The first Dracula movie
For the uninitiated, Dracula is based on the very famous 19th century novel by Bram Stoker, which tells the tale of an immortal Transylvanian aristocrat who feasts on human blood. With the locals all too wary of his existence and nature, Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) relocates to London for a new supply of unsuspecting victims, with the help of unsuspecting victim number one, real estate agent R. M. Renfield (Dwight Frye). Back in London, driven insane by the bloodlust instilled by Dracula, Renfield winds up in the asylum run by Dr. Jack Seward, who happens to be friends with Professor Abraham Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan), an authority on the occult. Van Helsing and Dracula soon cross paths when the Count starts preying on Seward’s daughter, Mina (Helen Chandler).
There are classic movies of yore like Citizen Kane and Casablanca that still stand the test of time and repeated viewings, and then there is Dracula. Legendary for introducing the most iconic depiction of the vampire and extolled by critics till this day, I was sorely disappointed to discover that not only is this “horror” movie wholly tame by today’s standards (no blood, not even fangs!) but also how sloppily it was assembled, especially compared to the simultaneously shot Spanish version, Drácula (included in the special edition DVD) and James Whale’s masterpiece Frankenstein, also made in 1931.
The first WTF moment can be seen at the opening credits, with what may possibly be the first ever appearance of the Batman insignia in movie history, that predates even the birth of the Caped Crusader eight years later! If you think that was hilarious, check out the next scene, where an actor overacts as a wide-eyed Romanian innkeeper character, whose first words to Renfield are: "IN THE CASTLE, THERE ARE VAMPIRES!" He then goes on to describe in detail the castle’s occupants and their many idiosyncrasies. Thankfully, the movie starts to exude some much needed creepy vibe after the wispy appearance of Dracula and his brides, that is if you could ignore that one tiny little shot of a cockroach crawling out of its own cockroach-sized coffin! (I'm not making this up!) From Bela Lugosi’s unique portrayal of the Count (his slinky movements matching the speed of his intonations), I finally understood where all those Dracula impersonations and parodies came from. Anyway, they were able to maintain the spooky tone for a while, until Dr. Seward’s asylum staffs appeared and deflated the eerie atmosphere with unnecessary jokes and slapstick.
Dracula was shot and edited rather matter-of-factly, and has little visual flourishes, save the scenes where Dracula and Renfield make scary faces at the camera with a slit of light across their eyes. And for a classic black-and-white feature, it is oddly devoid of any music, but the silence actually heightens the ghoulish ambience. Still, it's not enough to make up for the severe lack of suspense, gore and even the act of biting, which is never shown. What you get instead are people who mostly stand around talking, and the vampirish deeds only implied, never shown. Plus, with a story that everyone already knows, there isn’t anything left to get excited or terrified about. - BMF
For the record:
Disc reviewed = Dracula - The Legacy Collection (Dracula / Dracula (1931 Spanish Version) / Dracula's Daughter / Son of Dracula / House of Dracula)
Bram Stoker's Dracula ('92) > Dracula ('31) > Van Helsing > Dracula 3000
Frankenstein ('31) > The Invisible Man ('33) > The Wolf Man ('41) > Dracula ('31)
Gary Oldman > Bela Lugosi > Christopher Lee > Carlos Villarías (Spanish Dracula)
Still the best vampire ever = Blade
Directed by Todd Browning (Freaks) and screenplay by Hamilton Deane, John L. Balderston (Frankenstein ('31), The Mummy ('32)) and Garrett Fort (Frankenstein ('31), Dracula's Daughter ('36)). Based on the novel of the same name by Bram Stoker. |
