DVD Review – ‘DRACULA’ 1931

Published on April 26, 2011

Universal Pictures began releasing horror films as early as 1913 with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and continued on through the 20s with various silent horror pictures like 1923’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame and 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera, both starring Lon Chaney in the titular roles. Popular though these films might be, it wasn’t until Universal Pictures adapted Dracula in 1931 that a new door in horror film had opened, ushering in some of the most iconic of film monsters. Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, The Invisible Man and The Creature From the Black Lagoon became so famous, and so globally recognizable, that even with an already fair sized amount of other horror films under their label, Universal saw it fit to celebrate these six iconic monsters in a series of DVD releases called “The Legacy Collection”. Each of the six releases would focus on one of the six monsters, and include the original film they appeared in, and any subsequent sequels or spin-offs. Over the next several weeks, in addition to my normal weekly DVD reviews for various other horror films, I will not only review each of the 27 total films in “The Legacy Collection”, but I will also review them in the chronological order of their release. Not just because subsequent sequels would eventually combine the monsters into one another’s stories, but to also give viewers a chance to see how Universal’s Monster films evolved from the 30s to the 50s, and how they influenced decades of horror films in their wake.

Universal Legacy Collection – Chapter 1: Dracula

(1931)

By Jason Marsiglia

Out of 4

Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel “Dracula” is easily one of the most frightening novels of all time, and certainly one of the most shocking, considering the time it was published. The novel “documents” through journals, newspaper articles and various correspondence, making it – in a way – the literary Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activity of it’s day. This was a book that took itself gravely serious, not telling a story in the linear sense, but rather in a series of “witness testimonials” (a tactic used later by Stephen King in “Carrie”, for a more modern example). This sense of stark realism, combined with such atrocities as vampire brides dining on a screaming newborn, various Satanic iconography and terrifying details about “the undead” and their bloodthirsty habits, made Stoker’s novel not only an unnerving read – but made filming any kind of “true” adaptation near impossible considering modest budgets (this was The Depression, after all) and censorship woes that forbid audiences from even seeing rats scurrying around Dracula’s castle, much less even a suggestion of harm to infants be viewed (more on that particular argument when I review Frankenstein).

It would have been a thorny novel to tackle, to say the least, but thankfully for Universal Pictures producer Carl Laemmle, Jr., the Hamilton Deane/John Balderston Broadway play was out at the time. The play managed to condense the novel into a manageable storyline by omitting certain characters and plot points and brought the Count into the forefront as more of a archetypical villain (in the book, his actions are noted almost after the fact, in the wake of his carnage). It didn’t hurt that the Broadway show was not only hugely successful, but that a two of the play’s key cast members (Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing and a then-unknown Hungarian actor named Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula) were more than willing to make the leap to the silver screen.

What results is a very loose adaptation, but an undeniably entertaining film. The sets, particularly Dracula’s castle in the Carpathian mountains, are visually, masterful works of gothic design, and though in the novel the Count is described as a rather ugly, though aristocratic old man, Lugosi’s performance as a more suave and imposing Dracula has gone on to be the “Gold Standard” of all Dracula renditions to follow. Everything from the signature cloak and cape to Lugosi’s widow’s peak and Hungarian accent, this interpretation of Dracula became the visual and audio blueprint for just about anything Dracula-related from then on, with very few exceptions.

Also noteworthy is the wild-eyed, manic performance by Dwight Frye as Renfield, Dracula’s brainwashed servant. Like Lugosi, Frye’s performance was so iconic to that role, he too was subject to Universal’s typecasting, farmed out into other Universal horror pictures to play various lunatics and henchmen, most notable, as Fritz in James Whales’ adaptation of Frankenstein later that year. For better or worse, this only solidified his station in cinema as merely a talented actor stuck playing quirky and bizarre side characters – a status he grew to resent having been a successful stage actor in comedies and dramas before the film’s release.

Though the film’s status as a classic will never be dethroned, there are a couple of things in the film that seem odd or that detract from it, if only slightly. For one, being that the film was released so early in the development of sound in cinema, there is a lot of scenes lacking dialogue or score. It makes some of the creepier moments fall a little flat when the only accompanying sounds are the hiss and pops of the aged soundtrack. One scene in particular is when Dracula’s brides descend on Renfield in the castle. There’s mood galore during that scene, and eerie imagery, but the stark silence (and for such a sustained period of time) cause it to just feel…off. The punch this scene could have with some tense score would have worked wonders – but read below in the DVD breakdown for a solution this DVD gives to this complaint. Also, I was never particularly fond of comedic actor Charles K. Gerrard’s role as Martin, the daffy asylum employee. For some reason, these brief “comedic interludes” where he makes a goofy comment about Renfield’s eating habits or the sanity of his own co-workers seem very left-field and tacked on. Whether they were inserted by Browning to lighten the grim mood of the film, or were already parts of the Deane/Balderston play, I have no idea, but in the film these moments – however brief – stick out like a sore thumb and just feel terribly out of place.

Subgenre: Vampire. Time: 75 minutes. Aspect Ratio: (1.33:1) Fullscreen. Not Rated: Eerie, gothic imagery, but nothing objectionable. Suitable for all ages.

