DRACULA (1931)

Movie Review

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The strength of the vampire is that people will not believe in him. -- Abraham Van Helsing

Director: Tod Browning
Starring:
Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, Dwight Frye
Run time: 75 min.

Plot synopsis: Based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, this 1931 movie actually more closely follows the script that was utilized for the 1927 New York theater play.

REVIEW

"I am ... Dracula."

Ah, yes. Tod Browning's Dracula is probably the consummate horror film classic. Not just vampire movie classic, but horror film classic. Which is surprising considering Tod Browning's otherwise unspectacular career as a film director; he was mostly unimaginative and lacked creativity with the camera. Dracula, a Universal picture, got off to a slow start when it opened in New York on February 13, 1931, and most film critics at the time disliked the movie. Despite this, after the movie was released to a national audience it went on to become one of Universal's top grossing films in 1931, and basically saved the company.

A flower, Sir? Why yes. I'll have your most beautiful red rose...

By today's standards it would be easy to look at Dracula and wonder--with such a motionless camera, the somewhat stilted acting performances, and the static settings that make the movie appear more like a theater play than a motion picture--how can Dracula be considered such a classic? That is a good question, to which I don't think there is any one specific answer. But I can say that if you watch Dracula under the right circumstances, maybe in a completely dark room in the middle of the night, it is easy to let yourself be drawn into the peculiar atmosphere of the film that settles in as you sit back and absorb the essence of the grandfather of all vampire movies.

The fact of the matter is, given the context of the time Dracula deserves all the recognition that it has received. Dracula was a low budget, low priority production produced by a financially strapped studio that was on the brink of collapse. However, it was essentially the first widely viewed vampire movie, and it was one of the first horror movies with sound. It captivated audiences in 1931, and to this day it still fascinates aficionados of the vampire film genre.

"To die, to be really dead. That must be glorious... There are far worse things awaiting men, than death."

So says Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula in one of the many classic lines from film. Browning's Dracula follows a script that strays far from the original novel written by Bram Stoker. In fact, the film was actually based on the successful stage production that played in New York in 1927, rather than Stoker's novel. I find it unfortunate that this version diminishes the role of Jonathan Harker to the point where he is really just a bystander; but then this particular character neglect is overcome by Dwight Frye who puts on an uncannily powerful performance as Renfield. In this version it is Renfield who visits Castle Dracula in Transylvania, and this accounts for his insanity upon returning to London.

Lucy (Frances Dade) and Mina (Helen Chandler) share some girl talk concerning the handsome and mysterious Count Dracula whom they met earlier at the theater.

"The spider spinning his web for the unwary fly. The blood is the life, Mr. Renfield."

So explains Count Dracula when Renfield arrives at the castle. It is interesting that Bela Lugosi had to practically beg to be given the lead role as Count Dracula, and today the Lugosi Dracula is one of the most universally recognized vampire portrayals.

There is much that can be said, analyzed and debated about Tod Browning's Dracula, but it is not for me to do so in this space. If you have trouble understanding the subtleties of early black and white film, find it difficult to comprehend that in 1931 many theaters didn't even have sound yet, and struggle to stay awake during movies with extensive dialog rather than explosions, I would advise staying away from this horror classic. On the other hand, if you can watch a movie made in 1931 and appreciate it for what it is given the time in which it came to the big screen, then by all means, this is a must see movie for any true student of the vampire in film.

Four wooden stakes for Tod Browning's Dracula, the father
of modern horror and the grandfather of the vampire film.

The spider spinning his web for the unwary fly. The blood is the life, Mr. Renfield.

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DRACULA (1931)

Movie Review

Director: Tod Browning Starring: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, Dwight Frye Run time: 75 min.

Director: Tod Browning
Starring:
Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, Dwight Frye
Run time: 75 min.