This incarnation of Dracula is quite a bit different from the previous Dracula (NOSFERATU). In the previous film, the names were changed in a cheesy attempt to get past copyrights, but Dracula (called "Orlock") was much as he was described in Tod Browning's novel--and probably back in 1922 was the scariest version of Dracula to date. This 1931 Dracula isn't nearly as viscerally scary--gone are the rats climbing about his feet, the excessively long and pointy fingernails and the bat-like face. In its place is a pretty sophisticated and cultured Bela Lugosi. While not exactly a "sex symbol", but by comparison to Orlock, he was quite the stud! Lugosi's performance, with its heavy Hungarian accent, is wonderful and measured. However, I think the biggest star of the film is the wonderful cinematography--with gauzy filters and a delicate touch when the action moves to Britain. A great horror film sure to please everyone.
UPDATE: I just saw the restored version on TCM and was totally shocked at the cinematography. The film was simply gorgeous...one of the best films of the era simply from an artistic standpoint. So gorgeous that it really deserved a 10 (I had originally given it a 9).
UPDATE: I just saw the restored version on TCM and was totally shocked at the cinematography. The film was simply gorgeous...one of the best films of the era simply from an artistic standpoint. So gorgeous that it really deserved a 10 (I had originally given it a 9).