff and mostly static like Freund's--and many of the special effects are creepier and more realistic and believable. This version of DRACULA is necessary viewing for any horror fan, especially those who hold vampires at the top of the monster pantheon, and Universal should be commended for including it as part of the English-version DVD.
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Summary: The consolidation of a cinema icon
Review: Contrary to popular belief, Dracula was not the first horror movie to utilise sound, although it was among the first and indisputably among the best of the first. Having scored promisingly with The Blackbird (1925) and The Unknown (1927), director Tod Browning and star Lon Chaney were obvious choices to helm Universal's first horror movie in the early sound period. Universal had earlier purchased the film rights to the Broadway play, Dracula, which had run with some success in the late 1920s. When Chaney died of cancer in 1930, the studio turned to the Hungarian stage actor - Bela Lugosi - who had played the Broadway role to some acclaim in 1927. The creative result, Browning's Dracula (1931), launched possibly the most fruitful period for the horror genre in the context of mainstream Hollywood studio production. It also launched the career of Bela Lugosi, a definitive icon of the horror genre and undoubtedly one of its most committed stars. Browning's version is not, however, a Dracula for the purists, deriving its narrative cues more directly from the Broadway play than Bram Stoker's original source novel. Equally, Lugosi's showy performance is not to all tastes, with a sizeable number of genre fans detracting his grand guignol interpretation in relation to the spirit of Stoker's original vampire and Max Schreck's groundbreaking performance in 1921's Nosferatu. Yet as cinema Dracula works pretty well, aided in no small part by the atmospheric cinematography of the great Karl Freund (who had pioneeringly cut his chops on Murnau's 1921 Nosferatu) and the assured direction of Browning. Admittedly, there is a somewhat dated staginess about both Lugosi's performance as well as the film's last half. But there is no doubting the sincerity and commitment Lugosi invests in the role and his sometimes melodramatic flourishes do indeed enhance the weird creepiness of the film. There is probably also no denying that Lugosi's enthusiastic rendition of the Dracula character is the one that most occupies the horror iconography of casual movie audiences and is also probably the reason why he found himself forever typecast. Even Lugosi's only possible rival in this regard, Christopher Lee, appears to have drawn significantly on Lugosi's interpretation in making the character his own after 1958. It is worth mentioning too that - for all his critics - Lugosi has an equally strong cult following who fervently regard his as the definitive Dracula. Dracula also benefits in no small amount from some intriguing supporting performances, particularly Dwight Frye's superbly deranged Renfield and Edward van Sloan originating the role of Dracula's nemesis Professor van Helsing with great credibility. For collectors, the value of Dracula as an acquisition - other than that it stands on its own as a cracking good horror movie - is manifold. Firstly, it is among the first horror movies produced with sound dialogue and effects. Secondly, notwithstanding earlier talkies like The Bat Whispers, it is the movie that launched both the Universal cycle of horror movies that would dominate the 1930s as well as the horror rush in general over that period. Thirdly, it is the first sound genre entry in the Tod Browning filmography. Fourthly, it is the first and best genre outing for Bela Lugosi, whose filmography - like Browning's - would develop to take in a sizeable span of the horror genre's foundational works. Of related interest to collectors is director Paul Kohner's Spanish-language version of Dracula shot simultaneously on the same Universal sets. Starring Carlos Villarias and Lupita Tovar, the Spanish version was shot at night after Browning and his American crew had wrapped. Given their contemporaneous thematic relationship and common set design, the English and Spanish versions make for fruitful back-to-back viewing, if only to compare the different choices made by Browning and Kohner within the same visual parameters. In any case, whether actively sought or not, collectors can consider the Spanish version added value, since the official DVD of Browning's film contains the Spanish version as well (together with an alternative version of Browning's Dracula with an updated musical soundtrack).
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Summary: Our Reveiw
Review: this great movie classic is but a taste of director:Tod Browning's beautiful craft. dolby digital makes it absolutly stunning. with a newly composed score by the Kronos Qurtet it is a must buy for all lovers of classic horror and sci-fi.
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Summary: Bela Lugosi: The First Dracula
Review: This DVD features the original 1931 classic horror flick, "Dracula" directed by Tod Browning. It was considered the most frightening film of its day but nothing to scream about by today's standards. The DVD features include commentary by film critics, the theatrical trailers and the addition of Phillip Glass' music by the Kronos Quartet ensemble. As a bonus, this DVD also includes the Mexican, Spanish version of the film. This is a must have for fans of classic horror. Let's take a look at why Dracula was such a big success and why today, the vampire legacy he planted is still very popular in literature, art and cinema. It was 1931. The Great Depression was only three years old since the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Cinema had been around since the turn of the century, with the silent films of such directors as the Lumiere Brothers and D.W. Griffith. Silent film stars were the Hollywood celebrities of the day- silent film actor Rudolph Valentino, who was a sex icon, swashbuckler Douglas Fairbanks, seductive and exotic Theda Bara and of course, the comedian-actor Charlie Chaplin. In silent film, visual scenery created real atmosphere and the physical, slapstick, body language and facial expressions of the actors played the most important part in making the film seem real and engaging. Yet, there was still no sound. Music could not be heard nor the actor's voices, so the whole thing looked remote, distant and even alien to audiences. Not until "The Jazz Singer" did sound enter the world of cinema. Finally, actors could be payed to speak. By the time of Dracula, everything was set to electrify audiences with a horror film. Horror was not new at this time in film. Lon Chaney was the leading horror star actor of his day in the 20's, though they were mostly silent films. He was called "The Man Of A Thousand Faces" because he could transform himself into so many guises as different grotesque characters. When Tod Browning's Dracula came along, Lon Chaney had died and it was time for a new face of horror- Bela Lugosi. It is Bela Lugosi who really makes this film work. Many viewers who are so young their earliest memories are of the 1980's won't appreciate the subtlety in horror. Today's horror film is all about graphic and gratuitous violence, excess of blood and bodily harm as well as shallow teens who are in danger by some malevolent force. But Dracula started the vampire film business in the first place. He paved the way for the future vampires of our modern day like Anne Rice's Lestat. We have to look at this film in the context of its time. If it's dialogue and acting may apepar tacked-on and stilted, it's because it was taken directly from a play performed on Broadway. Bela Lugosi's heavy Hungarian accent, his wicked eyes and grin, his nocturnal, caped eveningwear, the way he says " I am Dracula" and "I never drink wine", his bodily manners and movements all contributed to the making of the first Dracula. He would always be seen as Dracula, for it was the only movie that made him a star. He would star in other films as Dracula. He even requested to be buried with the caped costume.
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Summary: Sink your teeth into this classic!
Review: Universal's classic film Dracula (1931) staring Bela (Dracula) Lugosi, Edward Van (Van Helsing) Sloan, and Dwight (Renfield) Frye is the film that started all the monster mayhem! No, this film doesn't have all the gore, fangs, nudity, and visuals that some of the later Dracula movies (like the horrible Hammer movies) had, but what it did have was it's ability to scare, cast performences, and plot. Renfield (Dwight Frye) is on his way to Castle Dracula, despite warnings of the locals of the evil that awaits him. Dracula (Bela Lugosi) turns Renfield into his slave and heads to England where he continues to feast on the blood of the innocent. Why must he drink blood? The answer is because "He never drinks...wine." Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan) learns of Dracula's evil deeds and sees to it that he stops Dracula before he ruins anyone else's life and destroy's anyone else's soul. This is a must see film for any and all movie fans...not just horror fans, but movie fans. Tod Browning's Dracula set the standards for movies for decades to come. Some people like to give the credit of the silent film Nosferatu as the pioneer Dracula film, and maybe it was in some aspecs, but Universal's 1931 classic has the best cast and plot in a Dracula film to date, and Bela Lugosi is the one and only true Dracula forever.
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Summary: Cool Classic.
Review: This a cool movie about a vampire who sucks peoples blood and kills them. There's a old guy named Van Helsing who tries to kill Dracula. I think everyone has seen this, which is good, beacuse it's a great film. You should go but it.
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Summary: 1931 Universal Monster Classic (w/3 Versions) now on DVD!
Review: Universal Studios began their Hollywood Monster Movie dominance with Bram Stokers screen adaptation of "Dracula". Purchasing the film rights, they brought the Broadway Hit & its star Bela Lugosi to the Universal backlot to film this gothic horror movie. "Dracula was Universal's first of a series of Classic Horror Pictures brought out in the 1930's & 40's. Now Universal Studios has restored / remastered these Hollywood Classics and released them on DVD's titled "Classic Monster Collection". These movies are all the best of and have many extra features and commentary's for us to enjoy. This "Dracula" DVD provides us with 3 versions to watch & enjoy. Plenty of comparisons to watch! Version 1) provides us with the Original film having only music at the opening credits. (Background music & Musical soundtracks were a few years away due to the primitive sound systems and the expensive equipment). Still very errie and provides a very intense movie. Version 2) is the Original Film with a new musical score by Philip Glass performed by the Kronos String Quartet. This livens and increases the drama immensely. Although traditionalists may find this a little overwelming. Version 3) is the Spanish version filmed simultaneously at night with the Original Version using the same sets. Some consider this a better cinemagraphic production but Bela Lugosi's performance in the English version proves he is the one & only "Dracula"!!!!! Summary: Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi)is relocating to England where new & unaware victims are plentiful. A real estate agent Mr. Renfield (brilliantly played by Dwight Frye) becomes Draculas mortal servant for the undeads Master & wives journey aboard a doomed crews vessel. Upon Dracula's arrival in England the story reaches a hunter and hunted scenario. This Dracula still gives the viewer chills and the fear he brings with him. The DVD is Full-Screen, Black & White, with outstanding transfer picture & sound quality. A definite addition to your Classic Hollywood horror DVD movie library. Enjoy
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Summary: A Film You Can Really Get Your Teeth In To !
