Dracula Blog

Each of the adaptations of Dracula I showed the class have some really good bits that make the movie very good. As for my favorite? I think it was the Jess Franco Dracula with Christopher Lee. The movie itself isn't entirely perfect. It's very slow and has very low production values. That and the women playing the parts of Mina and Lucy DID NOT look convincing that they lived in the 1890's.

But there are scenes in the film that are really well done. The fireplace scene between Dracula and Harker is my favorite. And probably Christopher Lee's best performance as Count Dracula. It was probably his most restrained performance as the Count too. His speech about his family lineage to Harker is just great leading up to the great "Children of the night" line which has this really nice slow close up on his fang. It's done in a way that's very subtle.

With Nosferatu (1922) I think the entire movie is great. Sure some of the effects may seem a bit silly now. But they made due with the technology they had at the time.

My favorite scene was probably the one I showed the class which had Count Orlok (Dracula) reading the deeds to the Abbey which he is about to purchase in England. The scene which he looks over at Hutter (Harker) from the top of the paperwork is brilliant. You get this sense of how decayed and creepy he looks. That and I love the eyebrows. What could look very silly becomes very haunting.

Dracula 1931 definitely Renfield meeting Count Dracula for the first time. Just the panoramic shot of the castle is really nicely done as well as all the strange visuals like the armadillo's. Some very nice close-ups on Béla Lugosi too. Which, as I mentioned yesterday, my student Ariel approved of ;-)

Nosferatu 1979 the scene I like the best actually DOES NOT have Dracula in it. It's the scene where the plague has ravaged the town and everyone is dancing about resigned to their fate. I think a mix of the haunting music and the absurdity of the scene gives it the appearance of a Hieronymus Bosch painting. Possibly the best scene in the whole movie.

Last but not least The Horror of Dracula. I like this movie because it's a different take on Dracula. Making it an action film without ruining the feel of Bram Stoker's original tale. I showed this film in the class for my students who enjoy Tim Burton's take on movies. The final confrontation between Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee is great!! Actually, I would have loved it if Cushing played Dr. Who more like Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Van Helsing.

But that's for another blog...