“I am Dracula.”
Eighty-five years later and those words
still have the power to send a chill down your spine, spoken with
cool confidence as Bela Lugosi descends a long flight of stairs to
meet Renfield for the first time, it is a great scene that really sets the tone of the film.
Though as many may already know the film
is not based on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, at least not directly,
instead it is mostly an adaptation of the 1924 play adaptation, as
well as taking some inspiration from F. W. Muranu's unofficial silent
adaptation of the book, Nosferatu, in particular a scene not from the
original book nor play where Renfield pricks his finger and Dracula
almost loses control and gives into his blood lust.
But really what can I say about this
film that has not already been said a hundred times over, this film
is a classic, the image of Lugosi as Dracula standing tall with his
jet black hair is the most recognisable image of the character,
replacing the novels description of an old man with beard, moustache
and pointed ears. Lugosi, a Hungarian actor has a presents about him
when he plays the roll, been able to seamlessly switch from the
eccentric and charming Count to the monstrous creature full of blood
lust that will captivate you with his hypnotic stare before killing
you.
But for me the real show stealer is
Dwight Frye as Renfield, at first a young and eager solicitor meeting
Dracula to discuss business, but he is soon attacked by the vampire and
his brides becoming a mad slave to the count. Frye steals every scene he's in with a laugh that the Joker would be jealous of, he
seems to be fearfully loyal to Dracula but on a few occasions fights
his masters control, warning people, trying to get them to flee, but
one sight of that bat or the sound of leather wings flapping and his fear takes over and he becomes a loyal
once more.
The film is iconic, the first sound
horror film it uses no music outside of the title screen but you soon
get used to this as the silent moments, along with every other scene
of the film bleed with atmosphere and mood the way only a black and
white picture can. One shot I particularly loved was when Dracula’s
ship the Vesta (Demeter in the novel and most subsequent adaptations) washes up in England, the crew are dead and we hear men
discuss the find while our only image is the shadow of the ship's wheal
with a crewman hanging limply off it, we are informed that his
hands had been lashed to the wheel, to me this is a more effective image than
if we had actually seen the body.
(Special Thanks to my friend Derek Tate for sending me this awesome picture of a
Kentucky cinema playing Dracula)
You already know this is a classic, if you haven't already you owe it to yourself to see this film!
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