Dracula [P&S]

Director: Tod Browning Tod Browning

Overview

"This seminal film in the vampire mythos has been given a treatment by Universal Studios that is to die for. Not only is director Tod Browning's version on the disc, but also included is the Spanish version directed by George Melford, which was shot on the same sets at night with a different cast. Though both used the same shooting script, the films are very different. Both versions are presented full screen with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Compared to other titles in Universal's Classic Monster Collection such as The Mummy or Creature From the Black Lagoon, the print quality for both films is sorely lacking, with the main problem being that the contrast is too dark. The audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono for both versions, and the quality is noticeably poor. The Browning version does have an optional soundtrack (recorded in Dolby Digital 5.0) featuring music composed by Philip Glass and performed by the Kronos Quartet. Since most of the film is without a musical soundtrack, this option is a nice addition. The Browning version also has several extra features. The language options are English only, with optional French subtitles and English closed captions, and there is an excellent commentary track by film historian David J. Skal. The well-written and organized track covers numerous topics, including the source materials used for the Browning version and comparisons between the English and Spanish versions of the film. The disc also includes a 34-minute documentary entitled ""The Road to Dracula,"" which is quite an informative piece that includes interviews with author Clive Barker and relatives of the original filmmakers. There is also a nine-minute poster and photo montage, production notes, bios and film highlights for the main cast members and Browning, as well as the theatrical trailer for the film. For the Spanish version of the disc, the main bonus is a four-minute introduction to the film by lead actress Lupita Tovar Kohner. Production notes are also included. The language options are Spanish only, spoken with optional French or English subtitles (no closed captions are offered). Though there are some obvious complaints noted, the ability to see these two fascinating films back-to-back make this disc not only a must for horror fans but for any film student as well."

Product Details

Release Date:	12/21/1999
UPC:	0025192032424
Original Release:	1931
Rating:	NR
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W, Full Frame]
Sound:	[monaural]
Language:	English
Time:	2:59:00

Special Features

The Road to Dracula" original documentary; Feature commentary with film historian David J. Skal; New score by Phillip Glass performed by Kronos Quartet; Poster and photo montage; Production notes; Cast and filmmakers; Theatrical trailer; Universal web link

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Bela Lugosi	Count Dracula
Helen Chandler	Mina
David Manners	John
Dwight Frye	Renfield
Edward Van Sloan	Van Helsing
Herbert Bunston	Seward
Frances Dade	Lucy
Charles Gerard	Martin
Joan Standing	Maid,Surgeon
Moon Carroll	Briggs, Maid
Josephine Velez	English Nurse
Donald Murphy	Coach Passenger
Daisy Belmore	English-Woman Passenger
Nicholas Bela	Transylvanian Passenger
Michael Visaroff	Innkeeper
Carla Laemmle	Girl in Coach
Dorothy Tree	Dracula's Vampire Wife
Jeraldine Dvorak	Dracula's Vampire Wife,Dracula's Wife
Mildred Peirce	Dracula's Vampire Wife
John George	Van Helsing's Assistant
George Hill Mailes	Operating Room Doctor
Florence Wix	Concertgoer Outside Theatre
Lupita Tovar	Actor
Pablo Álvarez Rubio	Actor
Tina Saint	Actor
Eduardo Arozamena	Actor
Manuel Arbó	Actor
Barry Norton	Actor
Carmen Guerrero	Actor
Garrett Fort	Actor
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky	Composer
Richard Wagner	Composer

Technical Credits

Garrett Fort

Bram Stoker

Hamilton Deane

John L. Balderston

Louis Bromfield

Louis Stevens

Frederick Stephani

Tod Browning	Director,Producer
Carl Laemmle Jr.	Producer
Phil M. Friedman	Casting
Garrett Fort	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Bram Stoker	Screenwriter
Hamilton Deane	Screenwriter
John L. Balderston	Screenwriter
Louis Bromfield	Screenwriter
Louis Stevens	Screenwriter
Frederick Stephani	Screenwriter
Frank H. Booth	Special Effects
C. Roy Hunter	Sound Effects
Carl Laemmle	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Tod Browning's Dracula (1931) has made the most lasting impression of all versions of the Bram Stoker classic, although it was neither the first version (there were numerous silent-movie vampire tales) nor, for many viewers, the best version (many aficionados cite F.W. Murnau's 1922 Nosferatu). There are at least three reasons for the film's lasting importance. First, the opening sequences in the foothills of the Carpathians, and the subsequent set-up shots in Dracula's castle, are rendered in classic German Expressionist style by cinematographer Karl Freund, establishing a Gothic creepiness and tangibly dark and perverse tone that stick with the audience long after the setting shifts to England. The success of these atmospheric shots would influence horror filmmakers for decades to come. Second, Bela Lugosi's interpretation of Dracula would define the role. His suave, faded gentry style and unusually cadenced line deliveries would become the touchstone for many imitators. Lugosi gives his character just a hint of the sexual carnivore in his pursuit of the pretty maidens of England, themes that Werner Herzog and Francis Ford Coppola would develop more fully several decades later. Freund played a key role in defining Lugosi's sinister character by shining tiny pinpricks of light into his eyes, giving them an eerily otherworldly, penetrating quality. Third, the set designs are outstanding, from Dracula's Transylvanian castle to the London insane asylum housing Renfield, giving the film a perfectly Gothic horror quality. The film's second half deteriorates into a drawing-room drama, with too much chat and not enough horror. However, there is little doubt that the film's opening act, with its brilliant sets and stunning camerawork, together with Lugosi's elegantly sinister performance, make Dracula a memorable and influential classic.