Dracula (1931) | |
| Director(s) | Tod Browning, Karl Freund (uncredited) |
| Producer(s) | E.M. Asher (associate), Tod Browning, Carl Laemmle Jr. |
| Top Genres | Fantasy, Horror |
| Top Topics | Based on Play, Book-Based, Monster |
Featured Cast:
Dracula Overview:
Dracula (1931) was a Fantasy - Horror Film directed by Tod Browning and Karl Freund and produced by Carl Laemmle Jr., Tod Browning and E.M. Asher.
The film was based on the novel of the same name and also Stage Play written by Bram Stoker published in 1897 (novel); Oct 5, 1927 - May 1928 (play performed at Fulton Theatre, NY).
SYNOPSIS
The most famous screen version of Bram Stoker's celebrated tale launched Lugosi's career in the role he seemed destined to play. Browning had the right macabre sensibility and Freund's images are moody and shadowy. You know the lines by heart, but have you ever really looked at the scene in which Lugosi stands at the top of a sweeping staircase, haloed by spiderwebs, and intones, "I am...Dracula"? There was a Spanish-language version filmed at the same time that, with the exception of Lugosi's embodiment of the count, is considered superior. Try to give it a watch.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
.Dracula was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2000.
BlogHub Articles:
TENDER DRACULA On Blu-ray From Severin
By Dan Day, Jr. on Dec 17, 2023 From The Hitless Wonder Movie BlogSo it's finally come to this. The most notorious title in Severin's CUSHING CURIOSITIES Blu-ray box set is the 1974 French film TENDER DRACULA, also known as LA GRANDE TROUILLE. TENDER DRACULA is known among Peter Cushing fans for being the strangest, and possibly the worst, movie in the actor's ent... Read full article
Dracula (1931): Starring Bela Lugosi
By 4 Star Film Fan on Jun 6, 2023 From 4 Star FilmsAs the story behind Universal’s Dracula unfolds, it’s a joy to pinpoint all the elements helping to intensify the dread and solidify it among the studio’s emerging array of horror classics. There has to be a kind of mythology and lore that the scares can be built out of. The protec... Read full article
Monsters and Matinees: Beyond Lugosi – 9 classic film actors who played Dracula
By Toni Ruberto on Nov 12, 2022 From Classic Movie Hub BlogSay the name Dracula and who do you see? Most likely Bela Lugosi. The Hungarian actor remains the face of Bram Stoker?s iconic character even for some who have never seen him play the role. So here?s a surprising fact that I have to remind myself of: Lugosi only played Count Dracula twice on film... Read full article
Rating The Universal Dracula Films
By Dan Day, Jr. on Oct 9, 2022 From The Hitless Wonder Movie BlogNow it's time for my personal rankings of the Universal Dracula films made during the studio's classic monster era from 1931 to 1948. This will be the same setup as my Universal Frankenstein rankings from yesterday. There's going to be some overlap from that list, as HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, HOUSE OF ... Read full article
DRACULA AND SON On Blu-ray From Severin
By Dan Day, Jr. on Aug 29, 2022 From The Hitless Wonder Movie BlogThe main highlight of Severin's THE EUROCRYPT OF CHRISTOPHER LEE COLLECTION 2 Blu-ray box set is its 3-disc presentation of the 1976 French comedy DRACULA AND SON (originally titled DRACULA PERE ET FILS). The film is not only shown in a restored, uncut condition, it is also the recipient of several ... Read full article
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Quotes from
Renfield: You know too much to live, Van Helsing!
Count Dracula: Van Helsing.
[Van Helsing turns to face Count Dracula]
Count Dracula: Now that you have learned what you have learned, it would be well for you to return to your own country.
Van Helsing: I prefer to remain and protect those whom you would destroy.
Count Dracula: You are too late. My blood now flows through her veins. She will live through the centuries to come, as I have lived.
Van Helsing: Should you escape us, Dracula. We know how to save Miss Mina's soul if not her life.
Count Dracula: If she dies by day. But I shall see that she dies by night.
Van Helsing: And I will have Carfax Abbey torn down, stone by stone, excavated a mile around. I will find your earth-box and drive that stake through your heart.
Count Dracula: Come here.
[Dracula raises his hand to hypnotise Van Helsing]
Count Dracula: Come here.
[Van Helsing takes three hypnotised steps towards Dracula but soon steps back, resisting Dracula's hypnotic power over him]
Count Dracula: Your will is strong, Van Helsing.
[Van Helsing reaches out for his crucifix as Dracula looms toward him]
Count Dracula: More wolfbane?
Van Helsing: More effective than wolfbane, Count.
Count Dracula: Indeed.
[Dracula lunges towards Van Helsing. Van Helsing holds up the crucifix. Dracula snarls and turns away. Van Helsing, in triumph, puts away the crucifix]
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Facts about
Universal's original plan was to make a big-budget adaptation of "Dracula" that would strictly adhere to the Bram Stoker novel. However, after the stock market crash of 1929 and the beginning of the Great Depression, Universal chose not to risk an investment on such a sprawling film. Instead, it adapted the much less expensive Hamilton Deane stage play.
John Carradine was among the actors considered for the title role essayed by Lugosi. However, there is no corroborating evidence from that time period, only Carradine's own later testimony. He also claimed to have turned down a makeup test for the Monster in 1931's "Frankenstein, " due to the absence of dialogue. This statement seems to have a greater bearing of truth, as the actor did indeed work at Universal in the late spring-early summer of 1931, on a film titled "Heaven on Earth. "
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