Movie Reviews: Dracula (1931)

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Dracula by MDTartist83


Title:
Dracula

Cast:

Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula
Helen Chandler as Mina Seward
David Manners as Jonathan Harker
Edward Van Sloan as Professor Van Helsing
Dwight Frye as Renfield

Distributed by: Universal Pictures

Directed by: Tod Browning

Country: United States

Year of Release: 1931

Synopsis: Being the first official film adaptation of the Bram Stoker novel, this film uses all the original character names and stays true to most of the events from the original story. Set in the year the novel takes place in, (1897) a British solicitor named Renfield travels through the Carpathian Mountains by stagecoach. After arriving there safely before sunset, Renfield is invited to stay at an inn, but he refuses and asks the driver to take him to Borgo Pass. Before he goes there however, the people at the inn warn him about the dangers of "Castle Dracula" and that vampires come out at night. So the innkeeper's wife gives Renfield a crucifix to ensure his safety should he choose to go there.

After arriving at the castle, the strange nobleman "Count Dracula" welcomes Renfield to his domain with open arms. Unbeknownst to Renfield, the Count is a centuries old vampire who has lived for over four hundred years. After discussing matters in what appeared to be a civilized conversation, Dracula sends Renfield to his room. However, Renfield easily falls victim to the Count's influence and becomes an obedient servant for Dracula to use to his advantage. Through him, he makes his way to England by ship while cased inside a coffin as Renfield watches over him. When the ship arrives to England, Renfield is discovered to be the only surviving person in it; with the captain and the rest of the crew dead. He is subsequently sent to Dr. Seward's sanatorium. Meanwhile, Dracula escapes and begins to wreck havoc in London. In his endless pursuit of blood and terror, the Count later grows a personal interest towards a young woman named Mina Seward.

Personal Comments: As far as I know, this movie is most likely the earliest Dracula film which pre-dates all the other film adaptations of Bram Stoker's novel. Although some people may argue that Nosferatu was the first film adaptation of the book since it came out almost ten years before this film hit theatres back in the 1930s. Anyway, this movie is actually quite spectacular and enjoyable for its age. And I like how a lot of the actors in the movie played out their roles. Bela Lugosi's role as Dracula for instance was quite creepy and menacing, but also charming and magnetic at the same time. Dwight Frye's role as Renfield was civilized at first. But upon being enslaved by Dracula as his minion, he develops a bit of a crazy and wacky personality. And then we have Edward Van Sloan, who played the role of the main protagonist; Professor Van Helsing. Edward Van Sloan's performance as Van Helsing was pretty good. In fact, in his own way, Sloan managed to grasp the core of the character quite well. Especially in some of his dialogue.

Speaking of which, the dialogue is a little bit slow in some parts. But considering the year this movie came out in, that's perfectly acceptable. Aside from that, the movie has a few notable quotes from the novel as well as a few catchy lines that the writers have managed to come up with on their own. For instance, the scene where Dracula greets Renfield to his castle and says "I am Dracula. And I bid you welcome to my home." is totally unforgettable.  And the scene where Van Helsing informs his colleges that they're dealing with a vampire is priceless as well. "Gentlemen, we are dealing with the.... Undead." "Nosferatu?" "Yes, Nosferatu. The undead. A vampire."

Another thing I found interesting about this movie was the acting and special effects. Again, it's nothing compared to the special effects we have today. But that doesn't really bother me considering that this is an old black and white movie from the earlier ages of filmming. Anyway, I actually like the special effects that were used for this film. One thing I noticed was that they made good use of paintings for some of the backgrounds in certain scenes. Whereas in other scenes they used raw live footage. As an artist, I just so happen to have a liking for that as the paintings in certain scenes gives off an artistic atmosphere, while some of the scenes where darkness is abundant provides that eerie sort of sensation. I especially like how smoke effects were used to give the movie it's horror-film type atmosphere while Dracula was either assuming another form or simply appearing on screen. And some of the certain camera angles are quite spectacular as well. I would also like to mention that the special-effects artists made good use of the occasional puppets that were used in some scenes. For instance, the part where Dracula appears in Mina's room in bat form while she was asleep was done using a puppet for the bat before Dracula assumed human form.

I would also like to point out that the 1931 Dracula movie also has it's comedic moments as well as it's creepy and suspenseful moments. For instance, the part where Dracula slaps a mirror down to the floor when Van Helsing shows it to him was totally priceless. And then there's that unforgettable scene where Dracula attempts to lunge at Van Helsing, only to be stopped when he sees that he's carrying a crucifix in his hand, which causes him to retreat in such a dramatic sort of way. And last but not least, there's the part where Dracula decides that Renfield has outlived his usefulness as a servant, and then sends him rolling down the stairs. I thought that part was pretty hilarious. The ending is quite simplistic as we don't actually see Dracula die, but rather we just hear him groaning in agony as Van Helsing finishes him by driving a steak through his heart. Still though, it was quite a climatic ending despite how simple it was.

As far as records go, Bela Lugosi's face and attire had become the standard appearance for Dracula from the time of the film's theatrical release. To this very day, a considerable number of people think of Lugosi's face when they hear the name "Dracula". In fact, I once heard that at the time of Lugosi's death in 1956, he was buried in his Dracula outfit by the request of his son and fourth wife. Contrary to popular belief, Lugosi never requested to be buried in his attire; his son Bela Lugosi Jr. confirmed on numerous occasions that he and his mother, Lillian, actually made the decision but believed that it was what his father would have wanted. It's also worth mentioning that the now classic "Lugosi" look has been used and referenced in various media. In fact, the "Lugosi" style has appeared pretty much everywhere including in TV shows, comics, manga, and even video games. Out of all the actors who have played in the production of the 1931 film, I'd like to point out that David Manners (Jonathan Harker) has lived the longest out of them all. In fact, he lived a long and healthy life until he passed away on December 23rd, 1998. He was 98 years of age. The film itself had become a major box office hit.

Overall: To this day, nearly eight decades after its release in theatres, the 1931 Dracula film continues to inspire and influence artists and writers alike. For despite its age, it's influences can never truly be forgotten even by those who have not seen it in during its theatrical premiere. In fact, like many other horror films that came before and after it, the movie provides a pretty good chilling sensation on the audience. In my case, the film is good for both suspenseful as well as comedic moments. As a classic, it sure has won my admiration and respect for its overall great acting, dialogue, special effects and chilling atmosphere. Plus, its a great adaptation of Stoker's novel. So overall, I'll give this movie 5 stars.

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TallGlassOfTallGlass's avatar
I read this earlier. Excellent review.