| Dracula | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster |
|
| Directed by | Terence Fisher |
| Produced by | Anthony Hinds |
| Written by | Novel: Bram Stoker Screenplay: Jimmy Sangster |
| Starring | Peter Cushing Christopher Lee Michael Gough Melissa Stribling Carol Marsh |
| Distributed by |  Rank Organisation Universal Studios |
| Release date(s) | May 8, 1958 |
| Running time | 82 min. Terence Fisher ( 23 February 1904 &ndash 18 June, 1980) was a film director who worked for Hammer Films. Anthony Hinds (born 1922 aka Tony Hinds, aka John Elder, is a British Screenwriter and producer. 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 Jimmy Sangster (born 2 December 1927) is an English Screenwriter and director, known for his work for Hammer Film Productions Peter Wilton Cushing, OBE (26 May 1913—11 August 1994 was an English actor known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played Baron Frankenstein Christopher Frank Carandini Lee CBE, CStJ (born 27 May 1922 is a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated Saturn Award-winning English Actor Michael Gough (born November 23 1913) is an Academy Award -nominated British Character actor who has appeared in over 100 films Carol Marsh (b Norma Simpson May 10, 1929) is an English film actress known for winning a part in the film Brighton Rock after thousands The Rank Organisation was a British Entertainment company formed in 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £81,000 |
| Followed by | The Brides of Dracula |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Dracula is a 1958 British horror film, and the first of a series of Hammer Horror films inspired by the Bram Stoker novel Dracula. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States For the characters from the novel see Brides of Dracula. The Brides of Dracula is a 1960 British The year 1958 in film involved some significant events Events February 16- " In the Money " by William The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Horror films are Movies that strive to elicit Fear, Horror and terror responses from viewers Hammer Film Productions is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. 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 Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, featuring as its primary Antagonist the vampire Count Dracula. It was directed by Terence Fisher, and stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Terence Fisher ( 23 February 1904 &ndash 18 June, 1980) was a film director who worked for Hammer Films. Peter Wilton Cushing, OBE (26 May 1913—11 August 1994 was an English actor known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played Baron Frankenstein Christopher Frank Carandini Lee CBE, CStJ (born 27 May 1922 is a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated Saturn Award-winning English Actor In the United States, the film was retitled Horror of Dracula to avoid confusion, and to avoid international copyright infringement, with the Tod Browning-directed Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi as the Count. Tod Browning ( July 12, 1880 &ndash October 6, 1962) was an American motion picture Actor, director Dracula is a classic 1931 Horror film directed by Tod Browning and starring Béla Lugosi as the title character Events Top grossing films Frankenstein, starring Boris Karloff Ingagi, starring Sir Hubert 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
Production began at Bray Studios on the 17 November 1957 with an investment of £81,000. Bray Studios is a film and television studio next to the River Thames at Water Oakley in the Civil parish of Bray, near Windsor in Events 284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) [1] It is remembered for its pioneering combination of fantasy, romance and sexuality, and its unprecedented gore.
Contents |
Plot
Jonathan Harker arrives at the Count's castle posing as a librarian. He is startled inside the castle by a young woman begging his aid and claiming she is a prisoner. The woman looks horrified at the sight of Dracula on the stairs and runs out. Dracula then greets Jonathan and guides him to his room where he locks him in. Jonathan starts to write in his diary and his true intentions are revealed — he is here to kill Dracula.
The woman begs Jonathan to help the next evening and clutches at him. She leans against him as if crying but then tries to bite him. Dracula arrives and yanks her off and fights with her. Jonathan tries to protect her but is overpowered by Dracula and bitten. The pair depart and Jonathan is worried he might become a vampire. Jonathan descends to the coffin room where he finds Dracula and the woman in their coffins for sunrise. Armed with a stake he impales the female first. Dracula awakes at her screams. When Jonathan turns to Dracula's coffin it is empty and Dracula is waiting by the door for him.
Dr. Van Helsing then arrives looking for his friend Jonathan. He is horrified when he discovers Jonathan lying in a coffin as a vampire. Staking his friend, he leaves to deliver the grim news in person to Jonathan's fiancée Lucy, her brother Arthur Holmwood and his wife Mina Holmwood.
Arthur is quick to dismiss Dr. Van Helsing but soon seeks his aid when Lucy falls ill. Van Helsing suggests that Dracula wishes to replace the woman Jonathan took from him with Lucy. Lucy becomes a vampire and tries to lure a young niece to her but the girl is saved by Van Helsing and Arthur. Van Helsing suggests using Lucy as a means to find Dracula but Arthur refuses and so Van Helsing stakes Lucy in her coffin.
Dr. Van Helsing and Arthur try to track down the destination of Dracula's coffin (which had left the castle just as Van Helsing was arriving there), resorting to bribes. Meanwhile, Mina is called away from home by a message telling her to meet Arthur at a certain address. The next morning, they find Mina in a strange state. Determined to find the coffin they plan to leave again but not before Arthur begs Mina to take a cross. Mina is very reluctant and when Arthur presses it into her hand she screams, jumps up and faints. A cross-shaped burn mark is found on her hand. Arthur and Van Helsing then leave for the location they found out (the very same address Mina was called to - not by Arthur but Dracula) but when they arrive there the coffin has vanished.
