The BBC version of Count Dracula has never got an official release here in the states. It just so happens that I have come across a copy of this via my famous saying "special order". All I can say is that I have never read Dracula but from what I've heard this is the best literary translation and somehow I have to believe this.
There are sequences in this that I never knew existed in the novel as I grew up on Christopher Lee and Bela Lugosi vampire films that either took elements and spread them across several movies or just left them out period. This movie (clocking in at a whopping 2 hours 30 minutes) spares no expense in character development as you will get well acquainted with a lot of the characters over that time frame.
Is it talky,yes but is it boring,no. This movie does such a good job of getting you to like the characters that you really do not care that Dracula or his brides have not done anything in the last 20 minutes. Is the movie gory no the usual blood from the neck and such but it does have a sequence where Dracula (played by Louis (Swamp Thing) Jourdan) brings his 3 Vampiric Brides a baby to munch on. Though we do not see it this is still pretty cool stuff. We also get a well played Van Helsing played by Frank (Lifeforce) Finley. In fact most of the cast does a very good job in this film throughout.
All in all if you are to lazy to read the novel (as I am) you should definitely check this out as though it lacks in gore it makes up for it in set designs, story and character development. Heck who am I kidding if you just want to see Dracula done well get your claws on this.
My Score: 8/10 Very Good, people wanting a literary classic handled correctly need to look no further than this film. All others who need there explosions and fireworks every 5 to 10 minutes or so may want to look elsewhere.
I'm Out!!!
There are sequences in this that I never knew existed in the novel as I grew up on Christopher Lee and Bela Lugosi vampire films that either took elements and spread them across several movies or just left them out period. This movie (clocking in at a whopping 2 hours 30 minutes) spares no expense in character development as you will get well acquainted with a lot of the characters over that time frame.
Is it talky,yes but is it boring,no. This movie does such a good job of getting you to like the characters that you really do not care that Dracula or his brides have not done anything in the last 20 minutes. Is the movie gory no the usual blood from the neck and such but it does have a sequence where Dracula (played by Louis (Swamp Thing) Jourdan) brings his 3 Vampiric Brides a baby to munch on. Though we do not see it this is still pretty cool stuff. We also get a well played Van Helsing played by Frank (Lifeforce) Finley. In fact most of the cast does a very good job in this film throughout.
All in all if you are to lazy to read the novel (as I am) you should definitely check this out as though it lacks in gore it makes up for it in set designs, story and character development. Heck who am I kidding if you just want to see Dracula done well get your claws on this.
My Score: 8/10 Very Good, people wanting a literary classic handled correctly need to look no further than this film. All others who need there explosions and fireworks every 5 to 10 minutes or so may want to look elsewhere.
I'm Out!!!