Review: Apologies for the dire title of my review - fortunately the DVD itself is of a far higher standard. One Universal's Classic Monster Collection, 'Dracula' looks the most dated of this DVD series. This probably owes more to its stage play roots than the fact it is the oldest movie of the series. Make no mistake though, we are still talking about a film 'classic'. Well actually we're talking about TWO film classics. This comprehensive DVD also features the much praised but rarely seen Spanish version of 'Dracula'. Technically better, but lacking the Bela Lugosi portrayal, the Spanish version is a most welcome addition to the DVD. David Skal's commentary is also very worthwhile as is the 'Dracula' documentary. In fact I've been surprised at just how good all the documentaries accompanying these Universal DVDs have been. I would probably rate 'Dracula' as the weakest entry in the 'Classic Monster Collection', but that is only due to the high standard of the other releases. On its own, 'Dracula' is a fine DVD and one I recommend to all vintage horror buffs.
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Summary: One of the best DVDs I own...
Review: I love all of the old Universal Monster Movies and I love all the DVD versions that Universal has issued. They have done it right, giving us deluxe editions of The Wolf Man and The Mummy with all the bells and whistles. Of all of these, my favorite is Todd Browning's Dracula. Dracula may not be considered the best of the Universal films (that title usually goes to Bride of Frankenstein) but it certainly is the best DVD. EVERYTHING is on this DVD. There is a wonderful DOCUMENTARY, The Road to Dracula. Amazingly, this is hosted by Carla Laemmle - the niece of the producer who actually ACTED in the movie. (She is the girl in the stagecoach who had the first line of dialogue in the film - indeed, in any sound horror film.) Clive Barker also adds valuable commentary. Although Barker is at the cutting edge (pun not intended) of hard-core horror, he still has great appreciation and insight about the classics. FEATURE COMMENTARY: This is provided by David J. Skal, the noted Dracula/Vampire expert. Along with the documentary, this should tell you everything you ever wanted to learn about Dracula. SPANISH LANGUAGE VERSION: It is now a famous story that, after Browning and his crew finished work for the day, a Spanish cast and crew would come in at night to film the same movie for the Spanish-speaking markets. The Spanish crew was very competitive and many critics say that the Spanish version is actually better. I do not agree with this. True, there are more interesting camera moves, but most of what we come to Dracula for is the Bela Lugosi performance - not to mention Dwight Frye as Renfeild with his inimitable laugh. The Spanish version is also great because it is a more accurate realization of the shooting script. NEW SCORE: The old Universal movies did not yet have scored music. A few years ago, Philip Glass and the Kronos Quartet were commissioned to write a full score. It is excellent and it is also included on the disc. You can watch it with or without. I usually prefer without - I'll always think of the opening set to Swan Lake.
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Summary: This movie is the all time classic universal monster movie!!
Review: I am Drac-u-la , I bid you welcome, I never drink ... Wine
The 3 lines that famoused (new word of mine) Bela Lugosi and made him The Infinitive Count Dracula Mr Reinsfield travels to transylvania to sail sum property to Dracula in england
Dracula welcomes him in for a feast and wine
while reinsfield is collectin all of the papers he accidently paper cuts his finger (which he really did in real life!)
Dracula goes for his neck but notices the crucifix on reinsfield's neck so he waits until reinsfield goes to bed and he pulls the chain off
all of a sudden reinsfield feels faint and passes out
leaving a feast for dracula The next part of the film is the part of the ship which is very short
all of the passengers on board perrish from the hurricane or whatever as it travels to england accept for a mad man named reinsfield and a undead freak in the coffin named dracula (haha) so dracula arrives to england and start's puttin the bite on the british a classic i tell u and every1 who loves horror movies should have this!!!!
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