During the night, Van Helsing and Arthur guard both of Mina's windows against a return of Dracula, but he visits and bites her nonetheless. A remark by the maid leads Van Helsing to the coffin's location: the basement of the Holmwoods' house. He places a cross inside it, while Dracula locks him in the basement and takes Mina with him. Arthur frees Dr. Van Helsing. A chase then begins as Dracula rushes to return home before sunrise. He attempts to bury Mina in the soil and finds Dr. Van Helsing and Arthur close behind and dashes into his home.
Inside Dr. Van Helsing and Dracula battle it out, Dracula almost strangling Dr. Van Helsing. Dr. Van Helsing fakes a faint and escapes from Dracula's clutches. He tears open the curtain to let in the sunlight and, forming a cross of candlesticks, he forces Dracula into it.
Dracula crumbles into dust, as Van Helsing watches in horror. Mina regains her humanity, the cross-shaped scar fading from her hand as Dracula turns to ash and leaves only a ring behind.
Production
Screenplay
This film adaptation made several deviations from the original novel and 1931 film, and was drew inspiration from the stageplay. The location of the Count's castle at Klausenburg is only a short distance (and customs checkpoint) from the city inhabited by the Holmwood family, which appears to be German-speaking. (pronunciation in Romanian: /'kluʒ na'poka/ Klausenburg Kolozsvár Napoca Castrum Clus Claudiopolis קלויזנבורג Kloiznburg until 1974 Cluj, is the third The sea voyage from Transylvania to England does not appear in the film. Dracula's insane servant Renfield is omitted, as are the locations of Carfax Abbey and the insane asylum. This article is about the character in Bram Stoker's Dracula For the card game please see Renfield (card game.
Jonathan Harker is a librarian and vampire hunter, having come to Dracula's castle to destroy him, rather than an unwitting solicitor. A vampire hunter or vampire slayer is someone who specializes in finding and destroying Vampires In Dark A "solicitor" is a term used in many Common law jurisdictions for a lawyer who offers legal services outside of the courts He also becomes a vampire and is dispatched by his friend Van Helsing. Vampires are mythological or folkloric revenants who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living
- Mina is Arthur Holmwood's wife, while Lucy is his sister and the fiancée of Jonathan. The Honourable Arthur Holmwood (later Lord Godalming) is a Fictional character in Bram Stoker 's novel Dracula.
- The characters of R. M. Renfield and Quincey Morris are omitted. This article is about the character in Bram Stoker's Dracula For the card game please see Renfield (card game. Quincey P Morris is a Fictional character in Bram Stoker 's novel Dracula.
- Doctor Seward only appears once, in a brief scene as the family doctor, and is completely unaware of the supernatural goings-on. Dr John Seward is a Fictional character appearing in Bram Stoker 's 1897 novel Dracula.
- Count Dracula has only one Bride and she is destroyed by Jonathan Harker, not Van Helsing. For the 1960 Hammer film see The Brides of Dracula The Brides of Dracula are three seductive female Vampires who make their first appearance in She ages upon her true "death".
- Only one coffin is transported to the city.
- Count Dracula does not "youthen", nor can he shapeshift.
- Count Dracula is destroyed by sunlight.
Special effects
The filming of Dracula's destruction included a shot in which Dracula appears to peel away his decaying skin. This was accomplished by putting a layer of red makeup on Christopher Lee's face, and then covering his entire face with a thin coating of mortician's wax, which was then made up to conform to his normal skin tone. When he raked his fingers across the wax, it revealed the "raw" marks underneath. Still photos of this startling shot exist, but it was cut out of the disintegration sequence in the film.
Miscellanea
- Prior to this film, the 1957 Mexican film El Vampiro starring German Robles and the Turkish version of the story Drakula Istanbula both featured fangs. However, neither Christopher Lee nor director Terence Fisher had seen these films and any influence was negligible. Neither El Vampiro nor Dracula Istanbula were widely seen at the time.
- In the scene in which Dracula is conversing with Harker in his room in the castle, you can see the breath of both John Van Eyssen and Chistopher Lee, indicating it was very cold that day on the set at Bray Studios. However, this is an inadvertent flub, since being undead, Dracula should not have a body temperature warm enough to produce visible breath in the cold.
UK Re-Release Controversy
When the film was originally released in the UK, the BBFC gave it an X rating, being cut, but the hallowe'en 2007 uncut re-release was given a 12A, sparking controversy among critics, and tabloid newspapers. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The British Board of Film Classification ( BBFC) originally British Board of Film Censors, is the organisation responsible for Film, DVD Halloween, or Hallowe’en, is a Holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
Notes and references
- ^ *Rigby, Jonathan, (2000). English Gothic: A Century of Horror Cinema. Reynolds & Hearn Ltd. ISBN 1-903111-01-3.
External links
- Dracula (1958) at the Internet Movie Database
- Dracula (1958) at Allmovie
- Dracula (1958) at Rotten Tomatoes
- BFI Screenonline article
- Britmovie article
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic