Often imitated but never duplicated, Bela Lugosi’s performance in the 1931 "Dracula" is a justifiable legend. The image of Lugosi’s face is synonymous with the vampire of popular culture. Imagine if F.W. Murnau’s "Nosferatu," made 10 years earlier had been the more popular vampire movie! The elegant Count with his cape and widow’s peak would have been replaced by a bat-eared, long-nailed ghoul as played by Max Schreck in "Nosferatu."
But Lugosi’s Dracula is the one that caught the public’s imagination and sent fear running through the veins of long-necked young maidens in the early 1930s. The film, directed by Tod Browning, is by all rights a sloppy mess of hammy acting and leaden pacing. But Browning, who helmed other landmark horror classics like "Freaks" and "London After Midnight," somehow turns "Dracula" into a stylish exercise in Gothic horror. The ornate sets, the swirling fog, the exaggerated lighting—all combine to make a gorgeous film. At times Browning seems to be borrowing from the German expressionists like Murnau and Fritz Lang, but it’s 100% Hollywood.
If you’re in the mood for a Dracula that sticks to Bram Stoker’s classic novel, you’ll probably be disappointed by this version. Apart from the fangs and the wooden stakes, there’s little of the literary Count here. Browning’s version is based on a stage play popular at the turn of the century. The theatricality still creaks through the film like a door with a rusty hinge. Only Browning’s style and Lugosi’s delicious performance rescue the flick from being a complete howl.
If you believe the depiction of the actor in Tim Burton’s recent "Ed Wood," Lugosi felt like a fish out of water in Tinseltown. He’d been trained in Hungarian theater and was having trouble wrapping his tongue around the English language. He’d played the Transylvanian Count on stage, but wasn’t yet a Hollywood star. (In fact, he was only paid $3,500 for his performance in his film.) However, his stilted, formal line delivery is perfect for the undead Count and, by now, anyone saying the words "Good evening" in a Hungarian accent will have no trouble getting admitted into any Halloween party. Lugosi’s success with this, his first big role, was ultimately his undoing. He was never able to shake typecasting and spent nearly the whole of his career in horror films. In fact, the role of Dracula was so associated with the actor that after his death he was buried in the Count’s costume, cape and all.
I recently watched "Dracula" with my teenage kids and they spent most of the film cowering on the sofa. Imagine that. The old black-and-white Count still has the power to scare even the most jaded youths raised on a culture of Freddy and Jason. When I asked what scared him the most, my son said, "The music." Indeed, a new score by modern composer Philip Glass is the best reason to seek out the digitally enhanced and remastered version of "Dracula" at the local store. As played by the Kronos Quartet, the new soundtrack throbs with an urgency that keeps even the most hokey dialogue moving right along. The pulsing cello will definitely jangle your nerves while Lugosi mesmerizes you with those piercing eyes.
If you’ve never seen this classic version of "Dracula," or even if it’s been a few years, you can’t go wrong with the legendary Lugosi. Turn out the lights, pop it in the VCR and settle in for a "good evening."
Although there have been numerous screen versions of bramstoker s classic tale, none is more enduring than this 1931original with a masterful performa...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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