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Dracula
Directed by Tod Browning
Produced by Tod Browning
Carl Laemmle Jr.
Written by Novel:
Bram Stoker
Stage Play:
Hamilton Deane
John L. Balderston
Screenplay:
Garrett Fort
Tod Browning (uncredited)
Starring Béla Lugosi
Helen Chandler
David Manners
Dwight Frye
Frances Dade
Edward Van Sloan
Music by Philip Glass (1999)
Cinematography Karl Freund
Editing by Milton Carruth
Maurice Pivar
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date(s) February 14, 1931 (New York premiere)
Running time 75 min. Tod Browning ( July 12, 1880 &ndash October 6, 1962) was an American motion picture Actor, director Carl Laemmle Jr ( 28 April 1908 &ndash 24 September 1979) was in charge of production at Universal Studios from about 1928 to 1936 Abraham "Bram" Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912 was an Irish writer of novels and short stories who is best known today for his 1897 horror John L Balderston ( October 22, 1889 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania - March 8, 1954 Los Angeles California) was an American Garrett Elsden Fort ( June 5, 1900 - October 26, 1945) was an American short story Writer, Playwright, and Tod Browning ( July 12, 1880 &ndash October 6, 1962) was an American motion picture Actor, director Béla Lugosi (October 20 1882 &ndash August 16 1956 was an iconic Hungarian stage and film actor best known for his portrayal of Count Dracula in the American Helen Chandler ( February 1, 1909 – April 30, 1965) was an American Film and Theater Actress David Manners ( April 30, 1900 &ndash December 23, 1998) was a Canadian Film Actor. Dwight Iliff Frye ( February 22 1899 – November 7 1943) was an American stage and screen Actor, noted for his appearances Frances Dade, also known early in her career as Lorelei Lee, ( February 14, 1910 - January 21, 1968) was an American Edward Van Sloan (1 November 1881&ndash6 March 1964 was an American film character actor remembered for his roles in WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Philip Glass (born January 31 Karl W Freund, ASC ( January 16, 1890 - May 3, 1969) was an Oscar-winning German cinematographer and Film director Maurice Pivar (b 11 August 1894 in Manchester, United Kingdom - 14 June 1982 in Los Angeles, California Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Country Flag of the United States United States
Language English
Budget $355,000 (estimate)
Followed by Dracula's Daughter (1936)
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Dracula is a 1931 horror film produced by Universal Pictures Co. Inc. and based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Dracula's Daughter is a 1936 Horror film, a sequel to the 1931 film Dracula. Events Top grossing films Frankenstein, starring Boris Karloff Ingagi, starring Sir Hubert Horror films are Movies that strive to elicit Fear, Horror and terror responses from viewers Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, featuring as its primary Antagonist the vampire Count Dracula. Abraham "Bram" Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912 was an Irish writer of novels and short stories who is best known today for his 1897 horror

Contents

Cast

Plot summary

At Walpurgis Night, after a harrowing ride through the Carpathian mountains in eastern Europe, Renfield enters castle Dracula to finalize the transferral of Carfax Abbey in London to Count Dracula, who is in actuality a vampire. Dr John Seward is a Fictional character appearing in Bram Stoker 's 1897 novel Dracula. Frances Dade, also known early in her career as Lorelei Lee, ( February 14, 1910 - January 21, 1968) was an American Lucy Westenra is a Fictional character in the novel Dracula (1897 by Bram Stoker. Joan Standing ( 21 June, 1903 &ndash 3 February, 1979) was an English actress Charles K Gerrard, also known as Charles Kavanagh ( 20 December 1883 - 1 January 1969) was Walpurgis Night is a traditional religious holiday (celebrated by Pagans Roman Catholics and Satanists ref> About the Church of Satan alike celebrated Renfield is drugged by the eerily hypnotic count, and turned into one of his thralls, protecting him during his sea voyage to London. After sucking the blood and turning the young Lucy Weston into a vampire, Dracula turns his attention to her friend Mina Seward, daughter of Dr. Jack Seward who then calls in a specialist, Dr. Abraham Van Helsing, to diagnose the sudden deterioration of Mina's health. Van Helsing, realizing that Dracula is indeed a vampire, tries to prepare Mina's fiance, John Harker, and Dr. Seward for what is to come and the measures that will have to be taken to prevent Mina from becoming one of the undead.

Detailed plot

Renfield (Dwight Frye), a British solicitor, travels through the Carpathian Mountains via stagecoach. This article is about the character in Bram Stoker's Dracula For the card game please see Renfield (card game. Dwight Iliff Frye ( February 22 1899 – November 7 1943) was an American stage and screen Actor, noted for his appearances England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians (Carpaţi Czech, Polish and Slovak: Karpaty; Ukrainian: Карпати The people in the stagecoach are in the fear that the coach won’t reach the local inn before sundown. Arriving there safely before sundown, Renfield refuses to stay at the inn and asks the driver to take him at Borgo Pass. Tihuţa Pass (Pasul Tihuţa Borgo or Burgo) (el 1201 m is a high Mountain pass in the Romanian Bârgău Mountains (Eastern Carpathian The innkeeper and his wife seem to be afraid of Renfield’s destination, Castle Dracula, and warn him about vampires. A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. The innkeeper's wife gives Renfield a cross for protection before leaving for Borgo Pass and then driven to the castle by Dracula's coach, which was awaiting him at Borgo Pass with Dracula disguised as the driver.

Renfield enters the castle after his driver and his luggage disappear, and is bid welcomed by charming but weird nobleman Count Dracula (Béla Lugosi), who is a vampire, as seen him crawling from his coffin before Renfield left the inn. Béla Lugosi (October 20 1882 &ndash August 16 1956 was an iconic Hungarian stage and film actor best known for his portrayal of Count Dracula in the American Dracula and Renfield discuss the purchase of Carfax Abbey in England, and afterwards Dracula departs. An abbey (from Latin abbatia derived from Syriac abba "father" is a Christian Monastery or Renfield faints when opens a window and a bat comes in, and Dracula, morphed from bat, forces his wives to get away from Renfield and he bites him.

Aboard the Vesta, bound for England, Renfield has now became a raving lunatic slave to Dracula, who is hidden in a coffin and gets out for feeding on the ship's crew. When the ship arrives in England, Renfield is discovered the only living person in it, the captain lashed on the wheel and none of the ship’s crew is discovered. Renfield is sent to Dr. Seward’s sanitarium.

Some nights later, Dracula hypnotizes an usherette and tells her to inform Dr. Seward (Herbert Bunston) that is wanted on the telephone. Dr John Seward is a Fictional character appearing in Bram Stoker 's 1897 novel Dracula. Before leaving, Dracula meets with Dr. Seward who introduces him to his daughter Mina (Helen Chandler), her fiancé John Harker (David Manners) and the family friend Lucy Weston (Frances Dade). Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker is a Fictional character in Bram Stoker 's horror novel Dracula. Helen Chandler ( February 1, 1909 – April 30, 1965) was an American Film and Theater Actress Jonathan Harker is a fictional character and the Protagonist in the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker (though other productions show David Manners ( April 30, 1900 &ndash December 23, 1998) was a Canadian Film Actor. Lucy Westenra is a Fictional character in the novel Dracula (1897 by Bram Stoker. Frances Dade, also known early in her career as Lorelei Lee, ( February 14, 1910 - January 21, 1968) was an American Lucy is fascinated by Count Dracula, and that night, after a talk with Mina and falling asleep in bed, Dracula enters her room as a bat and feasts on her blood. She dies in an autopsy theatre next day after a string of transfusions, and two tiny marks on her throat are discovered.

Several days later, it is seen that Renfield is obsessed with eating flies and spiders, devouring their lives also. Professor Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan) analyzes Renfield's blood discovering Renfield’s obsession. Edward Van Sloan (1 November 1881&ndash6 March 1964 was an American film character actor remembered for his roles in He starts talking about vampires, and that afternoon chats with Renfield, who begs Dr. Seward to send him away because his nightly cries may disturb Mina’s dreams. When Dracula awakes and calls Renfield with wolf howling, Renfield is disturbed when Van Helsing shows him a branch of wolfbane, that stops wolfs as Van Helsing says, and also is used for vampire protection.

Dracula visits a sleeping Mina in her bedroom and bites her, leaving her the same marks Lucy had. She talks to the others about a dream of hers, when Dracula visited her. Then, Dracula enters for a night's visit at the Sewards. Van Helsing and Harker notice that Dracula does not have a reflection in the mirrored top of the cigarette case. When Van Helsing shows that "most amazing phenomenon" to Dracula, he smashes the mirror and excuses himself leaving. Van Helsing deducts that Dracula is the vampire.

Meanwhile, Mina leaves her room and runs into Dracula’s hug in the garden, and is discovered there unconscious. The next day, newspapers write about a “beautiful lady” who lured little children playing in the park with chocolate and then biting them. Mina recognizes the beautiful lady as Lucy, who has risen as a vampire. Harker wants to take Mina at London for safety, but he is finally convinced to leave Mina with them. Van Helsing orders nurse Briggs (Joan Standing) to take care of Mina when she is sleeping, and not to remove the garland of wolfbane around her neck. Joan Standing ( 21 June, 1903 &ndash 3 February, 1979) was an English actress

Renfield again escapes from his cell and listens to the three men discussing vampires. Before Martin (Charles K. Gerrard), his attendant, arrives to take Renfield back to his cell, Renfield narratives to Van Helsing, Harker and Seward how Dracula convinced Renfield to allow him enter the sanitarium by promising him thousands of rats with blood and life in them.

Dracula enters the Seward parlour and talks with Van Helsing. Dracula tells him that Mina is now his after fusing his blood with hers, and Van Helsing swears revenge by sterilizing Carfax Abbey and finding the box where he sleeps and stake him. Dracula tries to hypnotize Van Helsing, almost succeeding, but Van Helsing shows a crucifix to the vampire and turns away.

Mina is visited in her bedroom by Harker, and they talk about the night. Harker notices Mina’s changes, as she now becomes step by step a vampire, and when a bat (Dracula) enters the room and squeaks to Mina, she answers trying to attack Harker but Van Helsing and Dr. Vampire bats are Bats whose food source is Blood, a dietary trait called Hematophagy. Seward arrive just in time to save Harker. Mina confesses what Dracula has done to her, and tries to tell Harker that their love is finished.

Later that night, Dracula hypnotizes Briggs into removing the wolfbane from Mina’s room so he can enter. Van Helsing and Harker see Renfield, having just escaped from his cell, heading for Carfax Abbey. They see Dracula with Mina in the abbey, and when Harker shouts to Mina, Dracula sees them and thinks Renfield had trailed them. An abbey (from Latin abbatia derived from Syriac abba "father" is a Christian Monastery or He strangles Renfield tossing him from the staircase and is hunted by Van Helsing and Harker. Dracula sleeps in his coffin as sunrise has come, and is trapped. Van Helsing prepares a wooden stake while Harker searches for Mina. He finds her in a strange stasis, and when Dracula moans in pain when Van Helsing stakes him, Mina returns to her old self. Harker leaves with Mina and Van Helsing stays and the sound of church bells is heard.