The Best Digital Bang For Your Hard-Earned Buck:

The first feature on this Legacy Edition DVD is also the most disposable. A small featurette titled Stephen Sommers on Universal’s Classic Monster: Dracula (6:43). Because the first wave of Legacy Collection DVDs were released to coincide with Sommers’ bloated Universal atrocity Van Helsing, this piece serves as a fluff feature to let Sommers and some of the cast of his film describe what they think of the character and how they employ old, traditional elements with today’s special effects. If you’ve seen Van Helsing, you’ll know how little all of this really means…

The next – and best – feature is a documentary called The Road to Dracula (35:02). Hosted by Carla Laemmle, here’s a wonderfully in-depth look at the making of Dracula, complete from Stoker’s novel, and its evolution from its modest stage play, through the Browning production, and on through the film’s visual iconography and continuing legacy. With interviews with people like Clive Barker, special effects legend Rick Baker, and numerous historians, including film historian David Skal (who also directed), there are plenty of insights, musings, comparisons between this film and its Spanish counterpart, and even includes some extremely rare test footage. In its brief runtime, it covers all the key bases of this production and is indispensable to fans of the film.

An Audio Commentary with Historian David J. Skal is also included here. Skal’s commentary is obviously pre-written, but is extremely informative. What’s great about it, is that Skal has done a lot of the work on this film’s bonus features, so he effortlessly side-steps anything that might seem redundant or covered already in the documentary or any other aspect of the DVD’s features. Which means his commentary, which offers a WEALTH of information, is also quite independent of the documentary that proceeds it. He covers all kinds of stuff here, like career highlights for Lugosi, scenes that were written but never shot, censorship woes, novel comparisons, etc.

Remember the minor qualm I had with the lack of film score for Dracula? Well, in an interesting move, Universal hired famed film composer Philip Glass – horror fans might remember his haunting theme to Candyman in 1992 – to create an Alternate Musical Score. Oddly enough, the score sometimes works against the film as well. Strangely, music where it’s NOT needed, it sounds odd and overzealous, when compared to the original version where there’s no score at all. It’s up for debate – and has been debated – but I like that it’s here to give a new spin to this classic story.

There’s a nice Photo Montage Slideshow (9:12) which features a series of the film’s posters and colorful adds set to the film’s score.

Rounding off the features is the Theatrical Trailer (1:52).

This Legacy Collection also includes all of the Dracula sequels which include Dracula (The Spanish Version), Dracula’s Daughter (1936), Son of Dracula (1943), and House of Dracula (1945), all of which I will review in the coming weeks.

Also, in a sneaky company move, Dracula was re-released on DVD in 2006 as a “75^th Anniversary Edition” 2-Disc set. With the exception of the collection of sequels, everything from the Legacy Collection was carted over, but they included a couple of extra items of note.

A New Audio Commentary by Screenwriter Steve Haberman, who wrote the Mel Brooks comedy Dracula: Dead and Loving It in 1995. It’s also very informative and includes some new information not previously covered in the previous editions. Nothing too special, and on its own, hardly with the double-dip…however, the other features might make you reach for your wallet.

We have a new documentary titled Lugosi: The Dark Prince (35:00), which is a fond look at the film’s iconic star and his career with Universal and otherwise. Considering Lugosi’s dark habits off set, it’s actually a really sweet tribute to a talented man.

Monster Tracks, a small trivia track that plays during the film is a decent new feature, but a small addition.

The real highlight of this new edition to Dracula on DVD is the full-length documentary Universal Horror (95:00), that covers the history of Universal Pictures’ series of horror films from the silent era, on up to about the 40s. For as long as the documentary is, I personally was hoping to see it tackle Universal’s vaults clear on up through the 50s, 60s, 70s and on – seeing as Universal Pictures is behind some of the biggest money-making horror films of all time. Unfortunately, it focuses largely on the 20s and 30s. That’s still okay though as we get some really incredible footage of some of the directors at work, interviews with living cast and crew members, and lots of wonderful stories about how these films helped shape the look and feel of cinema during a Depression-era time.

Again, the “75^th Anniversary Edition” has everything from The Legacy Collection and more…but NONE of the subsequent sequels which aren’t readily available anywhere else for the time being. Shop carefully.

Sequels: The first direct sequel would be Dracula’s Daughter in 1936, however, because the character of Dracula would eventually start appearing in various other plotlines within various other monster films in Universal’s horror cannon, the next film within that chronology would be Frankenstein in 1931.

Remake: Technically, though it was made simultaneously, the Spanish version of Dracula is probably the truest remake of Tod Browning’s gothic masterpiece. Though countless film adaptations have been made from Bram Stoker’s novel, Universal wouldn’t outright remake their 1931 classic until 1979’s Dracula, directed by John Badham.

Bottom Line: Tod Browning’s Dracula continues to live up to its legendary status, and whether the role blessed or cursed Lugosi’s career in Hollywood or not, one cannot deny that the larger-than-life screen presence he exuded was a powerful, menacing and eerie one. There are scenes in the film where the soft glow of his eyes would penetrate through the screen, and others where what could pass as a “warm smile” is clouded over by the fact that his eyes almost look lifelessly black in spite of his charm. Translation? Lugosi was scary no matter what he did in this film, and fans of Dracula loved him for it. Yes, he (and Frye) were typecast forever because of this film, but by God, think of the doors it opened. Lugosi would become synonymous to the name Dracula, and would go on to play different variations of the character in other films, make numerous appearances in other iconic horror films in the Universal Legacy series (keep an eye, he’s going to appear quite a bit in the coming weeks), and even don the cape one last time in the Universal comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein in 1948, before being buried in it – literally – after his death in 1956. Lugosi once put it best in an interview saying, “Never has a role so influenced and dominated an actor’s role as has the role of Dracula. He has, at times, infused me with prosperity and, at times, has drained me of everything.” Too true.