Description

The first official Dracula film was directed by Tod Browning, with a screenplay based on the stage play by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston. A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a Film. Tod Browning ( July 12, 1880 &ndash October 6, 1962) was an American motion picture Actor, director See also Pre-production Screenwriting A screenplay or script is a written plan authored by a Screenwriter, for a Film or Television Dracula is a 1924 stage play adapted by Hamilton Deane from the novel of the same name by Bram Stoker, and subsequently revised by John John L Balderston ( October 22, 1889 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania - March 8, 1954 Los Angeles California) was an American The title role was played by Béla Lugosi. Béla Lugosi (October 20 1882 &ndash August 16 1956 was an iconic Hungarian stage and film actor best known for his portrayal of Count Dracula in the American Also starring in the film were David Manners as Jonathan Harker, Helen Chandler as Mina Murray/Harker and Dwight Frye as Renfield. David Manners ( April 30, 1900 &ndash December 23, 1998) was a Canadian Film Actor. Helen Chandler ( February 1, 1909 – April 30, 1965) was an American Film and Theater Actress Dwight Iliff Frye ( February 22 1899 – November 7 1943) was an American stage and screen Actor, noted for his appearances

Bram Stoker's novel had already been filmed (without permission) as Nosferatu in 1922 by expressionist German film maker F.W. Murnau, but enthusiastic young Hollywood producer Carl Laemmle Jr too saw the box office potential in Stoker's gothic chiller. Nosferatu A Symphony of Horror is a German Expressionist film by F Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, better known as F W Murnau ( December 28, 1888 &ndash March 11, 1931) was one of the most influential Carl Laemmle Jr ( 28 April 1908 &ndash 24 September 1979) was in charge of production at Universal Studios from about 1928 to 1936 Unlike the German counterpart, this would be a fully authorized version (since Murnau's film had fallen under the wrath of Stoker's widow, who had tried to destroy all prints of Nosferatu) and it would also be a spectacle to rival the lavish Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera, and, like those films, Laemmle insisted it must star Lon Chaney (despite him being under contract at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer). The 1923 film version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, starring Lon Chaney as Quasimodo and Patsy Ruth Miller as Esmeralda The Phantom of the Opera is a 1925 Silent film directed by Rupert Julian adaptation of the Gaston Leroux novel of the same Lon Chaney ( April 1 1883 &ndash August 26 1930) nicknamed " The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American Tod Browning was then approached to direct this new Universal epic (Browning, incidentally, had already directed Chaney as a (fake) vampire in the lost 1927 silent movie London after Midnight), however, a number of factors would limit Laemmle's plans: Firstly, Chaney himself (who had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 1928) had sadly succumbed to his terminal illness. Furthermore, studio financial difficulties, coupled with the onset of the Great Depression, caused a drastic reduction in the budget, forcing Laemmle to look at a cheaper alternative (this meant several grand scenes that closely followed the Stoker storyline had to be abandoned).

Already a huge hit on Broadway, the tried and tested Deane/Balderston Dracula play would become the blueprint and the production gained momentum. However, the question of who would play the Count remained. This would fall to the (then) current broadway Dracula, Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi, but not without controversy. Béla Lugosi (October 20 1882 &ndash August 16 1956 was an iconic Hungarian stage and film actor best known for his portrayal of Count Dracula in the American Originally Laemmle had stated he was not at all interested in Lugosi, in spite of the warm reviews his stage portrayal had received, and instead sought to hire other actors, including Ian Keith. Ian Keith ( February 27, 1899 – March 26, 1960) was an American actor Against the tide of Studio opinion Lugosi lobbied hard and ultimately won the executives over, thanks in part to him accepting a salary far less than his co-stars.

The eerie speech pattern of Lugosi's "Dracula" was said to have resulted from the fact that Lugosi did not speak English, and therefore had to learn and speak his lines phonetically. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Phonetics (from the Greek φωνή ( phonê) "sound" or "voice" is the study of the physical sounds of human speech This is a bit of an urban legend. An urban legend or urban myth is a form of modern Folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them While it is true that Lugosi did not speak English at the time of his first English-language play in 1919, and he had learned his lines to that play in this manner. By the time of his filming this role, Lugosi spoke English as well as he ever would.

To many film lovers and critics alike, Lugosi's portrayal is widely regarded as the definitive Dracula. Lugosi had a powerful presence and authority onscreen. The slow, deliberate pacing of his performance ("I. . . bid you. . . welcome!" -- "I never drink. . . wine!") gave his Dracula the air of a walking, talking corpse, which terrified 1930s movie audiences. A cadaver or corpse is a dead Body. "Cadaver" is normally used as a more formal term for a body being used in medical training or research He was just as compelling with no dialogue, and the many closeups of Lugosi's face in icy silence jumped off the screen. Lugosi's speech pattern would be imitated countless times by other Dracula portrayers, most often in an exaggerated or comical way. However, Dracula would ultimately become a role which would prove to be both a blessing and a curse. Despite his earlier stage successes in a variety of roles, from the moment Lugosi donned the cape on screen, it would forever see him typecast as the count.

According to numerous accounts, the production is alleged to have been a mostly disorganized affair,[1] with the usually meticulous Tod Browning leaving legendary cinematographer Karl Freund to take over during much of the shoot. Karl W Freund, ASC ( January 16, 1890 - May 3, 1969) was an Oscar-winning German cinematographer and Film director Moreover the despondent Browning would simply tear out pages from the script which he felt were redundant, such was his seeming contempt for the screenplay. It is possible however, given that Browning had originally intended Dracula as collaboration between him and Lon Chaney, his apparent lack of interest on set was more down to losing his friend and original leading man, rather than any actual aversion to the subject matter.

When the film finally premiered on Valentine's Day 1931, newspapers reported that members of the audiences fainted in shock at the horror onscreen. Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is a Holiday celebrated on February 14 This publicity, shrewdly orchestrated by the film studio, helped ensure people came to see the film, if for no other reason than curiosity. Dracula was a big gamble for a major Hollywood studio to undertake. In spite of the literary credentials of the source material, it was uncertain if an American audience was prepared for a serious full length supernatural chiller. Though America had been exposed to other chillers before, such as The Cat and the Canary this was a horror story with no comic relief or trick ending that down played the supernatural. The Cat and the Canary ( 1927) is a American silent Horror film adaptation of John Willard 's 1922 Black comedy play

Nervous executives breathed a collective sigh of relief when Dracula proved to be a huge box office sensation, and later that year Universal would release Frankenstein to even greater acclaim. Frankenstein is a Horror film from Universal Pictures directed by James Whale and very loosely based on the novel of the same name Universal in particular would become the forefront of early horror cinema, with a canon of films including, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Wolf Man. The Mummy is a 1932 horror classic from Universal Pictures directed by Karl Freund and starring Boris Karloff as a The Invisible Man is a 1933 Horror film based on H G Wells ' Science fiction novel The Invisible Man, published Bride of Frankenstein (advertised as The Bride of Frankenstein) is a science fiction / Horror film.

A number of scenes which were later cut from the film, the most famous being an epilogue which only played during the film's initial run. In a sequence similar to the prologue from Frankenstein, and again featuring Universal stalwart Edward Van Sloan, he appeared as a narrator to re-assure the audience that what they’d just seen wouldn’t give them nightmares. However, Van Sloan would then calmly inform those with a nervous disposition that. . . "There really are such things as Vampires!"[2]

Today, Dracula is widely regarded as a classic of the era and of its genre and in 2000 was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". The National Film Registry is the registry of Films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of

Tod Browning would go on to direct Bela Lugosi once more in another vampire thriller, Mark of the Vampire, a 1935 remake of his now lost film London after Midnight. Mark of the Vampire (also known as Vampires of Prague) is a 1935 Horror film, starring Lionel Barrymore, Elizabeth London After Midnight is a 1927 silent Mystery film with horror overtones

Cinematic process

The film/negative format used in the creation of this film was 35 mm. 35 mm film is the basic Film gauge most commonly used for both still Photography and Motion pictures, and remains relatively unchanged since its The cinematographic process used was the Spherical film format. A film format is a technical definition of a set of standard characteristics regarding image capture on Photographic film, for either stills or movies [1].

Sequels

Five years after the release of the film, Universal released Dracula's Daughter, a direct sequel that starts immediately after the end of the first film. Dracula's Daughter is a 1936 Horror film, a sequel to the 1931 film Dracula. A second sequel, Son of Dracula, starring Lon Chaney, Jr. followed in 1943. Son of Dracula is an American Horror film released in 1943. It was directed by Robert Siodmak - his first film for Universal studios Lon Chaney Jr ( February 10, 1906 – July 12, 1973) was an American Character actor, known mainly for his roles Despite his apparent death in the 1931 film, the Count returned to life in three more Universal films of the mid-1940s: 1944's House of Frankenstein, 1945's House of Dracula and 1948's Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. House of Frankenstein was an American Horror film produced in 1944 by Universal Studios as a sequel to Frankenstein Meets House of Dracula was an American Horror film released by Universal Pictures Company in 1945. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (which has the onscreen title Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein) is a comedy / Horror film While Lugosi had played a vampire in two other movies during the 1930s and 40's, it was only in this final film that he played Count Dracula onscreen for the second (and last) time.

1998 musical score by Philip Glass

Due to the limitations of adding a musical score to a film's soundtrack, during 1930 and 1931, no score had ever been composed specifically for the film. In 1998 composer Philip Glass was commissioned to compose a musical score for the classic film. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Philip Glass (born January 31 The score was performed by the Kronos Quartet under direction of Michael Riesman. Kronos Quartet is a String quartet founded by Violinist David Harrington in 1973

Of the project, Glass said:

"The film is considered a classic. I felt the score needed to evoke the feeling of the world of the 19th century — for that reason I decided a string quartet would be the most evocative and effective. I wanted to stay away from the obvious effects associated with horror films. With [the Kronos Quartet] we were able to add depth to the emotional layers of the film. "

The film, with this new score, was released by Universal Studios Home Video in 1999 in the VHS format. Universal Studios Home Entertainment (formerly Universal Studios Home Video or MCA/Universal Home Video) is a Home video company founded in 1980 Universal's DVD releases allow the viewer to choose between the unscored soundtrack or the Glass score. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is

The Spanish language version

Main article: Dracula (Spanish Version)

In the early days of sound, it was common for Hollywood studios to produce Spanish-language versions of their films using the same sets, costumes and etc. Dracula ( 1931) is a Spanish-language version of the more famous Tod Browning -directed Dracula starring Bela Lugosi Unfortunately, many of these versions no longer exist. The Spanish version of Dracula is an exception.

The Spanish version was included as a bonus feature on the Classic Monster Collection DVD in 1999, the Legacy Collection DVD in 2004 and the 75th Anniversary Edition DVD set in 2006.

Notes

  1. ^ In an interview with author and horror historian David J. Skal, David Manners (Jonathan Harker) told him that he was so unimpressed with the chaotic production, he never once watched the film in the remaining 67 years of his life. David Manners ( April 30, 1900 &ndash December 23, 1998) was a Canadian Film Actor.
  2. ^ DVD Documentary

See also

External links

Dracula is a 1979 horror / Romance film starring Frank Langella as Count Dracula. Universal Monsters are fictional characters created or popularized by Universal Studios in a number of famous Horror films The approach began with the 1923 film version Universal Horror is the name given to the distinctive series of Horror films made by Universal Studios in California Béla Lugosi was in a large number of movies during the course of his career Google Video is a free video sharing website and also a video service from Google that allows anyone to upload Video Clips to Google's web Allmovie (previously All Movie Guide) is a commercial database of information about Movie stars movies and television shows.
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